Farewell Johnny

Farewell Johnny
Jannie Totsiens
South Africa
1970
114 Min
Black and White
Afrikaans
DIR Jans Rautenbach
PROD Jans Rautenbach
SCR Jans Rautenbach
DP Dave Dunn-Yarker, Koos Roets
CAST Bettie Botha, Sarel Breedt, Jan Bruijn, Hermien Dommisse, Katinka Heyns, Jill Kirkland, Sandra Kotze, Don Leonard
MUSIC Sam Sklair
My Rating : 5/5



Very few films in recent viewings have involved me to the extent this film has done. Farewell Johnny explores the subject of insanity like probably no other film has done. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a film that you can’t help get reminded of while watching this but let me assure you, this film is on an entirely different level.

We are introduced to a house that is a kind of a private mental asylum. The owner of the house is herself one of the patients. We have a racist soldier, a judge, a one handed artist, a girl who wants to go the moon and a woman who loves her daughter. Their personal stories are not explored in detail but we get some clues about their background and the reason behind their insanity. They live like a family and fear intruders. One such intruder is our protagonist Johnny who happens to be a mathematics professor but due to some reason has lost his ability to speak. The owner of the house has a premonition that the new entrant will cause someone’s death in the house and hence wants this new person to leave. Johnny falls in love with the girl who thinks he is the “man from the moon” and is here to take her with him. The other woman also falls in love with him. The love from these women seem to help Johnny recover but he has the problem of choosing one amongst the two; the eternal dilemma. At the same time, there are the other members of the house who fear him and want him out of their lives. One must remember that all this is happening in an asylum. Johnny thinks love is a cure for madness. The doctor does not believe him. Can Johnny succeed in his plans? Is love a cure for insanity? Watch this fascinating film that weaves a web around you and eventually bids you farewell on a wistful note. Does it answer the question of insanity? Maybe not, but it sure does show a glimmer of hope.

They made us laugh

Its been a sad year for Hindi cinema fan's with the death of Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand. It's a loss that is especially tragic as these were two actors who made Indian film heroes fun loving creatures. They were both good looking, stylish, had oodles of charm and most importantly they had an inimitable style. They were very different from the erstwhile brooding actors like Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Balraj Sahani. These actors rarely smiled, let alone make us laugh.

Dev and Shammi were arguably not as good as the erstwhile actors when it came to acting per se but I believe they had a huge impact on the tone of Hindi cinema. India had no reason to keep brooding. We were independent and we needed icons who expressed a positive attitude towards life. Shammi and Dev brought this man on screen whom the audience absolutely adored.

Here are two songs picturized on these actors that try to emphasize their inimitable style. I assure you that they will make you laugh and by the end of these you will probably rue their loss even more. Thank you Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor. You both will be fondly remembered for your contribution to Hindi cinema and for impacting our lives so profoundly.