Analyzing Evil: Stephen From Django Unchained

Welcome everyone and welcome to the sixty-first episode of Analyzing Evil! Our feature villain for this video is Stephen from Django Unchained. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for watching. If you have any feedback or questions feel free to let me know below!

#SamuelLJackson #Tarantino #DjangoUnchained

[HomesliceBrice]

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.

[sadieteawalsh]

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.

[hammerbeam]

“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.

[_Mhammd]

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

[xavierHere]

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.

[Tactical_chicano]

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.

[ferrm]

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

[devinsamuel]

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.

[nakiacee]

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!

[MrJHorrordirector]

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.

[camerongooch]

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.

[qazqazqazwertyuiopqa]

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.

[Wattywatasaurus]

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.

[meatmeat]

you know an actor does their job when you absolutely hate their guts during the movie

[BeanEater]

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

[benhicksbass]

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.

[BeigeFrequency]

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.

[khathaway]

You have to admit Samuel Jackson played Stephen perfectly.

[Mikechain]

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.

[TheBizarre]

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.