Watch Where Are You From, Johnny? For Free

Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Awesome Movie

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

In the sixties ,and mainly in the early sixties,French pop music was at the beck and call of America and England.Most all the songs Johnny Hallyday recorded during that time were simply French versions of such classics as "teenage idol" "when I saw her standing there" "don't play that song" "house of the rising sun",the list is endless. Fortunately the four songs of the soundtrack of "d'où viens-tu Johnny?" are originals and they are quite pleasant ,particularly the infectious "pour moi la vie va commencer" and the romantic ballad "rien n'a changé".The movie followed the same pattern as the songs.It was intended to be an "Elvis-like" film,with a de rigueur American feel thrown in.So why not some French western.The problem lies in the fact that French has no Wild West.Never mind that,the Camargue in the south of France with its horses,its gardians (French cowboys) and its wilderness will fit the bill quite well.The plot is a vague story of drugs but who cares?The main thing is Johnny ,riding through the reeds ,"singing" à la Presley,and having fun with his friends.Johnny's girlfriend is played by his soon to be wife Sylvie Vartan whose performance is so dismal it's much fun to watch her.By no means a good film,by a long shot,Johnny's debut retains some freshness,whereas the rest of his cinematographic career -even when he was directed by more ambitious people like Costa-Gavras or Hossein-can easily be dismissed.

Yet another of those 60s movies dedicated to parting pop fans from their money. This was a very poor vehicle for a couple of up-and-coming young singing stars, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan. Whilst the standard of acting was undeniably far higher than anyone could have hoped for, the plot was weak and predictable, the screenplay pathetic, and the dialogue atrocious.Johnny Hallyday in the lead rôle demonstrates an acting ability which eclipses the more accomplished performers in the cast, but the vapid supporting rôle assigned to his girlfriend (and later his wife) Sylvie Vartan would have challenged even Hollywood's greatest, and, no matter how great an actress she later turned to be, Mlle Vartan was not, at that age (she was a mere 17 years old at the time of filming this silly piece of nonsense), equal to the task.The whole movie is really nothing more than an excuse to get teen heart-throb Johnny Hallyday on the screen, where his adoring teeny-bopper fans can swoon over his infectious grin (one which always reminds me of Peter Noone, he of Herman's Hermits fame). In those days, with no MTV, and no video clips to wow the adolescents, this is as good as it got. Quite frankly, Johnny should have stuck to singing. Or at least have held out for a real film with a real plot to showcase his undoubted talent.