How can Django Unchained be viewed as a postmodern film?

Post modernism is the rejection of modernism which offers the truth, improvement, hierarchy and
order. In addition, its also he belief that something is always there to relate to something of
importance - sometimes becoming a copy of a copy. Industrialisation is the thought that nothing is
original and that everything looks and sounds the same. Django Unchained follows the conventions
of postmodern by combining the characteristics of a spaghetti-western; a low budget Italian
Western or Macaroni Western that is a sub-genre of western films that emerged in the mid-1960s
stereotypically set in Italy, a western; often containing a white lone ranger set in the wild west and
also a blaxploitation; a film containing a predominantly black cast. Quentin Tarantino managed to
incorporate all of these factors into the critically acclaimed Django Unchained to create an
ingenious example of a postmodern mash-up.
To understand why Django Unchained can fall into this niche category of films, firstly we must look
at the plot of this film title. The film starts with former German dentist, Dr. King Schultz (played by
Christoph Waltz) buys the freedom of a slave named Django (played by Jamie Foxx). Schultz trains
Django up with the intent to make him his deputy bounty hunter and eventually grant him his
freedom. However, he is led to the site of Djangos wife who is under the hands of Calvin Candie; a
ruthless plantation owner (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). Schultz and Django claim to be in
Candyland to by a mandingo (an African-American fighter) - but actually intend on buying back
Djangos wife who is under the hands of Cnadie. Once Candie unveils their scheme and finalises
the deal to sell Djangos wife, Schultz refuses to shake Candies hand and therefore shoots him
before being shot himself. This results in a huge shootout with Django being captured and sold off
as a slave. However, Django manages to escape and return and freeing his wife.
Django Unchained can undoubtably be classed as a mash-up as it derives from a combination of
existing film titles, such as the 1966 film Django and also the 1959 Italian fantasy film Hercules
Unchained. By purposely using the combination of these two titles, Quentin Tarantino is creating
something that is known as Meta. This is when a piece of media refers to itself in order to remind
the audience that they are watching a fictional film and something that is not based on real life.
Furthermore, Django Unchained continuously breaks the conventional rules in film-making and
solidifying itself as a postmodern film, firstly through its unfitting choice of music, which is incessant
throughout the entirety of the film. For example, the songs chosen range from modern day hip-hop
in the shape of Rick Ross to niche Italian ballads from Elisa. These two songs are clearly
something that you would not tend to hear in an authentic western film - which adds to the
postmodernist feel to the film.