C'était un rendez-vous

Infobox Film
name = C'était un rendez-vous


caption = Promotional poster for DVD release
writer = Claude Lelouch
starring = Unnamed driver
director = Claude Lelouch
distributor = Spirit Level (DVD)
music = Sound of revving car
released = 1976
runtime = 9 min
language = None
imdb_id = 0169173

"C'était un rendez-vous" (direct translation: "It Was an Appointment") is a short film made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, showing a high speed drive through Paris. [ [http://www.veoh.com/videos/v596454yX8nSphf C'etait un Rendez-vous] ]

Exposition

The film shows an eight-minute drive through Paris in the early hours of the morning (05:30hrs), accompanied by sounds of a high-revving 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 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. Pedestrians are passed, pigeons sitting on the streets are scattered, red lights are ignored, one-way streets are driven up the wrong way, centre lines are crossed, the car runs on a pavement to avoid a refuse lorry. 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 kerbstones on Montmartre, with the famous Cathedral Sacré Cœur 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.

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 reel, and filmed from a gyro-stabilised camera mounted on the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9. [ [http://www.geocities.com/oflint/Mercedes_not_Ferrari.jpgGyro-stabilized camera on 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) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169173/trivia IMDB entry] ] , while another [cite web|url=http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2005/Rendezvous.shtml|title=Speed of a Car: C'était un rendez-vous|work=The Physics Factbook|year=2005|author=Belgrave, et al.] estimated that the car had peaked at 220 km/h (136.7 mph). Lelouch himself claimed that the top speed achieved was over 200 km/h, somewhere between 230 km/h and 240 km/h. [ [http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2005/Rendezvous.shtml Speed of a Car: C'était un Rendezvous] ] It is suggested that the sound was dubbed with the noise of Lelouch's 275GTB, which has a corresponding number of gears and a similar engine note.

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 close to the Louvre palace at a blind junction (archway) to assist the driver. [ [http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/11/most-radical-car-movie-of-all-time.html Most Radical Car Movie of All Time] ]

Due to the increasing demand and the limited distribution of original tapes,Fact|date=June 2008 the film has recently been re-mastered from the 35 mm negative and released on DVD. [ [http://www.rendezvousdvd.com/dvdinfo.html C'etait un Rendez-vous - DVD Info] ]

Route

The route was as follows:
Bd Périphérique at Porte Dauphine · Avenue Foch · Pl Charles-de-Gaulle · Av des Champs-Elysées · Place de la Concorde · Quai des Tuileries · Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel · R de Rohan · Avenue 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 · Place du Tertre · R Ste-Eleuthère · R Azais · Pl du Parvis du Sacré Cœur. [ [http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map_viewpic.php/pid/288 Route during the "Rendez-vous" movie] ]

Criticism

It has been said that the film might indicate a criminally reckless disregard for the life and safety of pedestrians and motorists.Fact|date=June 2008

The distribution of the film could also be viewed as encouraging thrill-seekers to speed and disregard traffic laws (including red lights), again because of the claim by Lelouch that the movie portrays real live action (and thus is replicable by thrill-seekers), as opposed to cinematographic special effects.Fact|date=June 2008

Comments attributed to Lelouch [http://www.chasecam.com/rendezvous/automobilereview.html] 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 in case he would have come across any inconsiderate risk (pedestrian, hurdle, etc.).

References

External links

* [http://www.lesfilms13.com/dea_a_z/envrac/lettre-r/rendezvous.htm Original producers website]
* [http://www.rendezvousdvd.com DVD site]