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I think Stephen's hatred towards Django rooted from the fact that Stephen always saw himself above other slaves, and seeing Django on that horse and having confidence and authority made Stephen angry that he wasn't the only slave with that kind of status.
Unfortunately his pride didn't allow him to see the bigger picture. Stephen could have easily allow Hilda to be sold off and remove the threat without losing anything he has gain. But the fact of seeing Django more free than him was something he couldn't accept so he sought to take that from him causing Stephen to lose everything.
It wasnt that. Stephen is simply, a racist. He hates black people, he saw a black man making a fool out of his white "son" (Stephen is an absolute asshole, but it was pretty clear he loved Calvin as a son), and he couldnt stand it. I remember when Tarantino in an interview said "no matter how sick you find some of the elements in this movie, reality was worse". People like Stephen really existed.
A lot of people say Samuel L. Jackson plays the same character in every movie, but I just tell them about Stephen and Mr. Glass in “Unbreakable.” He’s an excellent actor.
He does play several characters that seem the same but he does nail characters outside of these norms; whether it's something simple as one of the programmers in Jurassic Park to the villain in the Spirit or even something simple as the organ player in Kill Bill 2. He has a wide range of acting talent and has a type of confidence and charisma that draws you in on the screen.
He should have won an Oscar for Django. You’re so right. I like to think that the story Candy tells his guests, about the skull of the slave who never cut his master’s throat, came from Stephen telling it to Candy as a child, and that’s the way he got close to him. By convincing him he would need his own house slave of that type. And Stephen’s desire for revenge was not as strong as his desire to show Django that he was the real power behind the throne.
I hear you on that. All the people involved in this film including DiCaprio, Jackson, Tarantino, Washington, Foxx and whomever played the German bounty hunter, were a gift from God to entertain us. Tarantino is just blessed with the ability to make these works of art and wisely choose a plethora of gifted actors and actresses. Any film Tarantino makes, I make time to see. I'll make an entire day of it. There's really nobody like Tarantino. The man just has his own style and he's made a huge impact on film. You can just tell when a movie is a Tarantino movie, without looking it up or having to be told. He always puts his signature, figuratively speaking, in his films, giving it that Tarantino vibe. We're lucky to have him
@@concernedcommenter8258No doubt he's a hateable bastard, but he's supposed to be. That's a testament to Jackson's ability to act and truly bring a fictional character alive on screen. Samuel L Jackson in real life is the furthest thing from Stephen, so his ability to make us hate Stephen, just goes to show how talented he is. His whole life and career is inspiring. Being a hard working drug addict, getting clean and continuing to make great stuff, years and years after his sobriety. Another memorable Sam Jackson character is from the game San Andreas, if you haven't seen that, look it up. He plays a crooked LA cop. Check it out, he's great!
“I missed you like a rock in my shoe.” It’s often said that if you were to fake a limp you should put a rock in the shoe that you mean to fake so you don’t forget.
Stephen is a true villain. Born into oppression, he used his environment to his benefit, even going as far as faking his “old man” funk. His hate for fellow slaves is so blatant and his ability to easily explain the horrors of punishment, Stephen is a great villain.
As much as I don't care for defending the devil here, his actions are easy to define as evil but racism like his and his willingness to cross lines that would make a normal human shutter are not necessarily exclusively due to him being evil. It may have been a desperate attempt to survive in his younger years that eventually became his defining traits in his older years. That being said, Stephen is a cruel monster of a man but he's a villain that did what he had to survive. It's a common trope in fiction to have what's called a dark mirror. In the west, it's just good versus evil but no one stops to ask, "would I have been any better if I were born into that life?" It's easy to look at it from outside the box and proclaim our moral superiority but what determines it is how well we would have done in the same situation. Luckily the movies don't show us any suffering in his past, to the viewers he was always an evil Uncle Tom.
@@blackout6411 @Blackout An interesting idea to put forth. But any sympathies or reasons one could try and find in his past to explain why he is the way he is now, all becomes moot and pretty pointless when all we see of him in the movie is him going out of his way, every time he's given the opportunity to, to make every other black person's life as miserable as he can without anyone else's input.
@@Adatunji Hence the reason I refer to him as a monster but in every evil individual there is a capacity for good and for every good individual there is a capacity for evil. I won't pretend that Calvin is anything more than a despicable man child, just as I wouldn't pretend Stephen is anything less than an Uncle Tom, but at one point he was just a child and if what the Vile Eye said holds any value then at some point Stephen in an act of kindness or benevolence took care of Calvin and became like a friend to him. This however minuscule would show some capacity for good even if it is perpetuated by evil.
That's what makes him kinda scary, cause there's nothing about this villain where you'd say "The world is about to end." No, it's just a man stuck in an environment as hostile as this one, forced to adapt and thus becoming something terrible. When it ain't broke don't fix it, so of course Stephen won't change his behavior that kept him alive, fed and in the graces of the Candie family, even if it means selling out his fellow brethren. He couldn't care less for them, because to him they're on the losing side and not people who deserve to be treated as such.
Stephen was so smart to the point that he was dumb. He let his anger and jealousy cloud the bigger picture. When he saw Django ride into Candieland on that horse it was an instant reminder to him that his power only existed on that land and not in the real world. He couldn’t stand to see another Black man free and living his life so he had to let Calvin in on their plan and due to his jealousy it cost him and his beloved master their life. Samuel L Jackson deserved an Oscar for this role! Well played!
This only affirms my belief in an we face in the Black community: that we can't prosper as a people, bc some of us can't stomach the thought of another person doing better than them in life. And that some of us will go to extreme lenghts to sabatoge anothers progress, regardless of what it costs. One of the differeces between today compared to back then is: that when you threw someone to the wolves, back then they had a very high chance of being thrown to the dogs.
@@JujuToobootie I’m not blaming white people or anything because that’s a problem we have to fix ourselves but they put that and bred that into our brains from a time even before this movie takes place. That’s what a lot of our problems come from thing that’s were branded into our brains hundreds of years ago and went on for hundreds years remember we haven’t even been free for 200 years let alone had the same right for 100 years it takes time but I have hope In our people
Stephen terrified me the first time I saw that movie. Calvin obviously was a horrible human being, but he was very stupid and not even all that dangerous on his own. Stephen however is smart, manipulative, and just outright terrifying. And then you also gotta think about how Calvin has basically been raised by Stephen into his way of thinking.
Yes, Stephen has basically made Calvin into his tool to exert power and influence upon the world around him. That Calvin is stupid might actually be a deliberate result of how Stephen helped raise him. He made sure that Calvin would always need him. Stephen strikes me as someone who plays the long game and would have taken steps to ensure he was indispensable. Plus, sabotaging someone’s development for his own benefit seems totally in line with the kind of person Stephen is. I’d also add that Calvin’s sadism is quite possibly something that Stephen fostered in him to make real his own sadistic desires with Calvin acting as his proxy.
Steven is basically a “Kingmaker” figure in this movie. Like a Littlefinger of sorts. He is able to swiftly influence the slave owners and though he is still a slave himself and may not be looked as equal he is indeed part of the family. The fact that he waits for Candy on the other room while sipping a drink on a chair without even a sign of submissiveness and Candy not questioning him just shows how valuable the dude is
Could you imagine a character like Stephen in GOT against Littlefinger and Varys. I know Pycele was supposed to be like that before they scrapped his scene but it would have been cool to see them actually go through with it.
@@marcuso.530 - That deleted scene with Pycelle and Tywin, when Pycelle stops faking his limp, did make me think about Stephen dropping his cane. That was the most obvious, but even in the last cut, we did see Pycelle stretching after banging that whore, the one Littlefinger gave Joffrey to be killed? And before getting killed, Pycelle knocks one of the little birds on its ass before getting swarmed. They did make some dumb scenes, like when he farted when he saw the undead Mountain at the small council, but at least, unlike LF and Varis, Pycelle remained sort of the same chara in both books and show. Even in death... I mean, he got Kevan's death, but in that Kevan POV scene, he finds Pycelle's body, so it's not that big of a stretch.
@@randallflagg3700 that Tywin fishing scene is gold, it makes no sense why it was cut off. And totally agree. When Tyrion tricked Varys, Littlefinger and Pycelle to see who was Cercei’s pawn and he says “I’ve always served House Lannister. It’s always been Lannister”, plus when Jaime tells Briene the sack of King’s Landing story where Pycelle urged King Aerys to open the gate, plus that Tywin fishing scene just shows how much depth he had
He is genuinely such a good actor. I know there's a stereotype that he plays all the same character being a hardass but I think this role is a good example of the actual subtleties of his work. He's not just screaming.
I think Stephan's character may have drawn some criticism towards Tarantino if it was released today as the main protagonist in a slavery based film is in fact black, but in my opinion it is genius. It in many ways makes a mockery of the ideology behind slavery, as the inferior black person was manipulating their master like a puppet on strings. It also shows the irony when Candie speaks about the skull and the fact a black person's structure of their brain = subservience + stupidity. Its basically the same scene as when his black and 'inferior' slave sniffs out their plan while his white master is completely oblivious to it. Stephan's character in many ways shows that white and black folk are the same. Either can be intelligent, either can be stupid, and either can be evil.
Believe me when I say there'd either be just as many, or more people who would be mad at Stephen for being smarter and more in power than the other white villain.
True equality that we are all human beings. And large groups of people have been evil, some individuals have been good and all combinations across the board. An ironic duality between Waltz performance here versus in Basterds, maybe not the best but a noble German, and then a German who was the scum of the earth.
It was controversial to the same degree when the movie was released as it would be today, but hiring a former Civil Rights activist to play the role, and Samuel L. Jackson being a great actor and the movie being great all stopped it from controversy outweighing the movie
I always loved how he uses a cane to walk and at the end he drops it and walks normally like he didnt need to pretend no more. I loved that detail so much. He was a calculated despicable character. How many years he was pretending jesus christ. Makes u wonder WHO was the man in charge.
@@connormctigue3681 yesssss but it took me while to figure it out men im not gonna lie hahahababa but i loved the part. Says so much about the character without explaining it and i think that is something tarantino does best!
A smart person learns from their mistakes. But a wise person learns from other people's mistakes. So he's had plenty of time and opportunities to craft these masks based on the people who came and went on Candyland. Feeble older men who could be easily dismissed, yes men who propped up their masters and parroted their words, and an observer who keeps an out for things most people would miss whilst playing the yes man AND the feeble senior.
I admit I haven't seen this movie, but from what I am gathering it is much like his role in Lakeview terrace - he does play his roles really well, he is convincing in his job, his reputation is well deserved.
Stephen’s instant hatred for Django was so visceral, I think, because he was the first reminder Stephen had had in a long time of his bondage. Over however many years, serving as Calvin’s right-hand-man and puppet master, and speaking with such authority that even the white workers followed his orders, Stephen had probably been lulled into a false illusion of his own power and status. Django’s arrival would have pulled him painfully back down to Earth, reminding him that while he may have been king of the castle within the confines of Candyland, he was still a slave. The moment he set foot outside, he would have no rights, and be absolutely powerless. Whereas Django could leave Candyland and live outside of his slave bondage. That was partly why Stephen wanted to give Django to the mining company - sending him back into slavery was, to Stephen, the most appropriate way of getting revenge on Django for being such a reminder. On a related note, I’m convinced that a large part of the reason he was so upset at Calvin’s death was not so much because of his affection for him, and more because of what his death might mean for him; he had known for a long time that his status depended entirely on him - if Calvin died, then Candyland would pass on to Lara, a wealthy woman still in her 40s who might still get married. If that happened, her new husband would become master of the house, and he would probably be decidedly less lenient or accepting of having a slave running the show. So when Calvin died, Stephen rushed to his side and screamed because his power, status and everything he had worked to achieve was slipping away with him.
I think they’re both true. Stephen probably was despairing over the possibility of losing his status down the line, and making a show of mourning his master probably endeared him to the remaining white people on the plantation, but as they said, Stephen had no doubt raised Calvin, molding him into the man he was up to that moment. I imagine there was some truth to the lie of his loyalty.
One of the scenes that is most telling about Stephen was when one of the maids was telling Bromhilda that she was on Stephen’s bad side when you need to be on his blind side. They knew him for who he really was: a shrewd, observant, and villainous presence that was pulling all the strings behind the curtains. You could make the case that he was the most feared presence on the whole plantation from the slave’s perspective.
I love the fact that SLJ even clarified with Tarantino "you want me to play the most despicable negro in the history of cinima." "Yes." "Well alright lets do it." And how he defended Tarantino about being racist because let's be honest Steven is the smartest character in the film.
He was skilled at it from prior experience. He had played "the most despicable negro in the history of gaming" who was Officer Tenpenny from GTA San Andreas.
@Ben Holmes the Slaves sent to America were sold by African Slavers, the Europeans didn't even need to go deep into Africa to buy the "merchandise" and this was part of a Slave trade network spanning for millenia. People in the US tend to forget that the Trans Atlantic Slave trade was just one such route, the other was the Arab Slave trade that existed much on a much longer span of time.
@@forickgrimaldus8301 Yeah you are right. And that should be discussed in any school course that talks about the history of slavery. Greed and cruelty know no color.
@@forickgrimaldus8301 Not at first; In the beginning it was simply a need for labor-and not caring how it was obtained. The first captives brought over at the beginning weren't really slaves, they were indentured servants-they'd work for a span of time ranging from a few years or maybe a couple of decades. But as time passed the demand for labor grew. Racism or bigotry developed or evolved, to justify prolonging the indentures or passing them on to children. Reality rarely fits into neat simple narratives.
Stephen's banter with candie might be more significant that it seems at first glance. There would likely be many members of the plantation who would take issue with a slave having as much power and influence over the slave master as Stephen does. So this ruse is meant to hide his true nature by appearing like nothing more than an old, favored servant that Candie humors with playful insults. It's debatable whether even Candie understands this.
Can you really say he’s being played though? Like it’s not as cut and dry as it seems sure but when someone truly cares for you, your well being and success I don’t see that as playing them. You can argue he only cared about that cause his well-being was tied directly to that but again he truly mourned the death of candie.
Actually his banter comes from deep hatred toward Django and he is angry at Calvin for allowing a black man on a horse. His exchange with Candie is more of a disgruntled servant and to show everyone there that he has a special relationship with Calvin. Calvin does understand what Steven is doing but Calvin already has made up his mind about Django and Steven at that point is irritating him. Nothing more.
I think Steven partially was saddened emotionally by Calvin’s death but the biggest reason he was so distraught was because he knew he was going to be sold off and start over with a new family and no status.
@@oxtheunlikelycontemplator2682 The thing is Laura is a 40s wealthy single woman who could get married later and the new master might sell Stephen, an old slave with a limp in an instance. Stephen was on borrowed time as soon as Candie is dead.
You can tell by his demeanor during the library scene, that he is smart enough to know his own place almost as a father figure. In front of white company, "Yessir" or "No Sir" are his eventual go to after he's pushed Calvin to react, but tutors him when alone. When Stephen is relaxed, Calvin is leaned forward. But, Stephen is only playing the part of a father and caring figure. Proof is that he doesn't drop the cane to run to Calvin, he just limps and hugs the body. He doesn't drop his guise until Django has him cornered and he knows he's lost.
Stephen is a truly Machiavellian villain. He goes to great lengths to publicly downplay the influence and power he wields, knowing well enough to let his master appear the smarter one in company of others. But all the while, Stephehn works behind the scenes to assure the tenure of his position as the de facto mastermind behind candyland. Truly an iron fist wearing a velvet glove.
It's crazy how Stephen's own jealously and contempt for Django is the reason his master and his life ended. Seeing not only a black man be free but outsmart the people he has served right under their nose was just something he couldn't let go. It's crazy how very little it mattered to him that Schultz and Django just wanted Hilde and seeing Django fall was far more important.
I was just thinking if Stephen just shut up and didn't talk to Calvin about why Django and the white friend were really there a lot less people would been killed.
The term “Uncle Tom” is distorted. The character in the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is “brave, strong, and good. He saves the life of and is a good friend to Little Eva, his slaveholder's frail young daughter. After Tom is sold to the evil Simon Legree, he is whipped to death for refusing to divulge the whereabouts of some runaways.” Stephen has none of those attributes.
I was honestly shocked that Sam jackson and Leo weren't both nominated for best supporting actor that year. Either one could have won it and I would have been happy with it.
Christoph Waltz was already nominated for his role in that category (he even ended up winning), it’d be considered unfair to nominate three whole actors from a single movie in one year. Especially considering there were other great performances in other movies that equally if not more so deserved awards (Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master and Ben Mendelssohn in The Place Beyond the Pines come to mind). Not saying that Jackson or Leo didn’t do great jobs, they did, but categories shouldn’t be filled with the same movie’s actors.
One of my favorite aspects of the villain dynamic in this film is how easily led Calvin is. Calvin is always visibly trying to read someone, looking them up and down, furrowed brow as he follows along the conversation. He is superficially charming, and is in turn taken in by superficial charm. He is easily thrown off balance when the conversation takes an unexpected turn. You can he is having to focus and make the effort to read everyone enough to just keep up. Contrast Stephen, who you can tell just glances at someone and KNOWS. He reads them like a book, knows something is off, knows where to apply pressure to learn more, and then does so- all in a second or two, and without dropping his character as the servile old coot. How much do you think Calvin relied on Stephen just to make business deals? Stephen's perceptiveness, shrewd maneuevering, and ability to steer his masters' conversation without them even realizing it... there was a reason Steven was at Calvin's shoulder throughout the whole dinner scene when they were talking business. Candyland isn't Calvin's empire, he just reaps the benefits. I can almost guarantee every actual major business deal was only made possible by Stephen.
@@OzyMandias13 What an incredibly weird thing to point out in the comment section of a video of a psychoanalysis of a character that very obviously is apart of a movie. Seems very motivated in a certain direction? You don't have to say yes or no, you've already shown us the answer. It seems you didn't actually think this shit out.
Stephen has risen to such a position so that he will never be asked to do physical work. He is basically the manager of the plantation. It's clear that the Candy family are spoiled old money children who were born into wealth but have zero idea how to manage it. Leo's character has zero interest in managing the day to day of the plantation. However because he has such power I think he purposely wanted to make himself seem weaker and dumber than he was towards White people so that they would never feel threatened by him.
Samuel Jackson played his role as Stephan to perfection. The way he behaved around the master and other white people. Yet he seemingly burned with hatred for other people of colour. Portraying a crippled older black man. Yet he was not as feeble as he let on. Ultimately showing his true self when he let go of the walking stick. Truly a great performance for all those years. 💪🏼🙏🏻✨
I like how Stephen loved Calvin Chandie, but was playing him at the same time. He put on a façade, became a fake cripple, and decided he wasn't going to break his back anymore, but he was the mastermind of Chandieland. We see this when Stephen calls Chandie in the room and they both have a private conversation with each other. Notice Stephen's shift. His entire demeanor changes, he crosses his legs, drinks a glass of wine, and is almost talking down to Chandie like he's HIS master... Fast foward after Calvin Chandie dies, and Stephen STILL has influence over Chandieland, commanding Billy Crash and the others to stop shooting, or having influence over Laura to send Django to the Lequint Dickie Mining Co. instead of killing him... and Stephen finally gives up that façade by slamming down his cane and cripple act, when everyone is dead, and the only ones left standing is himself and Django. Stephen was playing all of them.
I think Calvin knew what Steven was really like. I mean he had to have known Steven was writing checks and the way Steven's posture and voice change when its just them in the library, plus the way Calvin behaves around him, all implies Calvin is well aware of who Steven really is.
I didn’t read the behavior with candie as that of Stephen being the master, and more like a father. Back in those times, you respect your elders. To Candie, since Stephen practically raised him, Stephen was his other father figure who knew what was best for him. Your father doesn’t kindly suggest things to you, he confidently tells you what the best thing to do is.
@@Chem_-jp5em I see your point, but remember that even after Calvin Candie died, Stephen was still in control of the house and he still pulled all the strings... remember the countdown and how he told Billy Crash to stand down when he had a gun pointed at Brunhilde's head? Or when Stephen was the pitch the idea not to kill Django, but send him to the Lequint Dickey Company to be worked until he dies? Even in the end, he played all of them; he was the puppet master.
@@Rude_Boi yeah, I definitely agree, I just don’t think that that doesn’t mean that he didn’t care for Calvin in a paternal way. And I feel like it makes the whole Chandie land dynamic more interesting, the only two actual people in Stephen’s eyes are himself and Calvin. And I feel like how Calvin treats Stephen as a human shows that Calvin considered Stephen to be a person instead of just another slave. It didn’t seem like a relationship of manipulation like with Stephen and the other white people on the plantation.
It was a huge shock to me that Sam Jackson wasn't even nominated for an Oscar portraying Stephen. There was no other character like this in cinematic history, and Sam Jackson not only had to create a template for this character, but he executed it with perfection. In my mind, this was one of the biggest snubs ever.
Mr. Jackson should have won the Oscar for his character "Jules" in "Pulp FIction". After carrying the two hit-man villans, then giving it to Travolta, that was the ultimate snub.
he gave his best performance possible. He w purposely snubbed because they just werent willing to break their PC world o WOKE and give any credence to a character from DJANGO, a film that had been selling slave dolls on amazon.he got snubbed big time.
Real talk ! A lot of roles went unnoticed in this film; the characters had a lot of depth & complexity, & the actors executed & showcased such things perfectly
He’s Django’s villain. Yes Calvin Candy is a disgusting piece of shit but he’s not real villain of this movie. Sam L’s character Stephen is the real villain.
The shoot out scene at Candy Land stood out to me more the last time I saw the movie. While there Django figuratively wears a mask alongside his partner while Stephen wears a mask when next to his master. When both Candy and Shultz are dead and the action begins, it's the first time that Django and Stephen are mask off directly towards each other and are fully in control of themselves
DiCaprio's Calvin Candy is just too good. For the most people, there is always just one main villain. But of course there is whole lot of villains throughout the movie, including slavery itself.
Makes you wonder, what horrific things did Stephen do in those 76 years to get those white people respect like that? 🤔 I mean I’m sure it deserves its own movie
Yeah Quentin took a lot of nasty things out of the movie for Steven bc he said to Sam Jackson “ I don’t want anyone to kill you “ some ppl never let down on movie characters.
More than likely, he kept an eye out for any slaves screwing up or slacking off, then recommended the harshest punishments for them. When he was younger, he might have even dealt out those punishments himself.
Steven's first appearance shows him writing a check in Calvin's name. A lot of people seem to miss this important scene for establishing his deceptive character
One thing I didn't notice till recently, in relation to Stephen's facade of being a cripple. When Calvin Candie is shot to death and Stephen runs over to cradle his body, he still hobbles over with his cane. It happened so fast, he didn't even have time to think about it. He won't even allow the death of the person he loved the most can't shake his illusion. Pretty creepy detail.
Did anyone notice how when Stephen told Candie about Django's plan in private he stopped acting subservient and weak and spoke to Candie with authority and intelligence. He was basically talking down to him with his legs crossed while sipping a glass of wine, very un-slave like.
Stephen is more then a historical representation, he also represents all people who sell themselves in the name of the myth of "winning" in life, and will do anything for it even step over his kind. Jango, in the other hand, is the one who believes in himself and will not bend for anyone, even if it kills him. One is the slave, the other is the free man.
Nietzche had names for these. The Last Man, who is literally the last guy to keep following a bad paradigm. And the Übermensch, who makes up his own mind and follows through.
Stephen reminds of a character from a book called "Prision Verde", that takes place during the neocolonialism era, when american fruit companies pretty much had complete control over central america. This character was born in central america and probably came from humble beginnings, but he rose to power and become a foreman in a plantation. He mistreats his own kind and sees himself as "superior" to them. Even though he comes from the same background as our protagonist, he decided to exploit the system for his own personal benefit instead of helping others stand against it.
Tarantino made his career- he knows any Tarantino movie is gonna be pretty good and people wanna see him in them - so if Tarantino asked him I'm sure he would say yes most times!
@@tevincollins2869 Yeah I guess it's not fair to say that, Samuel did have a bunch of memorable rolls before Tarantino. I was just making a point - Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, he has a short but good part in True Romance - he has to know people love him in Tarantino films! George Clooney was big in TV before that but I think that was definitely his break into movies yeah
And that's one of the major things: Stephen, with his influence on Candie as a psuedo-fatherfigure, could easily have used his power to better the lives of his fellow slaves but instead only decides to take care of himself- if a master is so open to hearing the ideas of his slave it makes me ponder if Stephen could have helped form some sense of guilt in Candie and better the lives of his fellow colored laborers...
No no, if Stephen had an ounce of kindness in his heart, the Candies would've noticed, and he wouldn't have risen to the top; heck, he might've even been whipped. "This n*** wants to talk to us about equality? Get the fuck outta here"
Besides, Calvin already fully believed that frenology bullshit, in that Blacks are biologically inclined to slavery, and he followed those words like gospel.
That’s the extent of villainy. Stephen is deceptively intelligent, wholly self important, and ruthlessly cruel to those he deems below him. He could’ve helped his fellow slaves, but that would require looking outside of himself and he’s just not willing to risk that. He holds power and influence so why would he share that? That’s also why Stephen hates Django so much, because Django shatters his illusion of power and self importance and reminds him that in the end, he is a slave with no real freedom outside the perimeters of Candieland while Django is truly free.
"Calvin played while Stephen worked" Is the perfect summary of their relationship Stephen basically ran Candyland in every way but name. Positioning himself so that he seems like just a really competent house servant, hiding the fact that he controls the other servants with an iron fist and has a lot of sway with the decisions that are made at the plantation But I do like to think that Stephen, at the end of the day, did care about Calvin and vice versa. His spontaneous reaction to when he died paints the picture of genuine loss, if only because he's known Calvin all his life and because he was essentially his meal ticket
They did care for each other. When Calvin sat down with Stephen to discuss his suspicions, DiCaprio portrays his character like a little boy, once again listening to wise counsel of his old faithful friend. This also parallels the scene when Schultz tells Django the story about Siegfried's quest.
I strongly believe that why Stephen and Calvin are so close is because Stephen helped raise Calvin when he was very young since Calvin’s parents were so busy running their business. Both actors did so well crafting these 2 characters, love this movie so much
@@eduardodiaz9942 It does, there are a lot of machetes. The real terror isn't one character necessarily but rather it's the idea of how quick people are to turn to mass murder. It's scary because they're average Joes
The first time you see Stephen, he is writing and endorsing a check from Calvin. He also orders the white overseers to take Hildi out of the hot box like he is in charge. He pretty much ran Candieland and placates Calvin, the figurehead, in public.
This character is purely Machiavellian, but at the exact same time you can tell he did enjoy and have care for the candy family. He doesn’t is it appear as complex, but he is. A complex and well-written villain is all we audiences want
You could also argue that Stephen is distraught over Calvin's death as Calvin was the one person who kept Stephen in power. As time passes, he may not have the same pull with a new master
Django and Stephen were both veey intelligent and clever, they both were willing to do anything to reach their goal, only they had very different goals. They were a perfect match of protagonist and antagonistic.
I like how Calvin was basically his puppet throughout the movie. You’d never expect the main villain of a movie about fighting slavery to be a slave, but Stephen’s motivations manage to be believable while still being evil. Great video! I know you don’t do a lot of animated villains, but I’d love to see a video on The Lich from Adventure Time. He’s one of the most captivating and horrifying pure evil villains I’ve ever seen.
I completely agree, adventure time has such well written characters and the lich was always so effective. I'd love to see it and just more animated villains in general 🤘
Girl bosses at Lockheed Martin feed toddlers to alligators? That was not shown but infants and toddlers were used as bait to catch alligators which were very valuable at that time. They also made postcards and children’s toys depicting the practice. You can see the postcards and toys in museums and on google. Don’t dare compare the atrocities that happened to a cut throat work colleague.
I loved the scene where Steven is trying to covertly tell Calvin to meet him in the library, but Calvin’s so dense that he just thinks he’s going on about something in the kitchen. Really nice dichotomy between the respective IQs of the two characters.
I felt that he cried over Calvin's death because people were watching. He needed people to see him loyal and loving to the family. He didn't cry over the sister's death, because no one left alive in the house mattered anymore.
The husband of the sister would have demoted him. If she was to become the mistress of the Candy estate then she would get married as that was a way of securing more security in those days as a woman. Her new White husband would not at all take kindly to Steven and would have demoted him to a regular servant or sold him.
@@maxezaz7694 It's sort of how people secure things today too. Rich people marry richer people to secure having even more wealth. No offense btw, "Securing more security" is a bad choice of words.
Always was interesting to me when Django comments in the movie that black slavers are "lower than house N-words"... meaning that they regard race traitors worse than anyone else of the race, Stephen is also an example of a black slaver in that he abuses slaves just as Mr. Candy had- it is interesting to sift through the various layers and levels of evil in this film. I just finished watching it for the sixth or seventh time yesterday- that and the hateful eight. I am not really obsessed with Tarantino films, I just find the way he writes dialogues/ monologues so peculiar and intriguing. There is always a very brutal, merciless underlying social commentary that rides the fine line between satire and obscene.
Calvin is a “simple” kind of wicked. Stephen knows this, and manipulates him. But, Stephen also NEEDS Calvin. “Raising him from a baby,” means he despises Calvin, but has the presence of mind to stay close enough to cut his throat. Only the most depraved sociopaths have the ability to walk such a fine line. That’s what makes Stephen so frightening. Calvin’s domain is the grotesque. Stephen’s is the arabesque. (a’ la Edgar Alan Poe)
Stephen was one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite films. He clearly drives the power dynamic at candyland from a seemingly harmless position. Also I've suggested before and will again Ben Poindexter from season 3 of daredevil. If you ever get around to it he is one of my favorite villains
Pointdexter would be fascinating. I think his issue ultimately boils down to his inability to empathise with others. He wants to be good and do good things, but due to problems with his mind he is incapable of discerning which is which.
@@garyking1986 yeah and I think that lack of empathy comes from a lack of connection in his youth, his parents were terribly dysfunctional then died. He is also a great parallel of Matt, they are practically the same in terms of their abandonment and anger issues, and how they use the daredevil persona as an outlet for that rage. God season 3 of daredevil is just fantastic
@@xrphoenix7194 I agree. Matt and Dex are such brilliant parallels to one another. The Daredevil suit without Matt is only an empty husk. It’s just the parts of Daredevil that Matt hates, forcing him to literally fight his own demons. Matt and Dex are both people who have been abandoned their whole lives, and are deeply angry because of it. Matt was guided through faith to cope, but Dex never had this luxury. The suit clearly means a lot to Matt, as he keeps it carefully stored away and treats it with great care, while Dex doesn’t understand what the suit represents, doing mundane things like vacuum cleaning his apartment in it.
In the very first shot we see of Stephen, he’s managing the books of Candyland. At the end of the film, he’s the one commanding the men in the final shootout. Stephen was undeniably the true power behind the throne.
What makes Stephen such a great villain in my opinion is how he seemingly perpetuates the evil of Calvin. Even though there’s a lingering thought in your mind throughout the movie that he may have the slightest glimmer of salvation and let Django, Schultz and Broomhilda go, he enables Calvin’s evil without any remorse and exposes the protagonist as soon as he finds enough room to declare evidence beyond reasonable doubt - that’s true evil.
I assume earlier in his life he was more a deceptive and machiavellian survivalist than anything else, but as the years passed he increasingly became more of a sellout, until eventually he, consciously or subconsciously, realized that being an ultimate sellout was what gave him the power and position in life that he had; a position he valued immensely and was extremely proud of. Thus by his very nature he couldn't help but to sellout Django. Jealousy over seeing Django much more freer than him obviously played a big part in it too.
If I remember correctly, Calvin made a chilling remark: that he doesn't believe that all N are by default inferior, but only that the average N is inferior and that it's in nature that the strong exploit the weak. I think that this idea was shaped by this episodes villain...
He believes there are some N that are above average, and he believes Django is one of them. Thus, he shows curiosity. He is intrigued by Django, and he thinks of him as a very interesting creature, like an animal in a zoo.
@@Stoirelius True, but I feel that if white slavery had been socially acceptable, he would have done it all the same... meaning that I believe that he was less of a R-cist and more of someone who looks down in general on the weak, poor and vulnerable...
@@edi9892 yeah, people tend to do what is advantageous or normalised then come up with convenient justifications later. People like to think we're shaped by our ideas and that's what effects our actions and decisions when in reality it's the other way around.
@@Captain_Insano_nomercy Generally I agree with this notion, anyone with a shred of knowledge about the other major slaves powers in the world would be familiar with the Portugueses love of Asian slaves, and the Ottomans love of white ones. The terrible truth of that era, is that people were a commodity for the elite and while people were more hesitant to deal in the lives of people closer to them, global trade proved that if they could put enough miles between themselves, the commodities place of origin, anyone was willing to sell anyone. Terrible time to be alive, for all the world todays faults, I'm happy this is my era and not any single one before.
@Commander Rockwell How was Landa not the villain? He gleefully participated in the mass murder of thousands of people simply for the "crime" of being Jewish. And his betrayal of the Nazis had no good intentions, he just wanted to be on the winning side.
Stephen is the most understated main antagonist of any movie I've ever seen. The first thing we see him do is writing checks *as* Calvin Candie, showing us he is really running candieland. And he is one to give them the idea to give Django to Le'Quint mining, convincing them they thought of it instead of him
Also don’t forget the part where Stephen was signing Calvin’s name on the invoices when they first arrived at the house. He could read and write. Also in the way he talked to Calvin about the real reason Django was there. “Thank you Stephen“ “You’re welcome, Calvin.”
As someone who reads a lot of history, to me the character of Stephen is essentially a twisted version of this contradictory affection between slaves and owners that pops up time and again, from the American South to the Romans. When the white children on a plantation reached a certain age, they're first playmate was usually a slave of about the same age and they would essentially grow up together. Then you have the female house slave who was given the task of helping care for the children (the old "Mamie" caricature) and who essentially became a second mother. I think it's impossible to live in that environment without some form of affection existing (hell, look at Stockholm Syndrome) but the reality of the institution of slavery and the slave-master divide just added a whole bunch of complicated psychological nuances to the equation.
Look up African guardians on slave ships it was rather interesting. They helped to prevent uprisings on slave ships in the army days where the crew lacked the fire power of to prevent themselves from being overrun, if there was a rebellion. Basically they thought they were going to get special privileges when they got to where they arrived on but or courses that would never materialize. But anyway, I had to read a paper a on it at college and it was pretty interesting.
Idk. Stephen is an awful human being and a great villain but in a way he too is a victim of the system that governs him, a system that rewards him for being terrible to his own people in order to keep others in control. That’s just my take though….
@@Godzilla00X Stephen has lived his entire life seen as 1/3 of a person. He has worked the same fields, lived the same struggles as everyone else, etc. Yet he selfishly works his way up to becoming second in command to Calvin. He is completely fine with Hilde baking in the hot box, he’s the one who gives orders to hurt HIS OWN PEOPLE. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen a character go imo, he pisses me off- but his lack of empathy is fascinating.
He was very unpleasant I'd agree but evil? I'm not so sure. I'd say he must have witnessed horror and loneliness from a very young age which damaged him deeply. Being naturally very intelligent and astute, he simply adjusted in order to survive. He was just a very tragic and sad individual
@@hoggarththewisesmeagol8362 Don’t forget there were actually black slave owners in the US as well, it’s one of those things that if his cards were dealt a little different he would have made his own Candyland and the same thing would have existed. He may not have chosen where he started out or the situation his life began as but he did make the decision in his own heart to not just be cruel but enjoy it, he went above and beyond to make things worse. No matter how much pain someone endures when they begin to work hard at creating even more suffering it is on them and their decisions. But hey not to bash you, I can at least see where you are coming from I just feel you are incorrect in where you draw the line of human beings responsibility coming into play as individuals. But I do think he can both be an evil person and be a sad tragic character, it’s not mutually exclusive.
As an American. Not "black" and not "white".. my skin is brown.. i have multiple family roots in slavery on both sides... I give ZERO fucks about something that ended over 150 years ago and people need to stfu about it Just one man's opinion
@@garethjames1300 we all know it's a fantasy with a truly happy ending... Justice don't exist in some ppls book. Neither does great acting. Your books are indoctrinated. Your awards are tainted. Real fans know who the best are. They don't need awards to prove it. You could of kept your comment in your pocket..
I always saw Stephen hating Django coming from the fact that Stephen had to go through all this effort to get his place and here comes Django who gets treated on a level above him because he’s “special”
This was a top shelf performance by Sam Jackson, huge movie with so many stars and at a critical moment of the movie, all driven forward by such an authentic performance refined by a whole life of experience.
Glad you covered him cause him and Candie were definitely joint villain's. Calvin was the front man to show the horrors of a racist man in control via slavery in the south and Stephan was on the back end whispering thoughts into Calvin's head as a sort of advisor. It was clear that Stephan was more educated than Calvin, but decided to fall back on the ignorant family babysitter cause he knew living as privileged slave was better than being a free one.
We need to respect actors who take the craft so seriously. Both Leo and Samuel L Jackson played the most despicable characters on our screens so convincingly that we absolutely hated both of them... thanks for the drinking meme Leo. 😆
I suggest doing an episode on “The Commandant” from “Beasts of No Nation”. He is played brilliantly by Idris Elba and is such a deep and vile character in an equally vile situation.(The story follows a young child soldier fighting in an unnamed conflict in Africa), it’s a tragic but great film that strips away any sense of glamour that is had around war and The Commandant exudes these qualities especially.
It’s more that Stephen achieved so much in his life working exclusively IN the system, and he hates Django for achieving more (a horse, the approval to sleep in the big house as a *guest*, recognized freedom in the wider world) then he did all while working AGAINST the system. I bet he thinks that it hardly seems fair.
The best Steven part in my opinion is at the end during his confrontation with Django. That moment when he drops the feeble act and stands up straight.
In college I read the accounts of Fredrick Douglas & he wrote that many of the slaves would be protective of their masters, especially against slaves from other plantations. Almost like the rivalry you see between sports fans.
@@mangoisland4792 blind unconditional admiration and Unwavering loyalty with a Pinch of Stockholm,like a inclination to Protect at any cost,provide love,discipline,shelter,and food whether it be A plentiful meal or Scraps and Any slave will gladly protect or Sacrifice themselves for they're Master
I just realized that technically, Stephen’s last name should be Candie as well, since it was common for slaves to be given the surnames of their owners.
@@thegoldensorcerer9866 second best is still Inglourious Basterds but yeah, Django Unchained is my favorite And it wasn't my opinion that DU is worst Quentin movie, it was the critics...
@@thegoldensorcerer9866 Django is sloppy in pacing. The middle of the film is not as good as it should be imo, the film should have stayed more in the Coronel Sanders plantation and the KKK, then go in to Candyland and Candy. Django would work better as a series too.
I remember always hearing about Uncle Toms due to Harriet Beecher Stowe's character in her book. However, upon reading the story for the first time in a class, I did not connect why Uncle Tom connotated being servile and betraying your people/race. In the book, while Uncle Tom is subservient to a fault to his white owners, in the end, without spoiling the book, he makes a decision and sacrifice that benefits other enslaved people and allows them to find their freedom. It was then I learned, following the book, it was through minstrel shows and theatre dramatizations by pro-slavery enthusiasts (where Tom was typically in blackface) where the character and his meaning were corrupted and twisted to mean something else entirely.
Look up the name Josiah Henson. He was the actual person from which the character Uncle Tom is based. I always cringe when I hear people call someone an “Uncle Tom” when they have no clue as to who Henson and the Uncle Tom character really was.
@@ME262MKI doesnt matter The word b*tch means female dog but peoplle dont use it that way. If you call someone an uncle tom The real meaning behind it doesnt matter. Its still meant to be offensive
I honestly didn't really consider how much influence Stephen would've had on a young Calvin, which explains 100% now why he never even considered that Stephen's assessment of Django and the Doc's true intentions.
it's amazing that the character in the movie that initially seemed only to serve as comic relief was possibly the most menacing of all of them, perhaps even more than candie
Love how he turns from a subservient, to on the same level as candie .When he helps himself to a drink and sits in the big armchair to discuss Django and Brunhilde .
Tarantino is a cinematic genius. His ability to capture emotion and convey a message via his art. Every little subtlety. When we first meet Stephen we see this Grinch like snarl of a look on his face when he sees a black man riding on a horse. He sees a black man getting respected that doesn't have to grovel and kiss butt to get that respect and it just eats him up inside.
I’d love to hear what Tarantino thinks of this analysis. The time and effort you put into understanding these characters has got to be intensely flattering and bouncing off these ideas with the people who’ve created them would be awesome to hear/watch. I truly hope your success here brings you there one day. 🤞
Stephen was also trying to survive Calvin Candy knowing he could flip out at anytime and kill him. He realized that Calvin wasn't so smart and he manipulated the situation he was born in being the head house (you know the rest). Calvin was disgusting but Stephen was on a whole different level of disgustingness!
Calvin was likely never taught to be better than the man he was. Stephen choose to keep sinking lower and lower, and perhaps even was of negative influence on Calvin himself. By not being a better friend, who may convince Calvin to be even an ounce more merciful, Stephen really shows himself to be a far worse person than Calvin.
The way Calvin was brought up, it likely never even occurred to him to think of slaves as humans, but stephen really should have known better. Maybe he did, which is even worse.
People like Stephen have existed throughout history. Individuals who collaborate with their oppressors against their own kind. But one thing interesting about Stephen is you get the feeling that he also has contempt for his white masters... he doesn't really think much of them either. The scene where he tell Calvin that Django and Broomhilda know each other and that both he and Dr Schultz are there to rescue her is an example of this. The way he is sitting there with a glass of wine or whatever and the way he speaks to Calvin shows contempt and disrespect towards Calvin.
Sure, like women who help kidnap women and children in human trafficking rings. Or Ghislane Maxwell, maybe an even more horrible person since she doesn't have the sympathetic motive of being bettering her own life as she was already at the top of the social food chain and had no reason to do as she did, except that she just wanted to.
Absolutely. Strangely, some of the prisoners in concentration camps in WW2 that were given power over their fellow inmates were way more sadistic and brutal than their captors.
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The Game is Shit
Do Mike from breaking bad
Way to end the year thank you
Could you analyze Magua from the last of the Mohicans movie from 1993
Question. You've done a lot of fictional characters. Will you do any real people to analyze in the future?
I think Stephen's hatred towards Django rooted from the fact that Stephen always saw himself above other slaves, and seeing Django on that horse and having confidence and authority made Stephen angry that he wasn't the only slave with that kind of status.
I agree, we have that same mentality today. They internalize and project the same hate the white man gave them, onto one another.
@@ruthie8785 and it's about drive.
@Luka Django had a beautiful wife too...😅💯
Django was officially a free man...Stephen, no matter the priviledge he has over the others, is still a slave.
I think you’re right. Stephan was a black racist. These types of characters tend to show up occasionally in literature. He’s a great character
Unfortunately his pride didn't allow him to see the bigger picture. Stephen could have easily allow Hilda to be sold off and remove the threat without losing anything he has gain. But the fact of seeing Django more free than him was something he couldn't accept so he sought to take that from him causing Stephen to lose everything.
True. His anger over Django's life ruined his own.
Exactly
It wasnt that.
Stephen is simply, a racist.
He hates black people, he saw a black man making a fool out of his white "son" (Stephen is an absolute asshole, but it was pretty clear he loved Calvin as a son), and he couldnt stand it.
I remember when Tarantino in an interview said "no matter how sick you find some of the elements in this movie, reality was worse".
People like Stephen really existed.
Good call. His pride made him do it, even if it wasn't the best move.
@@Jose-se9pu and still exist to this day.
A lot of people say Samuel L. Jackson plays the same character in every movie, but I just tell them about Stephen and Mr. Glass in “Unbreakable.” He’s an excellent actor.
You mean mace windu
You cant forget mace windu, he plays the straight foil to obi and anakins reckless style quite well
He does play several characters that seem the same but he does nail characters outside of these norms; whether it's something simple as one of the programmers in Jurassic Park to the villain in the Spirit or even something simple as the organ player in Kill Bill 2. He has a wide range of acting talent and has a type of confidence and charisma that draws you in on the screen.
WHERE IS THE MR GLASS EPISODE
He should have won an Oscar for Django. You’re so right. I like to think that the story Candy tells his guests, about the skull of the slave who never cut his master’s throat, came from Stephen telling it to Candy as a child, and that’s the way he got close to him. By convincing him he would need his own house slave of that type. And Stephen’s desire for revenge was not as strong as his desire to show Django that he was the real power behind the throne.
The real evil was not letting Stephen have more screen time. He was such an interesting and cunning character, I wish we could've seen more of him
I really hated him, which is admittedly the point, but funnily enough because they did it correctly I wanted to see less of him.
@@concernedcommenter8258same boat as you😆
I hear you on that. All the people involved in this film including DiCaprio, Jackson, Tarantino, Washington, Foxx and whomever played the German bounty hunter, were a gift from God to entertain us. Tarantino is just blessed with the ability to make these works of art and wisely choose a plethora of gifted actors and actresses. Any film Tarantino makes, I make time to see. I'll make an entire day of it. There's really nobody like Tarantino. The man just has his own style and he's made a huge impact on film. You can just tell when a movie is a Tarantino movie, without looking it up or having to be told.
He always puts his signature, figuratively speaking, in his films, giving it that Tarantino vibe. We're lucky to have him
@@concernedcommenter8258No doubt he's a hateable bastard, but he's supposed to be. That's a testament to Jackson's ability to act and truly bring a fictional character alive on screen. Samuel L Jackson in real life is the furthest thing from Stephen, so his ability to make us hate Stephen, just goes to show how talented he is. His whole life and career is inspiring. Being a hard working drug addict, getting clean and continuing to make great stuff, years and years after his sobriety. Another memorable Sam Jackson character is from the game San Andreas, if you haven't seen that, look it up. He plays a crooked LA cop. Check it out, he's great!
Less is more
“I missed you like a rock in my shoe.”
It’s often said that if you were to fake a limp you should put a rock in the shoe that you mean to fake so you don’t forget.
wow
Never even thought of this, wow.
He did drop the cane and stood up straight, with his head held high, during his final confrontation with Django. Great catch!
I love this. The connection is loose enough to maybe be a coincidence. But it makes too much sense to ignore.
Omg the detail
Stephen is a true villain. Born into oppression, he used his environment to his benefit, even going as far as faking his “old man” funk. His hate for fellow slaves is so blatant and his ability to easily explain the horrors of punishment, Stephen is a great villain.
Well said
As much as I don't care for defending the devil here, his actions are easy to define as evil but racism like his and his willingness to cross lines that would make a normal human shutter are not necessarily exclusively due to him being evil. It may have been a desperate attempt to survive in his younger years that eventually became his defining traits in his older years. That being said, Stephen is a cruel monster of a man but he's a villain that did what he had to survive. It's a common trope in fiction to have what's called a dark mirror. In the west, it's just good versus evil but no one stops to ask, "would I have been any better if I were born into that life?"
It's easy to look at it from outside the box and proclaim our moral superiority but what determines it is how well we would have done in the same situation. Luckily the movies don't show us any suffering in his past, to the viewers he was always an evil Uncle Tom.
@@blackout6411 @Blackout An interesting idea to put forth. But any sympathies or reasons one could try and find in his past to explain why he is the way he is now, all becomes moot and pretty pointless when all we see of him in the movie is him going out of his way, every time he's given the opportunity to, to make every other black person's life as miserable as he can without anyone else's input.
@@Adatunji Hence the reason I refer to him as a monster but in every evil individual there is a capacity for good and for every good individual there is a capacity for evil. I won't pretend that Calvin is anything more than a despicable man child, just as I wouldn't pretend Stephen is anything less than an Uncle Tom, but at one point he was just a child and if what the Vile Eye said holds any value then at some point Stephen in an act of kindness or benevolence took care of Calvin and became like a friend to him. This however minuscule would show some capacity for good even if it is perpetuated by evil.
That's what makes him kinda scary, cause there's nothing about this villain where you'd say "The world is about to end." No, it's just a man stuck in an environment as hostile as this one, forced to adapt and thus becoming something terrible. When it ain't broke don't fix it, so of course Stephen won't change his behavior that kept him alive, fed and in the graces of the Candie family, even if it means selling out his fellow brethren. He couldn't care less for them, because to him they're on the losing side and not people who deserve to be treated as such.
Stephen was so smart to the point that he was dumb. He let his anger and jealousy cloud the bigger picture. When he saw Django ride into Candieland on that horse it was an instant reminder to him that his power only existed on that land and not in the real world. He couldn’t stand to see another Black man free and living his life so he had to let Calvin in on their plan and due to his jealousy it cost him and his beloved master their life.
Samuel L Jackson deserved an Oscar for this role! Well played!
I totally agree this is the very first thing I thought as I watch the movie!
Exactly, spot on!
omg, nice catch!
This only affirms my belief in an we face in the Black community: that we can't prosper as a people, bc some of us can't stomach the thought of another person doing better than them in life. And that some of us will go to extreme lenghts to sabatoge anothers progress, regardless of what it costs.
One of the differeces between today compared to back then is: that when you threw someone to the wolves, back then they had a very high chance of being thrown to the dogs.
@@JujuToobootie I’m not blaming white people or anything because that’s a problem we have to fix ourselves but they put that and bred that into our brains from a time even before this movie takes place. That’s what a lot of our problems come from thing that’s were branded into our brains hundreds of years ago and went on for hundreds years remember we haven’t even been free for 200 years let alone had the same right for 100 years it takes time but I have hope In our people
Stephen terrified me the first time I saw that movie. Calvin obviously was a horrible human being, but he was very stupid and not even all that dangerous on his own. Stephen however is smart, manipulative, and just outright terrifying. And then you also gotta think about how Calvin has basically been raised by Stephen into his way of thinking.
Yes, Stephen has basically made Calvin into his tool to exert power and influence upon the world around him. That Calvin is stupid might actually be a deliberate result of how Stephen helped raise him. He made sure that Calvin would always need him. Stephen strikes me as someone who plays the long game and would have taken steps to ensure he was indispensable. Plus, sabotaging someone’s development for his own benefit seems totally in line with the kind of person Stephen is. I’d also add that Calvin’s sadism is quite possibly something that Stephen fostered in him to make real his own sadistic desires with Calvin acting as his proxy.
yeah. it's a pretty brilliant character. very Machiavellian.. Samuel L. nails it as well.
Steven is basically a “Kingmaker” figure in this movie. Like a Littlefinger of sorts. He is able to swiftly influence the slave owners and though he is still a slave himself and may not be looked as equal he is indeed part of the family. The fact that he waits for Candy on the other room while sipping a drink on a chair without even a sign of submissiveness and Candy not questioning him just shows how valuable the dude is
Could you imagine a character like Stephen in GOT against Littlefinger and Varys. I know Pycele was supposed to be like that before they scrapped his scene but it would have been cool to see them actually go through with it.
Kingmaker is the perfect word to describe Stephen.
@@marcuso.530 - That deleted scene with Pycelle and Tywin, when Pycelle stops faking his limp, did make me think about Stephen dropping his cane.
That was the most obvious, but even in the last cut, we did see Pycelle stretching after banging that whore, the one Littlefinger gave Joffrey to be killed?
And before getting killed, Pycelle knocks one of the little birds on its ass before getting swarmed.
They did make some dumb scenes, like when he farted when he saw the undead Mountain at the small council, but at least, unlike LF and Varis, Pycelle remained sort of the same chara in both books and show.
Even in death... I mean, he got Kevan's death, but in that Kevan POV scene, he finds Pycelle's body, so it's not that big of a stretch.
@@randallflagg3700 that Tywin fishing scene is gold, it makes no sense why it was cut off. And totally agree. When Tyrion tricked Varys, Littlefinger and Pycelle to see who was Cercei’s pawn and he says “I’ve always served House Lannister. It’s always been Lannister”, plus when Jaime tells Briene the sack of King’s Landing story where Pycelle urged King Aerys to open the gate, plus that Tywin fishing scene just shows how much depth he had
The way Steven as a slave was empowered to order around the overseers always struck me as peculiar as well
I don’t think it was love that made Stephen distressed when Calvin died, but the worry that he wouldn’t have any power if Calvin wasn’t there anymore
666th like
Without Calvin, he was just another sack of meat to toil in the cotton fields.
Probably also worry about what the other slaves would do to him, now that Candie can't protect him anymore
Doesn’t explain why he held him dearly as he died.
@@MarcusT86 Maybe he grew too attached to him, like how a father grieves for their son.
You have to admit Samuel Jackson played Stephen perfectly.
He said in an interview that it’s one of his top 5 roles
He really does. Him and Christoph Waltz can do no wrong when Tarentino is behind the camera.
He did a pretty good job
you're damn right
He is genuinely such a good actor. I know there's a stereotype that he plays all the same character being a hardass but I think this role is a good example of the actual subtleties of his work. He's not just screaming.
I think Stephan's character may have drawn some criticism towards Tarantino if it was released today as the main protagonist in a slavery based film is in fact black, but in my opinion it is genius. It in many ways makes a mockery of the ideology behind slavery, as the inferior black person was manipulating their master like a puppet on strings. It also shows the irony when Candie speaks about the skull and the fact a black person's structure of their brain = subservience + stupidity. Its basically the same scene as when his black and 'inferior' slave sniffs out their plan while his white master is completely oblivious to it.
Stephan's character in many ways shows that white and black folk are the same. Either can be intelligent, either can be stupid, and either can be evil.
i, for one, also loved how he treated the KKK as just some idiots and making fun of their masks near the beginning
Believe me when I say there'd either be just as many, or more people who would be mad at Stephen for being smarter and more in power than the other white villain.
True equality that we are all human beings. And large groups of people have been evil, some individuals have been good and all combinations across the board. An ironic duality between Waltz performance here versus in Basterds, maybe not the best but a noble German, and then a German who was the scum of the earth.
It was controversial to the same degree when the movie was released as it would be today, but hiring a former Civil Rights activist to play the role, and Samuel L. Jackson being a great actor and the movie being great all stopped it from controversy outweighing the movie
@@noodel3374no matter how evil someone is, they are still human lol
I always loved how he uses a cane to walk and at the end he drops it and walks normally like he didnt need to pretend no more. I loved that detail so much. He was a calculated despicable character. How many years he was pretending jesus christ. Makes u wonder WHO was the man in charge.
Dude I was looking for this comment! YES. Favorite scene is when he knows the jig is up and throws his cane to the side
@@connormctigue3681 yesssss but it took me while to figure it out men im not gonna lie hahahababa but i loved the part. Says so much about the character without explaining it and i think that is something tarantino does best!
Wowwww I've never noticed this until you pointed it out
@@dc7236 yeah men its super awesome once you realize it.
you tend to enjoy the movie way more. For me he was the one calling the shots haha
A smart person learns from their mistakes. But a wise person learns from other people's mistakes. So he's had plenty of time and opportunities to craft these masks based on the people who came and went on Candyland. Feeble older men who could be easily dismissed, yes men who propped up their masters and parroted their words, and an observer who keeps an out for things most people would miss whilst playing the yes man AND the feeble senior.
you know an actor does their job when you absolutely hate their guts during the movie
when he first drops his goofy act and starts grilling Hilde, I found him quite terrifying.
I didn’t hate Stephen, I feared and respected him
Joffry in GOT be like
Nah he was an awesome villain
I admit I haven't seen this movie, but from what I am gathering it is much like his role in Lakeview terrace - he does play his roles really well, he is convincing in his job, his reputation is well deserved.
Stephen’s instant hatred for Django was so visceral, I think, because he was the first reminder Stephen had had in a long time of his bondage. Over however many years, serving as Calvin’s right-hand-man and puppet master, and speaking with such authority that even the white workers followed his orders, Stephen had probably been lulled into a false illusion of his own power and status. Django’s arrival would have pulled him painfully back down to Earth, reminding him that while he may have been king of the castle within the confines of Candyland, he was still a slave. The moment he set foot outside, he would have no rights, and be absolutely powerless. Whereas Django could leave Candyland and live outside of his slave bondage. That was partly why Stephen wanted to give Django to the mining company - sending him back into slavery was, to Stephen, the most appropriate way of getting revenge on Django for being such a reminder.
On a related note, I’m convinced that a large part of the reason he was so upset at Calvin’s death was not so much because of his affection for him, and more because of what his death might mean for him; he had known for a long time that his status depended entirely on him - if Calvin died, then Candyland would pass on to Lara, a wealthy woman still in her 40s who might still get married. If that happened, her new husband would become master of the house, and he would probably be decidedly less lenient or accepting of having a slave running the show. So when Calvin died, Stephen rushed to his side and screamed because his power, status and everything he had worked to achieve was slipping away with him.
Completely agree
1000%
Stephen hated Django because Django could “see” him.
I think they’re both true. Stephen probably was despairing over the possibility of losing his status down the line, and making a show of mourning his master probably endeared him to the remaining white people on the plantation, but as they said, Stephen had no doubt raised Calvin, molding him into the man he was up to that moment. I imagine there was some truth to the lie of his loyalty.
That's a very good way to describe Stephen's thoughts and actions ..
One of the scenes that is most telling about Stephen was when one of the maids was telling Bromhilda that she was on Stephen’s bad side when you need to be on his blind side. They knew him for who he really was: a shrewd, observant, and villainous presence that was pulling all the strings behind the curtains. You could make the case that he was the most feared presence on the whole plantation from the slave’s perspective.
I love the fact that SLJ even clarified with Tarantino "you want me to play the most despicable negro in the history of cinima." "Yes." "Well alright lets do it." And how he defended Tarantino about being racist because let's be honest Steven is the smartest character in the film.
He was skilled at it from prior experience. He had played "the most despicable negro in the history of gaming" who was Officer Tenpenny from GTA San Andreas.
@Ben Holmes the Slaves sent to America were sold by African Slavers, the Europeans didn't even need to go deep into Africa to buy the "merchandise" and this was part of a Slave trade network spanning for millenia.
People in the US tend to forget that the Trans Atlantic Slave trade was just one such route, the other was the Arab Slave trade that existed much on a much longer span of time.
@@forickgrimaldus8301 Yeah you are right. And that should be discussed in any school course that talks about the history of slavery.
Greed and cruelty know no color.
@@bbtfan4617 true but at the same time bigotry played a hand on slavery, either to maintain it or to justify it or both
@@forickgrimaldus8301 Not at first; In the beginning it was simply a need for labor-and not caring how it was obtained.
The first captives brought over at the beginning weren't really slaves, they were indentured servants-they'd work for a span of time ranging from a few years or maybe a couple of decades. But as time passed the demand for labor grew. Racism or bigotry developed or evolved, to justify prolonging the indentures or passing them on to children.
Reality rarely fits into neat simple narratives.
Stephen's banter with candie might be more significant that it seems at first glance. There would likely be many members of the plantation who would take issue with a slave having as much power and influence over the slave master as Stephen does. So this ruse is meant to hide his true nature by appearing like nothing more than an old, favored servant that Candie humors with playful insults. It's debatable whether even Candie understands this.
it's pretty clear that candie doesn't understand that he's being played by stephen.
@@Gadget-Walkmen It’s clear he doesn’t.
@@canwetalk9992 exactly!
Can you really say he’s being played though? Like it’s not as cut and dry as it seems sure but when someone truly cares for you, your well being and success I don’t see that as playing them. You can argue he only cared about that cause his well-being was tied directly to that but again he truly mourned the death of candie.
Actually his banter comes from deep hatred toward Django and he is angry at Calvin for allowing a black man on a horse. His exchange with Candie is more of a disgruntled servant and to show everyone there that he has a special relationship with Calvin.
Calvin does understand what Steven is doing but Calvin already has made up his mind about Django and Steven at that point is irritating him. Nothing more.
I think Steven partially was saddened emotionally by Calvin’s death but the biggest reason he was so distraught was because he knew he was going to be sold off and start over with a new family and no status.
I was looking for this. Exactly my thinking. Much more plausible considering the utter pragmatism of such a man.
Except he's seen still ruling the roost through Laura until Django escapes and crashes the party.
@@oxtheunlikelycontemplator2682 The thing is Laura is a 40s wealthy single woman who could get married later and the new master might sell Stephen, an old slave with a limp in an instance. Stephen was on borrowed time as soon as Candie is dead.
Old slaves were often set free to live on their own in the wilderness, since they're too useless for work and no one would buy them.
Exactly
You can tell by his demeanor during the library scene, that he is smart enough to know his own place almost as a father figure. In front of white company, "Yessir" or "No Sir" are his eventual go to after he's pushed Calvin to react, but tutors him when alone. When Stephen is relaxed, Calvin is leaned forward. But, Stephen is only playing the part of a father and caring figure. Proof is that he doesn't drop the cane to run to Calvin, he just limps and hugs the body. He doesn't drop his guise until Django has him cornered and he knows he's lost.
Calvin is literally the slave master of Candyland but Stephen is figuratively the slave master of Candyland
Stephen is a truly Machiavellian villain. He goes to great lengths to publicly downplay the influence and power he wields, knowing well enough to let his master appear the smarter one in company of others. But all the while, Stephehn works behind the scenes to assure the tenure of his position as the de facto mastermind behind candyland. Truly an iron fist wearing a velvet glove.
The unforseen pulling strings with his pinky ring
Dick Cheney
@@srv1347 nah dick Cheney never played the submissive card. He and everyone else knew he was in charge. Stephen is far more sneaky and treacherous.
Hell yes you God damn right in sense
You reading robert greene 48 laws of power or something? lol
It's crazy how Stephen's own jealously and contempt for Django is the reason his master and his life ended. Seeing not only a black man be free but outsmart the people he has served right under their nose was just something he couldn't let go. It's crazy how very little it mattered to him that Schultz and Django just wanted Hilde and seeing Django fall was far more important.
Crabs in a barrel
I was just thinking if Stephen just shut up and didn't talk to Calvin about why Django and the white friend were really there a lot less people would been killed.
@@kandylandtarot142 just watched a Boondocks episode and now I totally get it
The comparison they are trying to make is SAMBO to Stephen
He’s the closest thing we have to uncle ruckus from the boondocks
The term “Uncle Tom” is distorted. The character in the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is “brave, strong, and good. He saves the life of and is a good friend to Little Eva, his slaveholder's frail young daughter. After Tom is sold to the evil Simon Legree, he is whipped to death for refusing to divulge the whereabouts of some runaways.”
Stephen has none of those attributes.
But you indeed know what he’s talking about because words have multiple meanings
Stephen is more of a willy lynch
It’s the sequels to uncle Toms cabins
Yes, Sambo was the real sellout.
Semantics, he's a sellout either way.
Django reminded Stephen that he wasn't actually free, just a pet on a long Leash.
You’re 100% right! Stephen was mad that there was a black man that was more free than himself.
I was honestly shocked that Sam jackson and Leo weren't both nominated for best supporting actor that year. Either one could have won it and I would have been happy with it.
it's far too hot a potato for the Academy to reward. Just like Amon Goth, played by Ralph Finnes.
Christoph Waltz was already nominated for his role in that category (he even ended up winning), it’d be considered unfair to nominate three whole actors from a single movie in one year. Especially considering there were other great performances in other movies that equally if not more so deserved awards (Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master and Ben Mendelssohn in The Place Beyond the Pines come to mind). Not saying that Jackson or Leo didn’t do great jobs, they did, but categories shouldn’t be filled with the same movie’s actors.
@@jdizzledigby5377 Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham were both nominated for the same award in Amadeus (Abraham won).
@@judyhopps9380 Yeah two is just about the limit tho I’d say.
Christoph Waltz was phenomenal
One of my favorite aspects of the villain dynamic in this film is how easily led Calvin is. Calvin is always visibly trying to read someone, looking them up and down, furrowed brow as he follows along the conversation. He is superficially charming, and is in turn taken in by superficial charm. He is easily thrown off balance when the conversation takes an unexpected turn. You can he is having to focus and make the effort to read everyone enough to just keep up.
Contrast Stephen, who you can tell just glances at someone and KNOWS. He reads them like a book, knows something is off, knows where to apply pressure to learn more, and then does so- all in a second or two, and without dropping his character as the servile old coot.
How much do you think Calvin relied on Stephen just to make business deals? Stephen's perceptiveness, shrewd maneuevering, and ability to steer his masters' conversation without them even realizing it... there was a reason Steven was at Calvin's shoulder throughout the whole dinner scene when they were talking business. Candyland isn't Calvin's empire, he just reaps the benefits. I can almost guarantee every actual major business deal was only made possible by Stephen.
stephen is calvins surrogate father, of course he listens to his wisdom.
It's a movie
Oh white man is insecure... XDD@@OzyMandias13
@@OzyMandias13 Um, ok?
@@OzyMandias13 What an incredibly weird thing to point out in the comment section of a video of a psychoanalysis of a character that very obviously is apart of a movie. Seems very motivated in a certain direction? You don't have to say yes or no, you've already shown us the answer. It seems you didn't actually think this shit out.
I think the limp is not just to make himself look weak, but also so he does not need to do any hard physical work
Stephen has risen to such a position so that he will never be asked to do physical work. He is basically the manager of the plantation. It's clear that the Candy family are spoiled old money children who were born into wealth but have zero idea how to manage it. Leo's character has zero interest in managing the day to day of the plantation.
However because he has such power I think he purposely wanted to make himself seem weaker and dumber than he was towards White people so that they would never feel threatened by him.
Samuel Jackson played his role as Stephan to perfection. The way he behaved around the master and other white people. Yet he seemingly burned with hatred for other people of colour. Portraying a crippled older black man. Yet he was not as feeble as he let on. Ultimately showing his true self when he let go of the walking stick. Truly a great performance for all those years. 💪🏼🙏🏻✨
I like how he doesn’t change his intonation in his voice when doing a sponsor, it’s like he’s analysing the evil within the sponsorship
Raid should sponsor him then. Seems fitting
One could argue many forms of advertising is evil.
The Irony
I think it's a tts.
@@Nater2004 I can’t tell if your joking.
I like how Stephen loved Calvin Chandie, but was playing him at the same time. He put on a façade, became a fake cripple, and decided he wasn't going to break his back anymore, but he was the mastermind of Chandieland. We see this when Stephen calls Chandie in the room and they both have a private conversation with each other. Notice Stephen's shift. His entire demeanor changes, he crosses his legs, drinks a glass of wine, and is almost talking down to Chandie like he's HIS master...
Fast foward after Calvin Chandie dies, and Stephen STILL has influence over Chandieland, commanding Billy Crash and the others to stop shooting, or having influence over Laura to send Django to the Lequint Dickie Mining Co. instead of killing him... and Stephen finally gives up that façade by slamming down his cane and cripple act, when everyone is dead, and the only ones left standing is himself and Django.
Stephen was playing all of them.
I think Calvin knew what Steven was really like. I mean he had to have known Steven was writing checks and the way Steven's posture and voice change when its just them in the library, plus the way Calvin behaves around him, all implies Calvin is well aware of who Steven really is.
@@Nicol80145 Right! Didn't Stephen raise him from childhood? He's probably always been a parent/leader figure to Calvin.
I didn’t read the behavior with candie as that of Stephen being the master, and more like a father. Back in those times, you respect your elders. To Candie, since Stephen practically raised him, Stephen was his other father figure who knew what was best for him. Your father doesn’t kindly suggest things to you, he confidently tells you what the best thing to do is.
@@Chem_-jp5em I see your point, but remember that even after Calvin Candie died, Stephen was still in control of the house and he still pulled all the strings... remember the countdown and how he told Billy Crash to stand down when he had a gun pointed at Brunhilde's head? Or when Stephen was the pitch the idea not to kill Django, but send him to the Lequint Dickey Company to be worked until he dies? Even in the end, he played all of them; he was the puppet master.
@@Rude_Boi yeah, I definitely agree, I just don’t think that that doesn’t mean that he didn’t care for Calvin in a paternal way. And I feel like it makes the whole Chandie land dynamic more interesting, the only two actual people in Stephen’s eyes are himself and Calvin.
And I feel like how Calvin treats Stephen as a human shows that Calvin considered Stephen to be a person instead of just another slave. It didn’t seem like a relationship of manipulation like with Stephen and the other white people on the plantation.
It was a huge shock to me that Sam Jackson wasn't even nominated for an Oscar portraying Stephen. There was no other character like this in cinematic history, and Sam Jackson not only had to create a template for this character, but he executed it with perfection. In my mind, this was one of the biggest snubs ever.
agreed
Mr. Jackson should have won the Oscar for his character "Jules" in "Pulp FIction". After carrying the two hit-man villans, then giving it to Travolta, that was the ultimate snub.
@@brittlyle3523 Completely agree!
he gave his best performance possible. He w purposely snubbed because they just werent willing to break their PC world o WOKE and give any credence to a character from DJANGO, a film that had been selling slave dolls on amazon.he got snubbed big time.
Real talk ! A lot of roles went unnoticed in this film; the characters had a lot of depth & complexity, & the actors executed & showcased such things perfectly
This movie's cast of actors deserve an Oscar each. A complete masterpiece of a movie in acting.
This is such an underrated villain. I didn't fully understand his role my first time watching.
He’s Django’s villain. Yes Calvin Candy is a disgusting piece of shit but he’s not real villain of this movie. Sam L’s character Stephen is the real villain.
@@wattsnottaken1 Exactly. If anything Candy was the Doctors villian hence why he killed him. Spot on assertion.
The shoot out scene at Candy Land stood out to me more the last time I saw the movie. While there Django figuratively wears a mask alongside his partner while Stephen wears a mask when next to his master. When both Candy and Shultz are dead and the action begins, it's the first time that Django and Stephen are mask off directly towards each other and are fully in control of themselves
DiCaprio's Calvin Candy is just too good. For the most people, there is always just one main villain. But of course there is whole lot of villains throughout the movie, including slavery itself.
A lot of people dont got he was the one running the whole plantation
Makes you wonder, what horrific things did Stephen do in those 76 years to get those white people respect like that? 🤔 I mean I’m sure it deserves its own movie
He made his bones.
Yeah Quentin took a lot of nasty things out of the movie for Steven bc he said to Sam Jackson “ I don’t want anyone to kill you “ some ppl never let down on movie characters.
@@Wh4L205 Stephen
More than likely, he kept an eye out for any slaves screwing up or slacking off, then recommended the harshest punishments for them.
When he was younger, he might have even dealt out those punishments himself.
@@hannobaali_makendali ok?
Steven's first appearance shows him writing a check in Calvin's name. A lot of people seem to miss this important scene for establishing his deceptive character
True indeed!!!
Omg you're right! He was literate...& it was illegal to teach them to read & write
@@darkprince56 it was literally mentioned in the video..
@@darkprince56- he wasn't illiterate. Lots of slaves could read and write but it was illegal.
@@darkprince56 you are incorrect many plantation owners were illiterate. You need to watch Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil
One thing I didn't notice till recently, in relation to Stephen's facade of being a cripple. When Calvin Candie is shot to death and Stephen runs over to cradle his body, he still hobbles over with his cane. It happened so fast, he didn't even have time to think about it. He won't even allow the death of the person he loved the most can't shake his illusion. Pretty creepy detail.
Greatest irony of all is that through Stephen's actions in warning Calvin about the ruse, Stephan caused Calvin and Candyland's death.
Exactly. Too smart for his own good. Not *that* intelliegient!
Had he just let Hildie go, He'd still have his life...
But he wanted to be a dick about it.😐
But Django survived by a Deus ex Machina anyway , having tricked these (badky acted) Australians who came out of nowhere
Did anyone notice how when Stephen told Candie about Django's plan in private he stopped acting subservient and weak and spoke to Candie with authority and intelligence. He was basically talking down to him with his legs crossed while sipping a glass of wine, very un-slave like.
Well he was a slave to the outside word but not to candie
Major code switch
Stephen is more then a historical representation, he also represents all people who sell themselves in the name of the myth of "winning" in life, and will do anything for it even step over his kind. Jango, in the other hand, is the one who believes in himself and will not bend for anyone, even if it kills him. One is the slave, the other is the free man.
Very poignant insight
You are absolutely right and I see it the longer I live on this Earth especially easily in the black community.
Nietzche had names for these.
The Last Man, who is literally the last guy to keep following a bad paradigm.
And the Übermensch, who makes up his own mind and follows through.
Stephen reminds of a character from a book called "Prision Verde", that takes place during the neocolonialism era, when american fruit companies pretty much had complete control over central america. This character was born in central america and probably came from humble beginnings, but he rose to power and become a foreman in a plantation. He mistreats his own kind and sees himself as "superior" to them. Even though he comes from the same background as our protagonist, he decided to exploit the system for his own personal benefit instead of helping others stand against it.
@@qwertydavid8070 Sounds like many people today exploit for their own benefit and gain.
The fact that they got Samuel Jackson of all people to play this role speaks volumes to his integrity as an actor
Tarantino made his career- he knows any Tarantino movie is gonna be pretty good and people wanna see him in them - so if Tarantino asked him I'm sure he would say yes most times!
@@Lugh444he didn’t make his career he had one before T came on the scene big break possibly but make is George Conley dusk til dawn
@@tevincollins2869 Yeah I guess it's not fair to say that, Samuel did have a bunch of memorable rolls before Tarantino. I was just making a point - Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, he has a short but good part in True Romance - he has to know people love him in Tarantino films!
George Clooney was big in TV before that but I think that was definitely his break into movies yeah
Stephen is the OG Uncle Ruckus
Best comment
No relation
@@MountainStreamLives😂😂he has re-vitiligo
102% African, with a 2% margin of error
Or as Malcolm X Would Refer to as ''The House N-word''!!!
And that's one of the major things: Stephen, with his influence on Candie as a psuedo-fatherfigure, could easily have used his power to better the lives of his fellow slaves but instead only decides to take care of himself- if a master is so open to hearing the ideas of his slave it makes me ponder if Stephen could have helped form some sense of guilt in Candie and better the lives of his fellow colored laborers...
No no, if Stephen had an ounce of kindness in his heart, the Candies would've noticed, and he wouldn't have risen to the top; heck, he might've even been whipped. "This n*** wants to talk to us about equality? Get the fuck outta here"
Besides, Calvin already fully believed that frenology bullshit, in that Blacks are biologically inclined to slavery, and he followed those words like gospel.
That’s the extent of villainy. Stephen is deceptively intelligent, wholly self important, and ruthlessly cruel to those he deems below him. He could’ve helped his fellow slaves, but that would require looking outside of himself and he’s just not willing to risk that. He holds power and influence so why would he share that? That’s also why Stephen hates Django so much, because Django shatters his illusion of power and self importance and reminds him that in the end, he is a slave with no real freedom outside the perimeters of Candieland while Django is truly free.
@@victoriaburroughs8399 damn.....he's a sad asshole and I'm happy he died the way he did.
Pls don’t say coloured
"Calvin played while Stephen worked"
Is the perfect summary of their relationship
Stephen basically ran Candyland in every way but name. Positioning himself so that he seems like just a really competent house servant, hiding the fact that he controls the other servants with an iron fist and has a lot of sway with the decisions that are made at the plantation
But I do like to think that Stephen, at the end of the day, did care about Calvin and vice versa. His spontaneous reaction to when he died paints the picture of genuine loss, if only because he's known Calvin all his life and because he was essentially his meal ticket
They did care for each other. When Calvin sat down with Stephen to discuss his suspicions, DiCaprio portrays his character like a little boy, once again listening to wise counsel of his old faithful friend. This also parallels the scene when Schultz tells Django the story about Siegfried's quest.
Exactly Peter!
Just like in the movie the Gladiator! The King and Russell Crowe were like father and son a slave general!
haha
I strongly believe that why Stephen and Calvin are so close is because Stephen helped raise Calvin when he was very young since Calvin’s parents were so busy running their business. Both actors did so well crafting these 2 characters, love this movie so much
"I count 6 shots."
"And I count 2 guns, n*gga."
The coolest line in the whole movie! :D
"I count 6 shots n**ger" is what he actually says
I recall Samuel L. Jackson saying he wanted to portray the most despicable black person you'd see in a movie. I'd say he succeeded.
He definitely did
I wonder if he'll ever portray Yakub.
You clearly have never seen "Hotel Rwanda"
@@thecommunistdoggo1008 And you'd be right, but if it covers the Rwandan genocide, I can imagine
@@eduardodiaz9942 It does, there are a lot of machetes. The real terror isn't one character necessarily but rather it's the idea of how quick people are to turn to mass murder. It's scary because they're average Joes
The first time you see Stephen, he is writing and endorsing a check from Calvin. He also orders the white overseers to take Hildi out of the hot box like he is in charge. He pretty much ran Candieland and placates Calvin, the figurehead, in public.
I think Candie would be ok with his father figure doing whatever and they placate others around him
Word !!
Like an evil version of Lucios Fox Bruce Wayne right hand man who runs Wayne Enterprises while he is out gallivanting around dressed like a bat
This character is purely Machiavellian, but at the exact same time you can tell he did enjoy and have care for the candy family. He doesn’t is it appear as complex, but he is. A complex and well-written villain is all we audiences want
You could also argue that Stephen is distraught over Calvin's death as Calvin was the one person who kept Stephen in power. As time passes, he may not have the same pull with a new master
I mean, Laura and Billy Crash's band of goons still listened to Stephen
Agreed. He probably thought Calvin would outlive him so he could rule Candieland his whole life
Django and Stephen were both veey intelligent and clever, they both were willing to do anything to reach their goal, only they had very different goals. They were a perfect match of protagonist and antagonistic.
Stephen was as intelligent as a minstrel!
@MissTia777 What do you mean by that? You think he was a jester?
I like how Calvin was basically his puppet throughout the movie. You’d never expect the main villain of a movie about fighting slavery to be a slave, but Stephen’s motivations manage to be believable while still being evil.
Great video! I know you don’t do a lot of animated villains, but I’d love to see a video on The Lich from Adventure Time. He’s one of the most captivating and horrifying pure evil villains I’ve ever seen.
Why? Every girlboss CEO at Lockheed Martin has fallen into the same trap.
Kira too
I completely agree, adventure time has such well written characters and the lich was always so effective. I'd love to see it and just more animated villains in general 🤘
Girl bosses at Lockheed Martin feed toddlers to alligators? That was not shown but infants and toddlers were used as bait to catch alligators which were very valuable at that time. They also made postcards and children’s toys depicting the practice. You can see the postcards and toys in museums and on google. Don’t dare compare the atrocities that happened to a cut throat work colleague.
@@Heyitskrystal No, they just make bombs and delivery devices for those bombs to vaporize infants and toddlers. Candyland IS America.
I loved the scene where Steven is trying to covertly tell Calvin to meet him in the library, but Calvin’s so dense that he just thinks he’s going on about something in the kitchen. Really nice dichotomy between the respective IQs of the two characters.
I felt that he cried over Calvin's death because people were watching. He needed people to see him loyal and loving to the family. He didn't cry over the sister's death, because no one left alive in the house mattered anymore.
I felt that the tears would have been real. Not because he necessarily liked Calvin but because that is where all his power came from.
Stephen NEEDED Calvin.
He cried because he would be treated like a regular slave without Calvin
The husband of the sister would have demoted him. If she was to become the mistress of the Candy estate then she would get married as that was a way of securing more security in those days as a woman. Her new White husband would not at all take kindly to Steven and would have demoted him to a regular servant or sold him.
@@maxezaz7694 It's sort of how people secure things today too. Rich people marry richer people to secure having even more wealth. No offense btw, "Securing more security" is a bad choice of words.
Always was interesting to me when Django comments in the movie that black slavers are "lower than house N-words"... meaning that they regard race traitors worse than anyone else of the race, Stephen is also an example of a black slaver in that he abuses slaves just as Mr. Candy had- it is interesting to sift through the various layers and levels of evil in this film. I just finished watching it for the sixth or seventh time yesterday- that and the hateful eight. I am not really obsessed with Tarantino films, I just find the way he writes dialogues/ monologues so peculiar and intriguing. There is always a very brutal, merciless underlying social commentary that rides the fine line between satire and obscene.
Calvin is a “simple” kind of wicked. Stephen knows this, and manipulates him. But, Stephen also NEEDS Calvin. “Raising him from a baby,” means he despises Calvin, but has the presence of mind to stay close enough to cut his throat. Only the most depraved sociopaths have the ability to walk such a fine line. That’s what makes Stephen so frightening. Calvin’s domain is the grotesque. Stephen’s is the arabesque. (a’ la Edgar Alan Poe)
Not obsessed but still goes on to watch the movie "...6 or 7 times...".
@@carldrogo9492 not the full movie just specific scenes, but still six or seven times in my life time isn't much
@@fentoozler2565 It’s not about obsession. Django Unchained a fascinating movie!
Stephen was one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite films. He clearly drives the power dynamic at candyland from a seemingly harmless position.
Also I've suggested before and will again Ben Poindexter from season 3 of daredevil. If you ever get around to it he is one of my favorite villains
Pointdexter would be fascinating.
I think his issue ultimately boils down to his inability to empathise with others.
He wants to be good and do good things, but due to problems with his mind he is incapable of discerning which is which.
@@garyking1986 yeah and I think that lack of empathy comes from a lack of connection in his youth, his parents were terribly dysfunctional then died. He is also a great parallel of Matt, they are practically the same in terms of their abandonment and anger issues, and how they use the daredevil persona as an outlet for that rage. God season 3 of daredevil is just fantastic
@@xrphoenix7194 I agree. Matt and Dex are such brilliant parallels to one another.
The Daredevil suit without Matt is only an empty husk. It’s just the parts of Daredevil that Matt hates, forcing him to literally fight his own demons.
Matt and Dex are both people who have been abandoned their whole lives, and are deeply angry because of it. Matt was guided through faith to cope, but Dex never had this luxury.
The suit clearly means a lot to Matt, as he keeps it carefully stored away and treats it with great care, while Dex doesn’t understand what the suit represents, doing mundane things like vacuum cleaning his apartment in it.
@@garyking1986 vacuuming 💀💀💀💀💀💀
Sam Jackson is a phenomenal actor period! He doesn't get the recognition he deserves....His character in Pulp Fiction is incredible Still today!
In the very first shot we see of Stephen, he’s managing the books of Candyland. At the end of the film, he’s the one commanding the men in the final shootout.
Stephen was undeniably the true power behind the throne.
This was an amazing performance by Jackson. You can really see how intimidating and terrifying he can be in this role.
What makes Stephen such a great villain in my opinion is how he seemingly perpetuates the evil of Calvin. Even though there’s a lingering thought in your mind throughout the movie that he may have the slightest glimmer of salvation and let Django, Schultz and Broomhilda go, he enables Calvin’s evil without any remorse and exposes the protagonist as soon as he finds enough room to declare evidence beyond reasonable doubt - that’s true evil.
I assume earlier in his life he was more a deceptive and machiavellian survivalist than anything else, but as the years passed he increasingly became more of a sellout, until eventually he, consciously or subconsciously, realized that being an ultimate sellout was what gave him the power and position in life that he had; a position he valued immensely and was extremely proud of. Thus by his very nature he couldn't help but to sellout Django. Jealousy over seeing Django much more freer than him obviously played a big part in it too.
@@WallKenshiro agreed
I think some of Calvin's cruelty was initially taught by Steven
Stephen is the most common villain in this day and age, we probably work amongst 10 of them in every office.
100% and the masters are happy to keep it that way.
@@ogge9296 uh... What do you mean? I'm not sure how to simply even further what they said to help you understand it.
Exactly if you work a corporate job u surrounded by them especially in HR
@@ogge9296 it means ass kissers still exist, and will throw people on their level under the bus in order to earn favor with the higher ups.
@@ogge9296 ?? How do you not get it. I honestly don't think he was trying to sound smart. But you just admitted to being dumb 😅
This dynamic is played out in almost every single workplace and 100% in every corparation.
If I remember correctly, Calvin made a chilling remark: that he doesn't believe that all N are by default inferior, but only that the average N is inferior and that it's in nature that the strong exploit the weak. I think that this idea was shaped by this episodes villain...
He believes there are some N that are above average, and he believes Django is one of them. Thus, he shows curiosity. He is intrigued by Django, and he thinks of him as a very interesting creature, like an animal in a zoo.
@@Stoirelius True, but I feel that if white slavery had been socially acceptable, he would have done it all the same... meaning that I believe that he was less of a R-cist and more of someone who looks down in general on the weak, poor and vulnerable...
@@edi9892 yeah, people tend to do what is advantageous or normalised then come up with convenient justifications later.
People like to think we're shaped by our ideas and that's what effects our actions and decisions when in reality it's the other way around.
@@edi9892 white slavery was socially acceptable, just not as common by this period
@@Captain_Insano_nomercy
Generally I agree with this notion, anyone with a shred of knowledge about the other major slaves powers in the world would be familiar with the Portugueses love of Asian slaves, and the Ottomans love of white ones.
The terrible truth of that era, is that people were a commodity for the elite and while people were more hesitant to deal in the lives of people closer to them, global trade proved that if they could put enough miles between themselves, the commodities place of origin, anyone was willing to sell anyone. Terrible time to be alive, for all the world todays faults, I'm happy this is my era and not any single one before.
If it wasn't for Hans Landa, I feel like Stephen would easily be Tarantino's best villain by a long shot.
Christoph Waltz legit played the most hated one and the most loved characters in Tarantinoverse
Lol. I loved Inglourious Basterds even more than Django Unchained. And yeah, I have to agree.
@Commander Rockwell how is Daniel Plain View not evil?
@Commander Rockwell How was Landa not the villain? He gleefully participated in the mass murder of thousands of people simply for the "crime" of being Jewish. And his betrayal of the Nazis had no good intentions, he just wanted to be on the winning side.
@Commander Rockwell You probably also like Jeff Bezos a lot, don't you?
0:03 lmao that perfect sync of "hello everyone" to his lip movement 🤣
I know right I was waiting for them motherfukers
This character came off as comedic, and immediately turned into someone who was clearly evil in nature.
Stephen is the most understated main antagonist of any movie I've ever seen. The first thing we see him do is writing checks *as* Calvin Candie, showing us he is really running candieland. And he is one to give them the idea to give Django to Le'Quint mining, convincing them they thought of it instead of him
Also don’t forget the part where Stephen was signing Calvin’s name on the invoices when they first arrived at the house. He could read and write. Also in the way he talked to Calvin about the real reason Django was there. “Thank you Stephen“ “You’re welcome, Calvin.”
As someone who reads a lot of history, to me the character of Stephen is essentially a twisted version of this contradictory affection between slaves and owners that pops up time and again, from the American South to the Romans. When the white children on a plantation reached a certain age, they're first playmate was usually a slave of about the same age and they would essentially grow up together. Then you have the female house slave who was given the task of helping care for the children (the old "Mamie" caricature) and who essentially became a second mother. I think it's impossible to live in that environment without some form of affection existing (hell, look at Stockholm Syndrome) but the reality of the institution of slavery and the slave-master divide just added a whole bunch of complicated psychological nuances to the equation.
Look up African guardians on slave ships it was rather interesting. They helped to prevent uprisings on slave ships in the army days where the crew lacked the fire power of to prevent themselves from being overrun, if there was a rebellion. Basically they thought they were going to get special privileges when they got to where they arrived on but or courses that would never materialize. But anyway, I had to read a paper a on it at college and it was pretty interesting.
That look Stephen gives Django when he first rides up 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Stephen is the lower than a slaver/plantation owner. His character angers in me in ways no other can.
How so? Would love to hear your take!
@@Godzilla00X I wish i could hear it aswell cause I cant eem to put the images into words as to why i hate his ways so much
Because it’s offensive to your conditioning.
Idk. Stephen is an awful human being and a great villain but in a way he too is a victim of the system that governs him, a system that rewards him for being terrible to his own people in order to keep others in control. That’s just my take though….
@@Godzilla00X Stephen has lived his entire life seen as 1/3 of a person. He has worked the same fields, lived the same struggles as everyone else, etc. Yet he selfishly works his way up to becoming second in command to Calvin. He is completely fine with Hilde baking in the hot box, he’s the one who gives orders to hurt HIS OWN PEOPLE. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen a character go imo, he pisses me off- but his lack of empathy is fascinating.
*_Heavily underrated character, i'm glad you finally analyzed him_*
As a black man who’s Great-Great Grandmother was a daughter of a slave, Stephen is one of the most viscerally evil characters in fiction to me.
He was very unpleasant I'd agree but evil? I'm not so sure. I'd say he must have witnessed horror and loneliness from a very young age which damaged him deeply. Being naturally very intelligent and astute, he simply adjusted in order to survive. He was just a very tragic and sad individual
@@hoggarththewisesmeagol8362 in the perception of a black man like myself, I can agree that Stephen is evil.
@@hoggarththewisesmeagol8362 Don’t forget there were actually black slave owners in the US as well, it’s one of those things that if his cards were dealt a little different he would have made his own Candyland and the same thing would have existed. He may not have chosen where he started out or the situation his life began as but he did make the decision in his own heart to not just be cruel but enjoy it, he went above and beyond to make things worse. No matter how much pain someone endures when they begin to work hard at creating even more suffering it is on them and their decisions. But hey not to bash you, I can at least see where you are coming from I just feel you are incorrect in where you draw the line of human beings responsibility coming into play as individuals. But I do think he can both be an evil person and be a sad tragic character, it’s not mutually exclusive.
As an American. Not "black" and not "white".. my skin is brown.. i have multiple family roots in slavery on both sides... I give ZERO fucks about something that ended over 150 years ago and people need to stfu about it
Just one man's opinion
@@hoggarththewisesmeagol8362 his choices made him evil.
SLJ has been my favorite actor since The Negotiator. And this movie really shows how capable he is (not that other movies didn't).
5 Oscar's for the 5 main characters should of been given. The greatest stories and best actors have the fans true recognition. Thanks for the video.
Lol sorry no way the film and performances while good are not great
@@garethjames1300 we all know it's a fantasy with a truly happy ending...
Justice don't exist in some ppls book. Neither does great acting. Your books are indoctrinated. Your awards are tainted. Real fans know who the best are. They don't need awards to prove it. You could of kept your comment in your pocket..
I always saw Stephen hating Django coming from the fact that Stephen had to go through all this effort to get his place and here comes Django who gets treated on a level above him because he’s “special”
I wasn't sure if we'd see Stephen in this series. But this was pretty good. I still say Abigail from 'The Favourite' would be interesting.
Yes. That movie was certainly something else...
Yes! Showing how a person in a position with no power at all can actually though out smarting those in power over then not just survive but thrive.
This was a top shelf performance by Sam Jackson, huge movie with so many stars and at a critical moment of the movie, all driven forward by such an authentic performance refined by a whole life of experience.
Glad you covered him cause him and Candie were definitely joint villain's. Calvin was the front man to show the horrors of a racist man in control via slavery in the south and Stephan was on the back end whispering thoughts into Calvin's head as a sort of advisor. It was clear that Stephan was more educated than Calvin, but decided to fall back on the ignorant family babysitter cause he knew living as privileged slave was better than being a free one.
That would make him even more evil, considering that, he would had a really good life in Canada, he choose to stay and commit evil just for comfort
"Because knowledge is power" - Seth Mcfarlene
@@charleskaplan3567 People were saying "knowledge is power" long before Seth Macfarlane.
@Sabir Lucianno well yes, but being him, he would had more than just one safe chance to do it
We need to respect actors who take the craft so seriously. Both Leo and Samuel L Jackson played the most despicable characters on our screens so convincingly that we absolutely hated both of them... thanks for the drinking meme Leo. 😆
I suggest doing an episode on “The Commandant” from “Beasts of No Nation”. He is played brilliantly by Idris Elba and is such a deep and vile character in an equally vile situation.(The story follows a young child soldier fighting in an unnamed conflict in Africa), it’s a tragic but great film that strips away any sense of glamour that is had around war and The Commandant exudes these qualities especially.
Great movie, nice suggestion!
It’s more that Stephen achieved so much in his life working exclusively IN the system, and he hates Django for achieving more (a horse, the approval to sleep in the big house as a *guest*, recognized freedom in the wider world) then he did all while working AGAINST the system. I bet he thinks that it hardly seems fair.
The best Steven part in my opinion is at the end during his confrontation with Django. That moment when he drops the feeble act and stands up straight.
And he says I count six shots then Django says I count 2 two guns nigga 😂😂
In college I read the accounts of Fredrick Douglas & he wrote that many of the slaves would be protective of their masters, especially against slaves from other plantations. Almost like the rivalry you see between sports fans.
Sad , y Harriet couldn’t free just anybody
Stockholm syndrome?
@@mangoisland4792 blind unconditional admiration and Unwavering loyalty with a Pinch of Stockholm,like a inclination to Protect at any cost,provide love,discipline,shelter,and food whether it be A plentiful meal or Scraps and Any slave will gladly protect or Sacrifice themselves for they're Master
@@mangoisland4792 plus the evil you know is better than the evil you don't know
I just realized that technically, Stephen’s last name should be Candie as well, since it was common for slaves to be given the surnames of their owners.
It could be since Calvin gave many of his slaves French names and after names.
"Hey, Snowball" Foxx killed this role
A movie so good, you covered it twice!
People said that Django Unchained was Quentin's worst
Even his worst movie was better than any shit we saw on cinema nowadays, unironically😂
@@darthrevan4169Who tf said that's his worst?? Thats his 2nd best after Pulp Fiction.
@@thegoldensorcerer9866 second best is still Inglourious Basterds but yeah, Django Unchained is my favorite
And it wasn't my opinion that DU is worst Quentin movie, it was the critics...
It joins that very small club with Star Wars and technically DC Comics as a whole.
@@thegoldensorcerer9866 Django is sloppy in pacing. The middle of the film is not as good as it should be imo, the film should have stayed more in the Coronel Sanders plantation and the KKK, then go in to Candyland and Candy. Django would work better as a series too.
I remember always hearing about Uncle Toms due to Harriet Beecher Stowe's character in her book. However, upon reading the story for the first time in a class, I did not connect why Uncle Tom connotated being servile and betraying your people/race. In the book, while Uncle Tom is subservient to a fault to his white owners, in the end, without spoiling the book, he makes a decision and sacrifice that benefits other enslaved people and allows them to find their freedom. It was then I learned, following the book, it was through minstrel shows and theatre dramatizations by pro-slavery enthusiasts (where Tom was typically in blackface) where the character and his meaning were corrupted and twisted to mean something else entirely.
Absolutely
this is exaclty what I was looking for
Look up the name Josiah Henson. He was the actual person from which the character Uncle Tom is based. I always cringe when I hear people call someone an “Uncle Tom” when they have no clue as to who Henson and the Uncle Tom character really was.
They have to push an agenda in the minds of ignorant people, dude
@@ME262MKI doesnt matter
The word b*tch means female dog but peoplle dont use it that way.
If you call someone an uncle tom
The real meaning behind it doesnt matter.
Its still meant to be offensive
His evil is so complex ...I've always wanted to get a deep dive into this
He's as much or more invested in the institution of slavery then any other character. Very I interesting character and truly great performance!
No doubt it this was an excellent pick, Stephen is the most wicked characters of movies today, great pick.
Yeah I like a decade later people still refer to this character as the example of a snake
@@Spongebrain97 LOL LOL Dude i love your name that you go by (BobPants SpongeSquare) great!! LOL.
I honestly didn't really consider how much influence Stephen would've had on a young Calvin, which explains 100% now why he never even considered that Stephen's assessment of Django and the Doc's true intentions.
Making Stephen the one running Candyland, manipulating Calvin, and the most racist person in the whole film, was a twist I think nobody saw coming.
Stephen isn’t racist he has self hate inside of him
it's amazing that the character in the movie that initially seemed only to serve as comic relief was possibly the most menacing of all of them, perhaps even more than candie
Love how he turns from a subservient, to on the same level as candie .When he helps himself to a drink and sits in the big armchair to discuss Django and Brunhilde .
I think he was above Chandie and saw him as a child
Tarantino is a cinematic genius. His ability to capture emotion and convey a message via his art. Every little subtlety. When we first meet Stephen we see this Grinch like snarl of a look on his face when he sees a black man riding on a horse. He sees a black man getting respected that doesn't have to grovel and kiss butt to get that respect and it just eats him up inside.
He doesn't know what Django supposedly does for a living, but he hates him already.
I’d love to hear what Tarantino thinks of this analysis. The time and effort you put into understanding these characters has got to be intensely flattering and bouncing off these ideas with the people who’ve created them would be awesome to hear/watch. I truly hope your success here brings you there one day. 🤞
There are black people to this day that are just like Stephen. There is absolutely NOTHING fictional about this character.
Stephen was also trying to survive Calvin Candy knowing he could flip out at anytime and kill him. He realized that Calvin wasn't so smart and he manipulated the situation he was born in being the head house (you know the rest). Calvin was disgusting but Stephen was on a whole different level of disgustingness!
Calvin was likely never taught to be better than the man he was. Stephen choose to keep sinking lower and lower, and perhaps even was of negative influence on Calvin himself. By not being a better friend, who may convince Calvin to be even an ounce more merciful, Stephen really shows himself to be a far worse person than Calvin.
The way Calvin was brought up, it likely never even occurred to him to think of slaves as humans, but stephen really should have known better. Maybe he did, which is even worse.
Samuel L Jackson is probably one of the most compelling actors of all time, a talented man
People like Stephen have existed throughout history. Individuals who collaborate with their oppressors against their own kind. But one thing interesting about Stephen is you get the feeling that he also has contempt for his white masters... he doesn't really think much of them either. The scene where he tell Calvin that Django and Broomhilda know each other and that both he and Dr Schultz are there to rescue her is an example of this. The way he is sitting there with a glass of wine or whatever and the way he speaks to Calvin shows contempt and disrespect towards Calvin.
Sure, like women who help kidnap women and children in human trafficking rings. Or Ghislane Maxwell, maybe an even more horrible person since she doesn't have the sympathetic motive of being bettering her own life as she was already at the top of the social food chain and had no reason to do as she did, except that she just wanted to.
Absolutely. Strangely, some of the prisoners in concentration camps in WW2 that were given power over their fellow inmates were way more sadistic and brutal than their captors.