Wo kommst Du her, Johnny?

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.