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Farewell Johnny

Jannie Totsiens

South Africa

1970

114 Min
Black and White
Afrikaans
  • Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
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DIR Jans Rautenbach

PROD Jans Rautenbach

SCR Jans Rautenbach

DP Dave Dunn-Yarker, Koos Roets

CAST Cobus Rossouw, Katinka Heyns, Jill Kirkland, Jacques Loots, Hermien Dommisse, Don Leonard, Phillip Swanepoel, Lourens Schultz, Bettie Botha, Sarel Breedt, Jan Bruijn, Sandra Kotze

MUSIC Sam Sklair

Synopsis

The Citizen Kane of South African cinema. In a private asylum for the insane, seven patients play a dangerous game of life and death with a catatonic new arrival. With echoes of The Magus, the works of Alain Robbe-Grillet and Pasolini’s Theorem, Jannie brings the panacea of love to one patient and death’s finality to another. —BFI

Director

Original

Jans Rautenbach

Born in Boksburg in 1936, Jans Rautenbach is arguably South Africa’s most celebrated and, at the same time, most controversial filmmaker. He began his career in the film industry working for Jamie Uys Film Productions and can be glimpsed as a bar patron in Emil Nofal’s Kimberley Jim.

When Emil Nofal and Jamie Uys parted company, Nofal started his own production company with Rautenbach and thus began what could be considered South Africa’s golden age of cinema, with the partners releasing King Hendrik (1965), Wild Season (1967), Die Kandidaat (1968) and their most controversial and thought provoking feature Katrina (1969). The latter film is still considered to be a milestone in South African cinema – a searing examination of South Africa’s unjust racial policies under Apartheid – and also a film which was applauded (instead of being vilified) by those who instituted those exact same unjust laws. —IMDb 

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The Africa Film Project

14Oct11

I will have this film uploaded for people to see in a few weeks. his is a great unseen film. Remisniscent of Fassbinder with absurdist over the top performances and a lot of pussy (I mean cats don't get too excited!!).

David Grillo and Walberto like this

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shaun alleman

8Nov10

I just finished watching this having bought it from the South African company Kalahari.net. It was only about £12 and took 3 weeks to arrive.

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    pflombard

    21Sep11

    Shaun, if I'm correct, this film was not available with English subtitles, right?

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The Africa Film Project

16Oct10

Jens Rautenbach seems like a really interesting film maker. If only his films were made available to see!

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What is Insanity?

By Rohit on December 5, 2011

Very few films in recent viewings have involved me to the extent this film has done. Farewell Johnny explores the subject of insanity in a way that probably no other film has done. One Flew Over the…  read review

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