Django
World Cinema
•
1h 57m
Directed by Etienne Comar • Drama • With Reda Kateb, Cécile de France • 2017 • 117 minutes
During the German Occupation, gypsy Django Reinhardt, a true hero of the guitar, is at the peak of his career. Every night he has Paris reeling to his swing music at the Folies Bergères, while his gypsy brethren are hunted down and massacred throughout Europe.
When the German propaganda ministry wants to send him to Berlin for a series of concerts, he senses imminent danger and decides to flee to Switzerland with the help of one of his admirers, Louise de Klerk. He travels to Lake Geneva, with his pregnant wife Naguine and his mother Negros. But their escape is more complicated than anticipated and the three of them end up plunged into the turmoil of WWII. During these difficult times, Django Reinhardt remained an exceptional performer and composer, who resisted with his art and his sense of humor, constantly seeking a form of musical perfection.
"The extended musical numbers by Reinhardt's Quintette du Hot Club de France are wonderful.” —Film Inquiry
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