Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End

Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End is a 1970 Spaghetti Western that unites two iconic personas of the genre, both of whom had become the subject of various films throughout the 1960s and 70s, neither created by nor connected to the official series, but rather a part of the "Django & Sartana" unofficial series. Django, originally played by Franco Nero in the film that launched the character, was a gritty ex-Union soldier turned drifter with a penchant for dragging a coffin. Sartana, portrayed by various actors across different films, was a stylish gambler and gunslinger with a mysterious aura. Though the original characters were conceived and developed by different filmmakers, this movie positions them together in a formula that had been popularized by the latter's success: a team-up of two legendary heroes of the Old West.

In this particular iteration, Jack Betts takes on the role of the sharp-shooting Django, while Franco Borelli fills the boots of the dapper and cunning Sartana. The film presents these characters as formidable gunmen, each with their unique style and approach to the lawless enclaves of the West. Gordon Mitchell plays a part in the ensemble as well, adding further star power to the gunplay and standoffs that punctuate these movies.

The premise revolves around the duo inadvertently crossing paths when they become embroiled in a plot that typically involves some combination of greed, violence, and revenge, all set against the rugged backdrop of the American frontier. They find themselves entangled with a myriad of rough-hewn characters, from bandits and corrupt officials to saloon dwellers and distressed town folk. Both antiheroes are motivated by their sense of justice, even if that justice doesn't necessarily align with the legal standards of the time.

Django and Sartana's exploits lead them through a series of challenges as they confront a greater evil that threatens the peace and safety of the innocents caught in the middle. As the movie unfolds, viewers are treated to the harsh landscapes that have come to define the genre, from dusty town streets to sun-bleached deserts, capturing the particular desolation and danger of a time when the law was often just the quickest draw.

The narrative takes on a structure familiar to fans of spaghetti westerns: a mix of tense standoffs, dramatic face-offs, gunfights, and moments of uneasy alliance. The complex morality of the characters is on full display, with each protagonist following their own ethical code. Coupled with the operatic elements of violence and stylization so characteristic of the genre, the film works to establish a balance between brutality and a peculiar form of righteousness.

Not forgetting to pay homage to its roots, Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End is replete with the stylistic flourishes that are synonymous with the spaghetti western. The film's soundtrack echoes with the twanging guitars, whipcrack percussion, and haunting whistles that have come to be associated with the dusty, violent tableau of these Mediterranean-produced oaters.

Directorial choices in the film also follow the conventions laid out by previous entries in the genre. Scenes are composed with an eye towards the vast, alien beauty of the natural landscape against which the human dramas play out. Camera work is inventive and often dramatic, employing extreme close-ups of actors’ faces during tension-filled moments, juxtaposed with sweeping panoramic shots of the terrain that define the aesthetic of the western.

The influence of iconic western filmmakers, like Sergio Leone, on Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End is evident not just in visual and auditory design, but also in the narrative pacing and archetypal characters - the strong, silent types standing against the less silent, yet equally ruthless, villains. While the movie does not shy away from action or bloodshed, it also contemplates the solitude and fatalism that often haunt its solitary heroes.

In conclusion, Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End is a film that taps into the cultural zeitgeist of its time, merging the myths of the Wild West with the stark storytelling and distinctive aesthetics of the European westerns from that era. It presents audiences with a world where heroes are not knights in shining armor but gritty survivors marked by their pasts. For fans and connoisseurs of the genre, it offers a dynamic, cross-pollinated vision of two legendary characters teaming up to leave their mark on a landscape as unforgiving as the enemies that inhabit it.