C'était un rendez-vous
Encyclopedia
C'était un Rendezvous is a short film
(under 10 minutes) made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris
.
in the early hours of the morning (05:30hrs), accompanied by sounds of a high-reving engine, gear changes and squealing tires. It starts in a tunnel of the Paris Périphérique at Porte Dauphine, with an onboard view from an unseen car exiting up on a ramp (and from there http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=48.870707,2.27343&daddr=Place+Charles+de+Gaulle+to:Place+de+la+Concorde+to:Quai+des+Tuileries+to:Quai+Fran%C3%A7ois+Mitterrand+to:Place+du+Carrousel+to:Place+de+l'Op%C3%A9ra+to:Rue+Hal%C3%A9vy+to:Rue+de+la+Chauss%C3%A9e+d'Antin+to:Rue+Jean-Baptiste+Pigalle+to:Place+Pigalle+to:Boulevard+de+Clichy+to:Boulevard+de+Clichy+to:Rue+Caulaincourt+to:Avenue+Junot+to:48.886138,2.343065&hl=en&geocode=%3BFfq-6QIdPAUjAA%3BFa6g6QId72gjAA%3BFdWa6QIdSmgjAA%3BFVyO6QIdVo8jAA%3BFcqP6QIddp0jAA%3BFVuz6QId9ZcjAA%3BFfa96QIdLpojAA%3BFRjK6QIdN5UjAA%3BFVXg6QIdYagjAA%3BFRTi6QIdpKsjAA%3BFUjk6QId6aYjAA%3BFXHr6QIdnIwjAA%3BFbr-6QIdIqcjAA%3BFcP76QIdjKMjAA%3BFXrx6QIdmcAjAA&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=17&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14&dirflg=w&sll=48.86902,2.272582&sspn=0.006697,0.008658&ie=UTF8&ll=48.869034,2.272582&spn=0.006669,0.008658&t=h&z=17%20following%20this%20route%5Dfollowing this route]) to Avenue Foch. Well-known landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe
, Opéra Garnier, and Place de la Concorde
with its obelisk
are passed, as well as the Champs-Élysées
. Pedestrian
s are passed, pigeons sitting on the streets are scattered, red lights are ignored, one-way streets are driven up the wrong way, center lines are crossed, the car drives on the sidewalk to avoid a rubbish truck. The car is never seen as the camera seems to be attached below the front bumper (judging from the relative positions of other cars, the visible headlight beam and the final shot when the car is parked in front of a curb on Montmartre
, with the famous Sacré Cœur Basilica behind, and out of shot). Here, the driver gets out and embraces a young blonde woman as bells ring in the background, with the famous backdrop of Paris
.
. A photo has surfaced that seems to reveal an Eclair cam-flex 35mm camera with a wide angle lens, and a typical "speed rail" hard mount - no gyros - on a Mercedes. This model, which could reach a top speed of 235 km/h (146 mph), was only available with a 3-speed automatic transmission. Yet, one can hear gear changes up into 5th, as well as heel-and-toe
down-shifting with a high-revving engine indicating speeds of well over 200 km/h. Calculations made by several independent groups showed that the car never exceeded 140 km/h (85 mph). Lelouch himself claimed that the top speed achieved was somewhere between 230 km/h and 240 km/h. It is suggested that the soundtrack was dubbed with the sound of Lelouch's Ferrari 275GTB
, which has a corresponding number of gears and a V-12 sound that is quite distinct from that of any V8, including the 6.9 liter V8 of the alleged Mercedes camera car.
A making-of-the-rendezvous documentary indicates that Lelouch himself was the driver, that the car driven was the Mercedes, although the sound track is from a Ferrari. One observer was posted, with a walkie talkie, close to the Louvre
palace at the only blind junction (archway) to assist the driver; however, Lelouch has revealed that the radios failed, and if the assistant had tried to warn him of a pedestrian the message would not have been received.
In 2002 Spirit Level Film
and Lelouch restored and re-mastered Rendezvous from the original 35 mm
negative and released it on DVD.
Bd Périphérique
(exits at Porte Dauphine) · Av Foch
· Pl Charles-de-Gaulle
· Av des Champs-Elysées
· Pl de la Concorde
· Quai des Tuileries
· Pl du Carrousel
· R de Rohan · Av de l'Opera
· Pl de l'Opéra
· Fromental Halévy · R de la Chausée d'Antin · Pl d'Estienne d'Orves · R Blanche · R Pigalle · Pl Pigalle
· Bd de Clichy · (aborted turn at R Lepic) · R Caulaincourt · Av Junot · Pl Marcel Aymé · R Norvins · Pl du Tertre
· R Ste-Eleuthère · R Azais · Pl du Parvis du Sacré Cœur.
The route measures 10.0 km long, which indicates an average speed of approximately 77 km/h (48 mph).
In 2007 part of the movie was used for Snow Patrol
's Open Your Eyes
music video.
In late 2009 a short film called "The Fast and the Famous," directed by Jeremy Hart, was released on YouTube
. The film features Jay Leno
behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS 'Gullwing.' During his circuit of Mulholland Drive
, Laurel Canyon Boulevard
, Sunset Boulevard
, Beverly Drive
, and Coldwater Canyon
Drive, Leno makes several references to Lelouch's classic film.
In 2010, Jeremy Clarkson
used the film as a basis for the opening scene of his DVD/Blu Ray 'The Italian Job'
The music video for the song Savage Night at the Opera from the album Kaputt
(2011) by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer
is inspired by the film.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
(under 10 minutes) made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Exposition
The film shows an eight-minute drive through ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in the early hours of the morning (05:30hrs), accompanied by sounds of a high-reving engine, gear changes and squealing tires. It starts in a tunnel of the Paris Périphérique at Porte Dauphine, with an onboard view from an unseen car exiting up on a ramp (and from there http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=48.870707,2.27343&daddr=Place+Charles+de+Gaulle+to:Place+de+la+Concorde+to:Quai+des+Tuileries+to:Quai+Fran%C3%A7ois+Mitterrand+to:Place+du+Carrousel+to:Place+de+l'Op%C3%A9ra+to:Rue+Hal%C3%A9vy+to:Rue+de+la+Chauss%C3%A9e+d'Antin+to:Rue+Jean-Baptiste+Pigalle+to:Place+Pigalle+to:Boulevard+de+Clichy+to:Boulevard+de+Clichy+to:Rue+Caulaincourt+to:Avenue+Junot+to:48.886138,2.343065&hl=en&geocode=%3BFfq-6QIdPAUjAA%3BFa6g6QId72gjAA%3BFdWa6QIdSmgjAA%3BFVyO6QIdVo8jAA%3BFcqP6QIddp0jAA%3BFVuz6QId9ZcjAA%3BFfa96QIdLpojAA%3BFRjK6QIdN5UjAA%3BFVXg6QIdYagjAA%3BFRTi6QIdpKsjAA%3BFUjk6QId6aYjAA%3BFXHr6QIdnIwjAA%3BFbr-6QIdIqcjAA%3BFcP76QIdjKMjAA%3BFXrx6QIdmcAjAA&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=17&via=1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14&dirflg=w&sll=48.86902,2.272582&sspn=0.006697,0.008658&ie=UTF8&ll=48.869034,2.272582&spn=0.006669,0.008658&t=h&z=17%20following%20this%20route%5Dfollowing this route]) to Avenue Foch. Well-known landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
, Opéra Garnier, and Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
with its obelisk
Luxor Obelisk
The Luxor Obelisk is a 23 metres high Egyptian obelisk standing at the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France...
are passed, as well as the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
. Pedestrian
Pedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s are passed, pigeons sitting on the streets are scattered, red lights are ignored, one-way streets are driven up the wrong way, center lines are crossed, the car drives on the sidewalk to avoid a rubbish truck. The car is never seen as the camera seems to be attached below the front bumper (judging from the relative positions of other cars, the visible headlight beam and the final shot when the car is parked in front of a curb on Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
, with the famous Sacré Cœur Basilica behind, and out of shot). Here, the driver gets out and embraces a young blonde woman as bells ring in the background, with the famous backdrop of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Production
Shot in a single take, it is an example of cinéma-vérité . The length of the film was limited by the short capacity of the 1000 foot 35mm film reel, and filmed from a (supposedly) gyro-stabilised camera mounted on the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9
The Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 is a high-performance version of the S-Class luxury saloon. It was built on its own assembly line by Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany and based on the long-wheelbase version of the W116 chassis introduced in 1972...
. A photo has surfaced that seems to reveal an Eclair cam-flex 35mm camera with a wide angle lens, and a typical "speed rail" hard mount - no gyros - on a Mercedes. This model, which could reach a top speed of 235 km/h (146 mph), was only available with a 3-speed automatic transmission. Yet, one can hear gear changes up into 5th, as well as heel-and-toe
Heel-and-toe
Heel-and-toe is a driving technique used mostly in performance driving, although some drivers use it on the road in everyday conditions in the interest of effectiveness. It involves operating the throttle and brake pedals simultaneously with the right foot, while facilitating normal activation of...
down-shifting with a high-revving engine indicating speeds of well over 200 km/h. Calculations made by several independent groups showed that the car never exceeded 140 km/h (85 mph). Lelouch himself claimed that the top speed achieved was somewhere between 230 km/h and 240 km/h. It is suggested that the soundtrack was dubbed with the sound of Lelouch's Ferrari 275GTB
Ferrari 275
The Ferrari 275 was a 2-seat front-engined Gran Turismo automobile produced by Ferrari between 1964 and 1968. It used a 3.3 L Colombo 60° V12 engine and produced 280-300 hp. The Pininfarina-designed body was a graceful evolution of the car's predecessor, the 250, and strongly contrasted...
, which has a corresponding number of gears and a V-12 sound that is quite distinct from that of any V8, including the 6.9 liter V8 of the alleged Mercedes camera car.
A making-of-the-rendezvous documentary indicates that Lelouch himself was the driver, that the car driven was the Mercedes, although the sound track is from a Ferrari. One observer was posted, with a walkie talkie, close to the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
palace at the only blind junction (archway) to assist the driver; however, Lelouch has revealed that the radios failed, and if the assistant had tried to warn him of a pedestrian the message would not have been received.
In 2002 Spirit Level Film
Spirit Level Film
Spirit Level Film is a British film production and distribution company specialising in political documentaries and motoring films. It was founded in 2001 by Richard Symons.- Produced and distributed titles :*The Snake and the Stallion...
and Lelouch restored and re-mastered Rendezvous from the original 35 mm
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
negative and released it on DVD.
Urban Legend
Due to the content of the film it has become somewhat infamous for rumors surrounding the making of it and its exposition. Upon release it was not known who was driving the car and rumors circulated that it was either an unnamed F1 racer, a taxi driver or Lelouch himself. The biggest rumor surrounding the film however, is that due to the illegal nature that had to be undertaken in order for the movie to be filmed, the director Claude Lelouch was arrested upon the first screening. It is unknown whether this is true.Route
The route was as follows:Bd Périphérique
Périphérique (Paris)
Boulevard Périphérique is a controlled-access dual-carriageway ring road in Paris, France. One of the busiest highways in Europe, the Périphérique is the generally-accepted boundary between the city proper of Paris and its suburbs...
(exits at Porte Dauphine) · Av Foch
Avenue Foch
Avenue Foch is a street in Paris, France, named after Ferdinand Foch in 1929. It was previously named Avenue du Bois de Boulogne. It is one of the most prestigious streets in Paris, and one of the most expensive addresses in the world, home to many grand palaces, including ones belonging to the...
· Pl Charles-de-Gaulle
Place de l'Étoile
The Place Charles de Gaulle, , historically known as the Place de l'Étoile , is a large road junction in Paris, France, the meeting point of twelve straight avenues including the Champs-Élysées which continues to the east. It was renamed in 1970 following the death of General and President Charles...
· Av des Champs-Elysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
· Pl de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
· Quai des Tuileries
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
· Pl du Carrousel
Place du Carrousel
The Place du Carrousel is a public square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, located at the open end of the courtyard of the Louvre museum, a space occupied, prior to 1871, by the Tuileries Palace...
· R de Rohan · Av de l'Opera
Avenue de l'Opéra
The Avenue de l'Opéra is a Haussmanian avenue situated in the centre of Paris, France. It runs from the Louvre to the Palais Garnier, which was Paris's main opera until it was replaced by the Opéra Bastillein 1989....
· Pl de l'Opéra
Palais Garnier
The Palais Garnier, , is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier...
· Fromental Halévy · R de la Chausée d'Antin · Pl d'Estienne d'Orves · R Blanche · R Pigalle · Pl Pigalle
Place Pigalle
The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill...
· Bd de Clichy · (aborted turn at R Lepic) · R Caulaincourt · Av Junot · Pl Marcel Aymé · R Norvins · Pl du Tertre
Place du Tertre
The Place du Tertre is a square in Paris' XVIIIe arrondissement. Only a few streets away from Montmartre's Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and the Lapin Agile, it is the heart of the city's elevated Montmartre quarter....
· R Ste-Eleuthère · R Azais · Pl du Parvis du Sacré Cœur.
The route measures 10.0 km long, which indicates an average speed of approximately 77 km/h (48 mph).
Criticism
Comments attributed to Lelouch indicate that he acknowledges the moral outrage over his method of shooting this film as valid. He also states that he was prepared to take the risks in making the film, but that he however was also ready to drop it if he came across any unexpected risk (pedestrian, hurdle, etc.).In popular culture
In 2003 Nissan released a promotional DVD for the new (at the time) 350Z, entitled "The Run". It featured multiple camera views of a copper colored 350Z driving through the streets of Prague, ending with a rendezvous with a beautiful woman, an obvious homage to Lelouch.In 2007 part of the movie was used for Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
's Open Your Eyes
Open Your Eyes (Snow Patrol song)
"Open Your Eyes" is a song by the alternative rock band Snow Patrol It has been released as the fifth single in total from the 2006 album Eyes Open . The song was released on 12 February 2007.-Music video:...
music video.
In late 2009 a short film called "The Fast and the Famous," directed by Jeremy Hart, was released on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The film features Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS 'Gullwing.' During his circuit of Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after Los Angeles pioneer civil engineer William Mulholland...
, Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Laurel Canyon Boulevard
Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego and the Golden State ) freeways. Laurel Canyon Boulevard bypasses the city of San Fernando to the west,...
, Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
, Beverly Drive
Beverly Drive
Beverly Drive is a major north-south roadway in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles.South Beverly Drive begins northbound at Harlow Avenue, a small street just north of the Santa Monica Freeway in the city of Los Angeles. It passes through the residential neighborhood of Beverlywood and intersects with...
, and Coldwater Canyon
Coldwater Canyon
Coldwater Canyon is a canyon running perpendicular to the Santa Monica Mountains in the city of Los Angeles, California. The canyon is traversed by Coldwater Canyon Drive and Coldwater Canyon Avenue , which connect the city of Beverly Hills with the community of Studio City in the San Fernando...
Drive, Leno makes several references to Lelouch's classic film.
In 2010, Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
used the film as a basis for the opening scene of his DVD/Blu Ray 'The Italian Job'
The music video for the song Savage Night at the Opera from the album Kaputt
Kaputt (album)
-Vinyl version:-External links:*...
(2011) by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer
Destroyer (band)
Destroyer is a Canadian indie pop band fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.- Overview :Daniel Bejar is an independent pop singer-songwriter from Vancouver who formed Destroyer in 1995. He self-produced his first album, the lo-fi We'll Build Them a Golden Bridge, which was recorded at his in...
is inspired by the film.