C’était un Rendez-vous

I’ve been meaning to write something about this video for some time – just because I think it’s so outrageously cool that I want people to see it. I thought about it again last Saturday morning when I received a message from my buddy Russ that he was on his way to “Cars and Coffee” in a Ferrari 275 GTB – Russ knows that I like old Ferraris and that I think the 275 GTB is one of the prettiest cars ever built.

Ferrari 275 GTB

Ferrari 275 GTB

The story behind this short film is that French director Claude Lelouch filmed the early morning run through Paris and that the car used was a 275 GTB driven by an un-named Formula One driver.

Lelouch later claimed that a large Mercedes carried the camera and that the sound of the Ferrari was dubbed over – I am somewhat skeptical, but I suppose an Oscar winning director should be able to accomplish a task like that.  I thought Star Wars was cool when I saw it, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t real… In any case, the film and sound are amazing.

The Route

The Route

The route that Lelouch chose also passes by and through many famous Parisian landmarks, including the finish line of The Tour de France (so there’s a bicycle racing connection), and places where my sister worked and lived in the time she spent there (so there’s a family connection).  The speed of the “Mercedes” has been calculated (and independently agreed upon) to have been 190 – 200 kph on the Champs-Élysées – and that will get you to church on time…

 

C’était un rendez vous- Claude Lelouch.flv

The film was removed from YouTube in 2012.  Here is another version.  Still the best!!!

One comment

  1. J says:

    Sound is almost certainly dubbed. The gear shifts are in very odd places (most often making it seem like there is more acceleration taking place that the visual would support), and the tires squealing sound the same regardless of whether they’re on concrete, asphalt, or cobblestone (not very realistic). The video is still an awesome tour of Paris.