Comments on: C'etait Un Rendezvous

C'etait Un Rendezvous

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:08:43 -0800

"On an August morning in 1978, French filmmaker Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive him at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris. [...] Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested. He has never revealed the identity of the driver, and the film went underground until a DVD release a few years ago." Coral cache quicktime here.

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:10:02 -0800

I saw this the other day, linked from an AksMeFi post... it's craaazy!

By: fnord

fnord — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:12:35 -0800

This is one of the most intense videos I've watched. It's either that, or I should really put down the espresso and quit trying to steer with my keyboard.

By: mrbill

mrbill — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:14:13 -0800

I saw this a year or so ago - great video, but I've noticed that the engine noise doesn't always go along with the speed of the vehicle.. Discussion at the time said that a lot of the engine noise was ovedubbed. Also check out the "Getaway in Stockholm" series of videos.

By: Rothko

Rothko — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:19:07 -0800

Wow, this is like playing Gran Turismo with Gene Hackman.

By: LondonYank

LondonYank — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:22:38 -0800

I think it's been Metafiltered.

By: longbaugh

longbaugh — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:22:43 -0800

There was always the Japanese fella who took his F40 up to 199mph and filmed it, and let's not forget Top Secret supremo Nagata Kuzihiko with his 200mph dash on England's A1 motorway driving the JUN Supra (and getting busted for his troubles...)

By: Icky

Icky — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:27:06 -0800

I love how this post links to an external post that links back to an earlier MeFi post.

By: scruss

scruss — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:29:50 -0800

Coralized content was munged for me; exploded into weirdness 90 seconds or so in.

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:30:32 -0800

I love how this post links to an external post that links back to an earlier MeFi post. Damnit, so it does. Civil_Disobedient takes the square.

By: zeoslap

zeoslap — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:32:01 -0800

Holy Smokes

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:32:07 -0800

Jesus. The whole time I was expecting the lady pushing the baby carriage. Good thing my chair had arms.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:33:06 -0800

Hey, that's my post. Thief.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:34:43 -0800

And I didn't even get a "best answer" in that thread. I was totally robbed.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:36:22 -0800

DNYOFA (Did not read your own f*cking article)

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:39:09 -0800

Discussion at the time said that a lot of the engine noise was ovedubbed. Engine noise was not overdubbed. What you're hearing is a professional driver driving like a professional. That is to say, keeping the engine/gearing in its best powerband, which on the 275 GT/B is probably around 5500 rpm. No point downshifting until you need to. Naysayers point out that the vehicle at times was only doing about 30mph, but because of the high gear, it sounds faster than it's actually going. Those naysayers can get stuffed. According to analysis by a group of MIT students (linked to by me in the AskMe thread), the car topped out at around 145mph on a couple of straight-aways. And some of those streets are really fucking narrow. Complaining that the driver was "only" doing 30mph in some parts of the film is like complaining after a guy sticks his hand in a Cuissinart that they "only" had it on dice, not puree'.

By: soiled cowboy

soiled cowboy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:39:13 -0800

Hey, that's my post. Actually it was my post. I was totally robbed.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:42:37 -0800

Oh, and I torrented it here. Let me know if a seed is needed.

By: blefr

blefr — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:43:12 -0800

That was awesome - thanks for the post. Now I know where Nissan came up with their idea (tiny video - couldn't find anything better) a few years ago.

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:43:22 -0800

Boy, it sure would be great if MetaFilter had a built-in search feature.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:43:54 -0800

Damn, we was both robbed.

By: basicchannel

basicchannel — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:45:20 -0800

I loves me this film. This is often one of the first films people reference when discussing Cinéma Vérité.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:46:41 -0800

Hey, did you check out the other video I linked to in that message? The one with the Formula 1 cars driving on regular country backroads? They cleared the streets for that, obviously, but holyfuckinshit is it intense.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:50:18 -0800

A torrent would be great, if someone can set one up or reseed. Especially if the Coral version is no good.

By: gren

gren — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:52:13 -0800

The only way to see Paris.

By: gren

gren — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:53:38 -0800

...and like Civil_Disobedient said, this is a V12 Ferreri engine being run as its supposed to.

By: gren

gren — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:54:20 -0800

yarg, Ferrari engine...such a beautiful sound.

By: mikeweeney

mikeweeney — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:54:43 -0800

It's every racing game I've ever played come true. Ah, the joys of vicarious living...

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:55:00 -0800

A torrent would be great, if someone can set one up or reseed. See, this is the problem. Nobody reads anymore.

By: terrapin

terrapin — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:57:13 -0800

It was boring. And the soundtrack sucked.

By: steef

steef — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:57:32 -0800

Look out! Guy on a bike! Left left left! Red light! Faster! Red light! That guy has his blinker on! Slow down! Ohmygod! Bus bus bus! (Whew! I'm a terrible backseat driver. Thanks, AS!)

By: papercake

papercake — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:02:01 -0800

I thought it would feel faster. But that may be because I've been playing Burnout:Revenge at night.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:04:24 -0800

I did read that, C_D, but when I tried yours it seemed to need a re-seed. Now it's working great and I'm DLing and sharing it. Many thanks! I can't wait to see it . . . in an hour and 13 minutes!

By: DannyUKNYC

DannyUKNYC — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:05:09 -0800

Proves what I have always known about French drivers...

By: Keith Talent

Keith Talent — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:05:22 -0800

This needs a GMap add on, so we can follow along at home.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:06:10 -0800

He has never revealed the identity of the driver The driver is a delivery man for Domino's pizza and works part-time as a NYC cabbie. That was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I loved the ending. Thank you.

By: QuestionableSwami

QuestionableSwami — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:07:08 -0800

Somewhere, the spirits of John Frankenheimer and Steve McQueen are smiling.

By: dances_with_sneetches

dances_with_sneetches — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:07:16 -0800

Where was the group of nuns crossing the road? Where was the two workers who happened to be transporting a huge sheet of glass across the street at that particular moment? And the fruitseller with the wooden handcart? This was so unreal.

By: Keith Talent

Keith Talent — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:08:10 -0800

Google image, Ferrari 275 GTB

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:08:22 -0800

Awesome.

By: bitdamaged

bitdamaged — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:10:03 -0800

Discussion at the time said that a lot of the engine noise was ovedubbed. Another point I'm pretty sure he's downshifting at a lot of points to actually slow down and at a few points (going around the garbage truck) instead of a horn. A Ferrari at high RPMs would make enough noise to get people out of the way quick like.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:10:48 -0800

You know, the ending makes that whole thing. He did it for love, you fucking fascists! I support a graded/tiered licensing system. If I my reaction time is half what yours is, I should be allowed to drive 15-20 over the limit (limits created based on automotive engineering from half a century ago); especially on interstates. And you know what? I'll still do 25 over on interstates. It's a fucking straight line, assholes! What's the worst that could happen? As far as the "environmental" angle of speed limits; far more fuel is wasted by people driving slowly and by traffic jams. Resolve those and we'll talk. I also support separate speed limits for motorcycles, but even I'm not stupid enough to believe that will ever happen.

By: Krrrlson

Krrrlson — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:11:29 -0800

This is proof, yet again, that pigeons will ALWAYS have time to fly out of the path of your vehicle. Except that one pigeon, one time... that was brutal.

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:12:15 -0800

yarg, Ferrari engine...such a beautiful sound. There's a quote from Roger McGuinn on the liner notes of the first Byrds album describing their sound:

"I think the difference is in the mechanical sounds of our time. Like the sound of the airplane in the Forties was a rrrrooooaaaaahhhhhh sound and Sinatra and other people sang like that with other sorts of overtones. Now we’ve got the krrriiisssshhhh jet sound, and kids singing up there now. It’s the mechanical sounds of the era: the sounds are different and so the music is different."

I was thinking of that watching this; sometimes the engine almost reminds me of a Jesus-&-Mary-Chain-ish guitar.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:15:26 -0800

Car fast, download slow The irony grips my mind like tires on asphalt

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:19:01 -0800

I'm also seeding C_D's torrent now. Plenty of bandwidth to go around...

By: matthewr

matthewr — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:20:38 -0800

If you liked this, you'll love Climb Dance. Rally legend Ari Vatanen dances with death, driving a Peugoet 405 T16 on a record-breaking run at Pike's Peak rally - this film won several film festival awards for its photography and allround awesome-ness. Spectular filming, incredible driving. Rendezvous is pretty darn cool, too, though.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:20:46 -0800

Ohmygod! Bus bus bus! That's my favorite part. You hear him slow down for the bus, then pull into The Louvre!, and say smugly to yourself, "OK, smartass, now whatcha' gonna do?" To which he proceeds to drive through a tunnel the size of a doorway. The whole time I'm thinking, "Jesus fucking christ, please don't let a pedestrian cross the street now." A Ferrari at high RPMs would make enough noise to get people out of the way quick like. Yeah, he revs the engine good when he goes through that tunnel. And the soundtrack sucked. There is no more beautiful sound on this planet than 12 cylinders of Ferrari performance being beaten into submission. None.

By: virga

virga — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:23:25 -0800

that was so cool!

By: dougny

dougny — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:24:15 -0800

Brings to mind The French Connection chase, some of which was filmed without permission on open streets in New York. Although the wikipedia article states that Hackman drives the car, I recall Friedkin saying in an interview that it was a professional driver. In either case, it resulted in a "real" crash that made it into the film.

By: soiled cowboy

soiled cowboy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:24:50 -0800

I read somewhere (on teh Internets) that Lelouch, in his autobiography, revealed that the car was not a Ferrari, but Lelouch's own Mercedes 450 SEL 6.9l. See this photo. According to his book, the audio was from a real Ferrari and dubbed in later. This is supposedly confirmed by analzying the speed of the car relative to the centerline road stripes. The gear shift suggested by the audio has no corresponding effect with the speed of the car. Lelouch also claimed that he himself was the driver. The following text came with my DVD copy of the film, which contradicts the dubbed audio suggestion: "1976, Claude Lelouch just finished "Si c'était à refaire", and there remains some unused film footage, enough for some 9 minutes. He has this idea or crossing Paris from the Porte Dauphine to the Place du Tertre in Montmartre, where his girlfriend Gunilla is waiting for the car's noise to finish climbing the stairs. This impressive film was done with very limited means, but also taking incredible risks. Even shooting in mid-august at 4:30 in the morning, dashing through the Louvre's tunnel and ignoring the red light to cross the Rue de Rivoli (one of the most busy streets in Paris) is suicidal ! No authorization was asked for (and Lelouch's driving license was revoked symbolically after the film's presentation) and on the complete course, that Louvre part is the only spot where he posted a friend (Elie Chouraqui) with a talkie-walkie to warn him of an incoming vehicle. He discovered afterwards that the talkie-walkie was dead ! One often mention the car as beeing a Ferrari, probably because of the sound. In fact it was a Mercedes (see photo) with a worn-out exhaust pipe. The impression of speed is emphasized by the camera position, but he was anyway speeding between 80 and 120 mph."

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:26:31 -0800

Keith Talent: "Google image, Ferrari 275 GTB" Thanks, I needed that.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:27:50 -0800

you'll love Climb Dance NICE. Performance drifting.

By: Popular Ethics

Popular Ethics — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:28:29 -0800

(sigh. Reckless endangerment != cool. But I'm sure I'll be in the minority here)

By: linux

linux — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:28:53 -0800

I see 16 peers and no seeds, with huge red chunks on my status bar indicating not of the peers can put together a complete file. Got a race going between it and the Coral cache download. Any bets?

By: linux

linux — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:30:40 -0800

Coral cache wins. By miles.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:32:44 -0800

Soiled Cowboy, you're ruining my fantasies, man. Next thing you'll tell me the letters to Penthouse aren't real.

By: 3.2.3

3.2.3 — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:34:04 -0800

well, my heart has skipped a few beats. He did it for love, you fucking fascists! uh, yeah. well, here's to hoping that lover gets buried under the jail. fucking asswads.

By: warbaby

warbaby — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:38:36 -0800

Can anybody identify the camera in this picture? It might be an Arri. It's a 35mm with a 400' magazine, so there wasn't a lot of film left when he got to the end. Most amazing one-shot scene in cinema. I saw it on the big screen at its first US showing. Every seat in the house had a little pucker mark when it was over. Wahoo! Runaway Train is good also. Very high pucker factor.

By: matthewr

matthewr — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:39:21 -0800

Soiled's account seems pretty plausible to me. Try mounting that Heath Robinson-esque camera contraption on the front of a Ferrari 275. Also, try persuading the owner of said Ferrari to even let you attach it.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:43:49 -0800

I agree with Popular, I found this more upsetting exhilarating. Maybe being the father of a sixteen year old son who's going to be behind the wheel soon colors my attitude but I think that they are lucky that they aren't still in jail for killing someone (or a bus load of people) doing this.

By: QuestionableSwami

QuestionableSwami — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:52:03 -0800

For those of us who can't afford a Ferrari, there is always this.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:56:20 -0800

It would be interesting to see the route on a map. The MIT guys must have done it, but it's not on that site.

By: Triode

Triode — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:56:37 -0800

Can anybody identify the camera in this picture? I read in a car magazine that the camera was a Bolex, and that after the initial showings of the film, the reel was kept at Bolex HQ as a demonstration of their hardware. Prolly bollox, but that's the way I heard the story.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:58:09 -0800

I found this more upsetting exhilarating I agree... that's why I linked to the cleared-streets video in the AskMe thread. This film is a testament to good luck more than good driving.

By: Dean Keaton

Dean Keaton — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:00:14 -0800

http://aoctavio.castpost.com/ Your download troubles are over for the next 5 minutes gang.

By: kalimac

kalimac — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:04:19 -0800

That was so cool! (the bittorrent worked just fine for me, btw)

By: spock

spock — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:04:42 -0800

That was amazing. I was thinking to myself "how did they plan this to get all of the traffic lights to be green?" until he started going through all the red ones. *gulp*. And the corel cache was great. I started playing it almost immediately and never did catch up to the end of the download.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:04:45 -0800

To me, the most amazing thing is that there are numerous pedestrians who don't seem fazed in the least by the car going by. There's one bit where the camera seem to come prpetty close to what looks like a little old lady crossing the road... and as the car goes by, she doesn't speed up at all.

By: crunchland

crunchland — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:07:28 -0800

Won't someone think of the pigeons?!?? I counted 17 red traffic lights.

By: zia

zia — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:10:56 -0800

I watched quite a few of those links. Thanks for helping me waste my morning. Metafilter: What a nice waste of time.

By: crunchland

crunchland — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:11:19 -0800

QuestionableSwami : Your link ... is that where they get the phrase 'flying by the seat of your pants?'

By: spock

spock — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:15:19 -0800

QuestionableSwami: I haven't seen that in years. Hilarious. Can you imagine how long it took to film that?

By: chrismear

chrismear — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:17:24 -0800

I bet you wouldn't all be stroking your vicarious 5500 rpm penis extensions so vigourously if they had actually killed someone. Disgusting.

By: Dean Keaton

Dean Keaton — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:18:03 -0800

QuestionableSwami: If you steal quicktime pro (or pay, haha!) you can save it to disk and see it full screen like I did.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:19:33 -0800

Without a doubt an amazing film. What a colossally selfish asshole. He should have been more harshly punished for that reckless, others'-lives-endangering stunt.

By: Dean Keaton

Dean Keaton — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:21:21 -0800

Wait a second chrismear: Just because I found it exciting doesn't mean I was rubbing my 5500 rpm cock. You don't have to be a neanderthalic caveman with penis envy to find risking your life exciting. I feel that it was dumb to do, dangerous, and putting innocent lives at risk. Did I still say to myself "unbelievable!" when they coursed through the curves? Yeah. I grew up with the notion that people who risk their lives to "live" is somehow exciting. It is probably ingrained into most of us at this point. If I grew up being told this stuff is horrible I wouldnt be, as you so eloquently put it, stroking my penis.

By: chococat

chococat — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:22:34 -0800

It's all about the sound. The shot is awesome and the driving is cool...but when you lay that sound on top of the visual it could just as well be a camera mounted on a Chevette.

By: disgruntled

disgruntled — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:24:47 -0800

I've noticed that the engine noise doesn't always go along with the speed of the vehicle.. Discussion at the time said that a lot of the engine noise was ovedubbed. Heel and Toe Downshift.

By: mr.curmudgeon

mr.curmudgeon — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:28:47 -0800

Upping the ante: Idiot + Motorcycle + Greece + Traffic = Video

By: veritas que

veritas que — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:29:32 -0800

i am sitting 10 feet away from the art director on the nissan prague video. No way? yes way.

By: poweredbybeard

poweredbybeard — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:30:13 -0800

agreed. this is disgusting. we just had a vigil for a cyclist killed by a motorist here in town - second such vigil this year (that i know of). and i can guarantee the person who hit him was driving slower than the sociopath in the video. cars are killing this fucking planet, and here y'all are watching a snuff film.

By: dazed_one

dazed_one — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:34:03 -0800

That was impressive. Thanks for the links.

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:35:12 -0800

I bet you wouldn't all be stroking your vicarious 5500 rpm penis extensions so vigourously if they had actually killed someone. Why would anyone stroke a 5500 rpm penis extension? Isn't the whole point that you don't have to do the work yourself? cars are killing this fucking planet, and here y'all are watching a snuff film. shut it beardo

By: howling fantods

howling fantods — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:35:45 -0800

Does anyone have the full DVD version of the trailer referenced by blefr (the Nissan one)? I found a larger version of the same trailer here, but it's still not the full DVD version.

By: Jawn

Jawn — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:36:24 -0800

My uncle told me about this film years ago. I had always imagined it with a lot less cars and pedestrians. Thanks for posting it so I can finally see it in all its glory.

By: papakwanz

papakwanz — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:39:38 -0800

Damn. That is crazy stupid.

By: chrismear

chrismear — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:40:28 -0800

Dean Keaton: Fine. Let them go and get their kicks by risking their lives on some godforsaken mountain somewhere, away from a city full of innocent people. You can deny it all you want, but we all know that the thrill and aura of this film doesn't come purely from fast cars and impressive maneuvering. Part of it comes from knowing that it's real, and that people could have been hurt. That's what makes it wrong. Believe me, I get as much visceral excitement from big motors and fast cars as the next guy. But part of being civilised is being able to control your raw emotions when you know intellectually that it's wrong. This kind of stuff just encourages the idiots who can't think to up that level, and who therefore think it's just a big fun game to drive recklessly at stupid speeds around busy streets. Grow up. I have.

By: you just lost the game

you just lost the game — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:45:46 -0800

Normally I find these jokes annoying, but...I gotta say... Metafilter: Just because I found it exciting doesn't mean I was rubbing my 5500 rpm cock.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:46:22 -0800

I like C'etait un Rendez-Vous because it's one take, no editing, and it's got an ending that made me smile. The people calling it "disgusting" are probably the same people who got their terrornoia pants in a knot over the German art students who stuck the video projector to the side of the subway train.

By: soiled cowboy

soiled cowboy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:47:51 -0800

Whoa. Curmudgeon's link is bonkers.

By: pez_LPhiE

pez_LPhiE — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:50:54 -0800

all this logic completely ruins the fun of the video for me.. ignorance is bliss.. Rad video up until reading comments.. I get what you guys are saying and agree.. but this happened in 1971, let's just enjoy it for what it is: a PROFESSIONAL driver putting on an impressive display.. it's not something we get to see everyday.. actually, I think he was in complete control of the car and was in no danger, he accelerated when there's nothing in the way or when there was a path and he popped into neutral or downshifted whenever the path was uncertain..

By: mullacc

mullacc — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:52:51 -0800

The C'etait un Rendez-Vous needs an overhead helicopter shot to really round out the experience. I always find that the helicopter shot in F1 is my favorite - it really shows the lines the driver uses through the curves and also gives a better sense of the speed of deceleration/acceleration.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:53:17 -0800

I've been to Paris in August. I'd be surprised if the car could find someone to hit.

By: iamck

iamck — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:53:29 -0800

Think of the children!

By: Pliskie

Pliskie — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:53:49 -0800

Can anybody identify the camera in this picture? That's no bolex, nor is it an arriflex. It's an Eclair Cameflex. Reflex, MOS, 16&35mm camera (can be converted between the two gauges).

By: Skygazer

Skygazer — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:54:00 -0800

Loved it. Got me all hard and shit and it was cool to see such a big chunk of Paris. Would've rocked if a tiny bluehaired grandma got out at the end. You know...torching the car behind her as she shuffled off into the orthopaedic sunset. Aight...

By: chrismear

chrismear — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:54:35 -0800

fandango_matt: You're kidding, right?

By: poweredbybeard

poweredbybeard — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:55:03 -0800

shut it beardo apology accepted. The people calling it "disgusting" are probably the same people who got their terrornoia pants in a knot over the German art students who stuck the video projector to the side of the subway train. Um... what? That's just cool. Putting multiple lives at risk just to feel that special rumbling in your cojones is - yeah, i'll say it again - sociopathic. What is it that is preventing you from seeing that those two videos are very very different things?

By: hortense

hortense — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:55:40 -0800

here is another adrenaline boost,welcome to the jungle.

By: kableh

kableh — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:56:52 -0800

mr.curmudgeon, I believe that video is from the Ghost Rider series of DVDs. No, not _that_ Ghost Rider. In-F*n-sane, puts this video to shame. Think 150mph on one wheel on a turbo 'busa. An amusing bit from the DVD was 'Ghost Rider' hanging back to give the finger to the police in Volvo T5s.

By: poweredbybeard

poweredbybeard — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:59:48 -0800

pez: this happened in 1971, let's just enjoy it for what it is: a PROFESSIONAL driver putting on an impressive display.. it's not something we get to see everyday.. actually, I think he was in complete control of the car I'm not worried for the driver in something like this. Couldn't care less what happened to him, really. Once you exhibit this amount of stupidity, all bets are off. It's not a matter of having the car in control, it's all the unknown variables - ie. people walking about carrying on with the business of their lives - that make this dangerous. The stuff you can't see until you drive over it. This is a concern even for people driving at reasonable speeds. I've almost been hit even when people aren't being stupid, but just intersecting with me and dumb luck in low-visibility situations. To actively invite that is reprehensible.

By: Dean Keaton

Dean Keaton — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:02:10 -0800

You can deny it all you want, but we all know that the thrill and aura of this film doesn't come purely from fast cars and impressive maneuvering. Part of it comes from knowing that it's real, and that people could have been hurt. That's what makes it wrong. I totally agree with you. This kind of stuff just encourages the idiots who can't think to up that level, and who therefore think it's just a big fun game to drive recklessly at stupid speeds around busy streets. Sigh... maybe some people can't reach our level of intelligence (now that is what I call stroking my 5500 rpm cock). I am sure we both have dealt with our share of dolts. Grow up. I have. You had me nodding right up until you insulted me. Point made, I agree on all accounts, insult keeps me from congratulating you.

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:08:13 -0800

Getting all outraged twenty-seven years after it was shot is just pointless. Any consequences that were due Lelouch have long ago been meted out.

By: bardic

bardic — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:13:48 -0800

I don't see any protesters. WTF?

By: chrismear

chrismear — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:17:50 -0800

Dean Keaton: Please accept my apologies for the insult. I clearly misjudged you. Kindall: My outrage is directed less at Lelouch personally and more at the unbridled enthusiasm exhibited in this thread.

By: poweredbybeard

poweredbybeard — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:18:37 -0800

Getting all outraged twenty-seven years after it was shot is just pointless. you know that famous picture of the soldier shooting the vietcong in the head? that shit is fucking funny.... now. hell, ima go shoot someone too.

By: lazy-ville

lazy-ville — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:19:05 -0800

Putting all those lives in danger was worth it.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:19:44 -0800

I have absolutely no issues whatsoever with people who endanger their own lives. Hell, I'm one of them! I have big issues with people who endanger others' lives, especially when those others are non-consenting. There is one moment in that clip where he comes within literal inches of running over a pedestrian in a red dress.

By: madajb

madajb — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:22:20 -0800

I wonder what the odds are you could find roads that clear today(30 years later)?

By: paperpete

paperpete — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:24:06 -0800

Well, it happened. That's why I'm not angry. This time, the guy was a professional and people didn't get hurt. Common sense dictates that people who see this will, like me, find it VERY scary-cool (x10,000) precisely because of the very clear danger aspect and would never ever be tempted to try it themselves. And the tempted few probably aren't the type to heed safety warnings anyway, and would probably try something like this even if the film hadn't been made. You know, fast cars... not that creative an idea, is it? What's betting the driver reveals all on his deathbed to a relative who doesn't know how to work the internets?

By: tbonicus

tbonicus — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:26:16 -0800

My foot presses into the floor involuntarily when I watch this...

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:26:44 -0800

As a teacher with many 14-15 year old students, I must say that I deplore this sort of thing. As a stereotypical guy, I must say that was totally awesome. I can live with the contradiction.

By: hoskala

hoskala — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:32:10 -0800

Also check out the "Getaway in Stockholm" series of videos. A couple of years ago here in my hometown a young man killed a 4-year old girl with his sporty BMW. He drove against a red light. As it soon would be found out, that same guy was also the manager of a firm that imported those "Getaway" videos from Sweden. This film is awesome, but still it and videos of it's kind encourage behaviour that is totally unacceptable. IMO it should still be banned.

By: jalexei

jalexei — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:38:06 -0800

cars are killing this fucking planet, and here y'all are watching a snuff film. Jeez - watching this isn't going to make me drive any less carefully than I already do (or stop riding my bike to work as I do every day, in case you'd like to blame me for global warming). Frankly, it's the sound (overdubbed or not) that really makes me smile. Would you prefer we pretend it never happened? you know that famous picture of the soldier shooting the vietcong in the head? that shit is fucking funny.... now. Hyperbole much? You don't know anything about me. What gives you the right to make sweeping generalizations based on our enthusiasm for this film?

By: delmoi

delmoi — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:38:28 -0800

God I hate apple. My copy of quicktime 'expired' so I had to download a new installer, which I couldn't get without iTunes, which I don't want. Loverly.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:39:43 -0800

A couple of years ago here in my hometown a young man killed a 4-year old girl with his sporty BMW. He drove against a red light. As it soon would be found out, that same guy was also the manager of a firm that imported those "Getaway" videos from Sweden. Imply causality much?

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:41:47 -0800

My outrage is directed less at Lelouch personally and more at the unbridled enthusiasm exhibited in this thread. I can't think of a single reason not to enjoy it. you know that famous picture of the soldier shooting the vietcong in the head? that shit is fucking funny.... now. Geez, how many ways is this wrong? 1) This was never claimed to be funny. 2) Unlike in the photo you mention, nobody actually died. 3) People have in fact made some jokes related to that photograph (arguably in poor taste but that's kind of the point). I guess three. Three is the ways it is wrong.

By: sfenders

sfenders — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:42:40 -0800

I thought it was admirable. The risk posed to the people on the streets there was probably less than the threat my grandfather used to pose every time he went out driving, after his eyesight started getting a bit weak. Certainly less than the millions of morons who can't handle driving while talking on a cell phone, yet persist in doing it every day. I suspect it was worthwhile, to get such a thing on film. Someone trying to repeat that today, there you'd have a better argument that it would just be stupid.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:46:00 -0800

That was amazing (the Coral cache worked fine for me), and like Keith Talent, I'd love to see the route plotted out on a map so I could follow along. The people calling it "disgusting" are probably the same people who got their terrornoia pants in a knot over the German art students who stuck the video projector to the side of the subway train. Um... what? That's just cool. But what if someone living in the subway tunnel had stuck his head out at the wrong time and the projector had decapitated him?? Then those damn art students would have been murderers! How can you enjoy it thinking of what might have been?

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:50:12 -0800

can we just ignore chicken little here and get back to talking about how bad ass that engine sounds? I wish I could get that as a cell phone ring.

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:52:27 -0800

nobody actually died Oh, I guess that it's OK then. Risking scores of lives and property for a stupid little stunt is fine if no one actually dies. Can they re-enact this going past your house?

By: Armitage Shanks

Armitage Shanks — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:53:05 -0800

you know that famous picture of the soldier shooting the vietcong in the head? More outrageously irresponsible behavior.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:55:45 -0800

I'd love to see the route plotted out on a map so I could follow along. OK, gratuitous self-link warning: I Google Mapped the route for your entertainment. If anyone knows how to do markers in Google Maps, let me know and I'll throw on time codes. Please excuse the rest of the site, which currently looks like dogshit. In fact, please forget I even mentioned "rest of the site."

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:01:29 -0800

C_D-That's very cool. Thanks.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:10:32 -0800

Oh, I guess that it's OK then. Risking scores of lives and property for a stupid little stunt is fine if no one actually dies. Can they re-enact this going past your house? With the state of the world today, you are focusing your outrage on something that happened 31 years ago, in which the perpetrator was apprehended and prosecuted? Priorities?

By: iamck

iamck — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:15:42 -0800

Why does the plane at ~1:12 into the movie fly so fast?

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:20:01 -0800

Looking at the Google Map of the route more closely, he really could have saved a shitload of time if he'd gone around the Arc d'Triumphe three more exits and followed it up. But then you wouldn't have that whole Louvre part, which is k-rad.

By: graventy

graventy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:31:49 -0800

Man, the best part of metafilter is that on every single issue, there are people on both sides. It's evil! It's cool! I vote cool.

By: poweredbybeard

poweredbybeard — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:32:29 -0800

Ok, I have to admit that this was pretty damn funny. A uselessly irrelevant comparison, sure - but funny. ps. you're still a dick

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:33:39 -0800

You can deny it all you want, but we all know that the thrill and aura of this film doesn't come purely from fast cars and impressive maneuvering. Nope. This would have been an equally exciting, equally impressive display of driving if the roads had been closed to traffic and everyone you saw was a well-paid stunt driver or stunt(wo)man who had cheerfully insisted on being put at risk. It was like watching the chase in Ronin, except all in one take.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:33:58 -0800

you know that famous picture of the soldier shooting the vietcong in the head? Yep. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan eventually moved to the United States and opened a pizza place in a mall near where I grew up.

By: jalexei

jalexei — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:34:08 -0800

Oh, I guess that it's OK then. Risking scores of lives and property for a stupid little stunt is fine if no one actually dies. Can they re-enact this going past your house? Perhaps not fine, but it's (by definition) better than if anyone had died. And if a Ferrari 275GTB driven by a professional flew past my house my 20-month-old car-obsessed daughter would be absolutely thrilled.

By: Keith Talent

Keith Talent — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:35:44 -0800

Civil_Disobedient gets the poster of the day award.

By: lazy-ville

lazy-ville — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:37:05 -0800

Why does the plane at ~1:12 into the movie fly so fast? It's a bird.

By: Crabby Appleton

Crabby Appleton — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 12:58:59 -0800

My God, I miss the '70s!

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:05:25 -0800

I wonder if the churchbells at the end were added in. Because they don't sound like the bells at Sacré Coeur.

By: matthewr

matthewr — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:06:05 -0800

ROU_Xenophobe: This would have been an equally exciting, equally impressive display of driving if the roads had been closed to traffic and everyone you saw was a well-paid stunt driver or stunt(wo)man who had cheerfully insisted on being put at risk. Who would remember it, 30 years on, if it had been on closed roads? Would it be on MetaFiter? "Equally exciting"? I think not. chrismear: Lighten up. I have.

By: 3.2.3

3.2.3 — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:13:59 -0800

Just because I found it exciting doesn't mean I was rubbing my 5500 rpm cock. Yeah, it does. You don't have to be a neanderthalic caveman with penis envy to find risking your life exciting. No. You have to be a neanderthalic caveman with penis envy to find risking *other people's lives* exciting. The people calling it "disgusting" are probably the same people who got their terrornoia pants in a knot over the German art students who stuck the video projector to the side of the subway train. No, we're not. Although there wasn't any terrornoia in that thread. Just some random folks noting that it seemed weird that people in the station didn't creep out from terrornoia. Probably too subtle a point for anyone who gets off on 140 mph through Paris without a second thought. However, people who find this unreservedly exciting probably do whack off to the war porn links posted on mefi. This thread is telling me more about mefi that I don't want to know but makes complete sense. This unbridled enthusiasm for boneheaded endangerment belongs on fark.

By: iamck

iamck — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:20:02 -0800

3.2.3 - While stewing and composing your comment, you could have been feeding the homeless, or sending money to starving children. How dare you.

By: 3.2.3

3.2.3 — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:34:26 -0800

iamck - or i could have been hunting down dickwads to run over. dare me.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:42:15 -0800

I've got a 5500 RPM Boner for Boneheaded Endangerment! iamck - or i could have been hunting down dickwads to run over. dare me. You'll be driving the bright orange padded geo metro with the speed govenour right? around 16 mph? Cool, come on over, we'll play chicken or go skitching or something. Don't forget your car helmet.

By: 3.2.3

3.2.3 — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:45:23 -0800

You'll be driving the bright orange padded geo metro with the speed govenour right? oh god, i've been found out.

By: soiled cowboy

soiled cowboy — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:50:07 -0800

or i could have been hunting down dickwads to run over. dare me. 3.2.3 -- I don't just dare you, I TRIPLE DOG DARE you! * heh heh... now he's GOT to do it!*

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:56:09 -0800

The low POV definitely increases the sensation of speed. Most of the time he truly isn't moving all that fast. The best example of this was when he approached the delivery truck that had its hazard lights on in the middle of the road. Braking did not begin until he was nearly upon it, and he came to a complete stop rather abruptly and smoothly. Consider, a modern Ferrari, with the benefit of 30 years of engineering, still takes 100ft or so to come to a stop from only 60mph. And, in rough terms, as your speed doubles, your stopping distance increases by 4x. Also, assume the speed limit on some of those roads was about 50mph. If he had been going 130mph+ his closing speed would have made passes mere blurs. Some cars he passed at almost a leisurely pace. It took him about 5 seconds to pass the yellow car (cab?) near the beginning. Without busting out high level mathematics (that I'm both too lazy and too dumb to do), it doesn't appear that he could be going much over 20mph over the other traffic, if even that much. Now, the guy on the motorcycle, with much higher POV, and exponentially closer quarters, that guy is a fucking manic. I am an avid motorcyclist and I was hoping someone would open their door and literally demolish him. People like that give motorcyclists everywhere a bad name.

By: warbaby

warbaby — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 13:56:33 -0800

The world is divided into two classes: those who've driven 130 mph and those who haven't. Give it a rest. The film was made over 25 years ago. No harm, no foul. And it is one hell of a nice piece of film. When I first saw it, there was a rumor he and his wife were killed making a sequel. Now I know the rumor was bogus.

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 14:14:29 -0800

I've only done that a couple times warbaby, always in sparsely populated areas (can we just lighten up with the marming, it doesn't really help anyone make their point, it's like you are stroking a 5500 RPM Righteousness boner). One time I hit around 140-145 in a Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-4 in Spain (we were over from England), that was, to coin a phrase, wicked fucking awesome. Righthand drive, Freaky.

By: deborah

deborah — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 14:17:10 -0800

I don't have a cock and found the video pretty exciting/awesome/freaky cool (redlightredlightredlight!). I also think Lelouch was completely irresponsible and, frankly, crazy to do something like this. However, it happened a long time ago and he was punished. (Does 120mph across the Arizona desert at night count? Volvo stationwagon if it matters.)

By: deborah

deborah — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 14:25:25 -0800

I just watched Climb Dance. Now that's insane.

By: matthewr

matthewr — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 14:53:57 -0800

"I just watched Climb Dance. Now that's insane." Certainly is. Spectacular filming, awesome driving - and no one could get hurt!* Everybody wins. * Except if the 600bhp turbocharged 4WD four-wheel-steer Peugoet veered an inch, and plunged down the near-vertical cliff-faces lining the road. Yeah. Apart from that.

By: Dean Keaton

Dean Keaton — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:01:11 -0800

Just because I found it exciting doesn't mean I was rubbing my 5500 rpm cock. Yeah, it does. Provide evidence. You don't have to be a neanderthalic caveman with penis envy to find risking your life exciting. No. You have to be a neanderthalic caveman with penis envy to find risking *other people's lives* exciting. I disagree with your strawman argument on the basis that you don't provide evidence. However, people who find this unreservedly exciting probably do whack off to the war porn links posted on mefi. You, sir or maam, probably have more penis envy than the typical 14 year old itching to try the same stunt in his daddys station wagon. Not only that, you have no basis to your argument. "el oh el penises!" is pretty vapid at best. You don't even mention adrenaline and the psychological changes that happen in human beings when put in fight or flight mode. Let's discuss this in depth, and how it can be addictive. Please, make a contribution instead of a closed argument with no relevance and no explanation.

By: iamck

iamck — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:04:49 -0800

Metafilter: Please, make a contribution instead of a closed argument with no relevance and no explanation. /sorry

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:05:35 -0800

Risking scores of lives and property for a stupid little stunt is fine if no one actually dies. Can they re-enact this going past your house? Sure, as long as they do it twenty-seven years ago.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:11:50 -0800

Most cool.

By: strawberryviagra

strawberryviagra — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:13:54 -0800

The most lauded act of Parisian madness, in more recent times, is the one shot from a motorcyclist on the boulevarde Peripherique which you can download here.

By: funambulist

funambulist — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:21:46 -0800

This kind of stuff just encourages the idiots who can't think to up that level, and who therefore think it's just a big fun game to drive recklessly at stupid speeds around busy streets. Yes! in fact, I've just decided to replicate this first thing in the morning tomorrow. Actually, I'm going to stay up all night, get drunk and then at 5 am ... er wait I don't even have a car. I've had very scary and very lucky escapes myself and seen one too many people get killed by idiots on the road so I'm not exactly keen on the concept. But you know, vicarious excitement of speed and danger? It means you can enjoy watching something you'd never ever want to do yourself, or want others to do. Surely everyone with a functioning neuron must be already aware of how crazy and irresponsible a stunt this is and how it was mostly luck (and I assume a little bit of experience too) that allowed the driver to avoid causing a series of fatal accidents. It's impossible to watch the video without thinking all that, because you know it's real. Yet it's still brilliant to watch, a mixture of awe and terror. Obviously if someone had died no one would find it so awesome to watch, would they? There you go. It's a one off stunt, went miraculously well, and the footage is great. Simple as that. The kind of pricks who drive dangerously and put their and others lives at risk, well, rest assured they don't need to watch something like this to get the inspiration to be pricks.

By: Suck Poppet

Suck Poppet — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:22:11 -0800

Metafilter: it's like [...] stroking a 5500 RPM Righteousness boner

By: 3.2.3

3.2.3 — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:23:59 -0800

Provide evidence.

By: jalexei

jalexei — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:26:26 -0800

This unbridled enthusiasm for boneheaded endangerment belongs on fark. This scolding, schoolmarm-ish self-righteousness belongs on....um, Fark (it kind of breaks down at the end).

By: funambulist

funambulist — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 15:32:33 -0800

Guyzero: There's one bit where the camera seem to come prpetty close to what looks like a little old lady crossing the road... and as the car goes by, she doesn't speed up at all. I just thought that she didn't even see it, she had already almost completely crossed the road and the car passed by to her left (if that's the same bit you're talking about!). The effect is also scarier due to the position of the camera. From the drivers point of view, he must have enjoyed a wider view of the road and spotted other cars and pedestrians ahead better than what you see in the footage. It's amazing how quickly the cars comes to a halt at the end. You almost picture it going right over the step.

By: fungible

fungible — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:34:32 -0800

I don't really get what you guys are talking about. I see people drive like this in New York all the time.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:42:26 -0800

Big secrets in a little film

By: afroblanca

afroblanca — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:46:23 -0800

I think it only gets really exciting in the last 1/3rd, when it's obvious that he's driving down narrow residential streets. The rest of the time, he's driving down pretty wide streets next to big things, and it's hard to get an impression of how fast he's going. Even still, a good use for my 10mins. (wish I could see it on the bigscreen)

By: 13twelve

13twelve — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:50:48 -0800

Looks like a hoax to me. 140 mph? no way. 120 mph? no way. Unless the average citizen of Paris at the time was doing 100 mph themselves. 140 Kmh? No way. 120 Kmh? Perhaps. The speed at which cars I assume are doing 30/40 mph and then stationary objects - doesnt match the claims of such high speeds. The feeling of speed should be further amplified by the camera being mounted so low - yet, its not. As a boy racer I've been in cars, in heavy traffic shifting past other cars waay faster than this thing is. I've driven (legally) over 130 mph and it was waay faster than this. Sure he ran some read lights - thats pretty hardcore. But I totally doubt the speeds he does. Seriously, watching the guy who speeds round the paris ring road on his motorbike and watching his speedo hit 250 kmh - that all looked quick and by golly was quick. The Getaway In Stockholme videos also feel far quicker that this. I fear the hype and legend of this video far exceeds the actual video. But; tommorow I'm gonna nail my commute to work... And there is a better sound than a Ferrari V12 and thats an Aston Martin V12. And to those people who think this thread is stupid because it glorifies serious road stupidity - your right. And you probably better than me, more talented, brighter etc. But your boring farts. You cant contest this, you are.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:00:48 -0800

C_D-That's very cool. Thanks. Heartily seconded. You are my new MeFi Hero. 3.2.3: We get it. You are far, far more righteous and goodly than we lesser mortals. We worship at your shrine. Now can you go save some children or something?

By: smackfu

smackfu — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:06:20 -0800

Civil_Disobedient, that map was FABULOUS.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:11:58 -0800

Here's a scientific analysis of the speeds, based on times and distances between recognized landmarks.

By: lazy-ville

lazy-ville — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:13:53 -0800

Without busting out high level mathematics (that I'm both too lazy and too dumb to do), it doesn't appear that he could be going much over 20mph over the other traffic, if even that much. This speed analysis of the video, based on time the car took to drive between landmarks indicates that he was indeed going faster than that. People like that give motorcyclists everywhere a bad name. The thing with a motorbike is that it weighs a lot less than and thus has less energy and momentum so it both stops faster and is a lot less likely to injure other people. When the quarters were close, he wasn't really going that fast and the only really risky parts for passersby were the times he came to crosswalks from between stopped cars. As far as I'm concerned bikers can weave between traffic as much as they want, I definitely won't resent their faster progress enough to try to kill them with my door.

By: lazy-ville

lazy-ville — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:14:24 -0800

pwned

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:16:50 -0800

Civil_Disobedient, that map was FABULOUS. Thanks! Update: the map now has screen grabs from the appropriate part of the movie. Just click on the waypoints. Yes, I know, I'm so cool.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:20:19 -0800

That's the second time in 48 hours this has happened, lazy-ville!

By: LeeJay

LeeJay — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:21:41 -0800

I'm conflicted. The kid in me thought it was very cool and quite exhilirating. At one point my nose was one inch from the screen. The grownup in me thinks the kid in me is terrible for liking it. As I see it, the only solution is to watch it repeatedly while drinking heavily until one side wins.

By: pots

pots — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:32:22 -0800

*laughs good naturedly at lazy-ville seriously. I was about to post that same scientific link myself. heh.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:38:07 -0800

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:45:19 -0800

It really gets fucking crazy when he gets to Montmartre, going way too fast up the hills with the pigeons. This is awesome, thank you. We could eventually have a 3D walk through planned out between the map and this.

By: anthill

anthill — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:52:58 -0800

Anyone have an estimate of what the focal length of that camera lens was? I'd eyeball a little more zoom than 50mm, maybe 70mm? That would tend to reduce the appearance of speed and also account for some of the strange angles seen when he's passing parked garbage trucks, etc.

By: howling fantods

howling fantods — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:11:25 -0800

What Lelouch needed was one of these.

By: RMALCOLM

RMALCOLM — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:22:06 -0800

I once crossed the entire state of Colorado without going below 120 mph, long ago, when such things were legal. I was driving a Jaguar and had a roast of beef wrapped in aluminum foil placed between the dohcs. It was done to perfection and so was I.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:27:26 -0800

poweredbybeard writes "cars are killing this fucking planet, and here y'all are watching a snuff film." Holy crumpled hyperbole batman. Snuff film? Really? delmoi writes "God I hate apple. My copy of quicktime 'expired' so I had to download a new installer, which I couldn't get without iTunes, which I don't want. " If your on windows media player classic is your friend. sfenders writes "The risk posed to the people on the streets there was probably less than the threat my grandfather used to pose every time he went out driving, after his eyesight started getting a bit weak. Certainly less than the millions of morons who can't handle driving while talking on a cell phone, yet persist in doing it every day. I suspect it was worthwhile, to get such a thing on film. Someone trying to repeat that today, there you'd have a better argument that it would just be stupid." And it was 1971, most places the penalty for driving while being too drunk to stand unassisted was a fine less than you'd get for speeding. warbaby writes "The world is divided into two classes: those who've driven 130 mph and those who haven't." You know your making serious time when you can blow past a cop, make a U-turn and pass the now lit up cruiser going the other way and the cop behind the wheel doesn't give you a second glance. Or, um, so I've heard. deborah writes "(Does 120mph across the Arizona desert at night count? Volvo stationwagon if it matters.)" Only if it wasn't a 240, everyone knows it's impossible to do _anything_ dangerous in a 240. I thought this was awesome when I saw it in AskMe and it hasn't gotten less so in repeated viewings. Insane but awesome. The coolest thing was drivers moving right to let the guy past, you'd never see that here.

By: Relay

Relay — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:36:09 -0800

Ah yes, Rendezvous. " ... and had a friend, a professional Formula 1 racer, drive him at breakneck speed ... Upon showing the film in public for the first time, Lelouch was arrested ... and the film went underground until a DVD release a few years ago." That is incorrect. On the DVD (which I own), it states that Lelouch did his own driving, and that no arrests of any kind were involved. Before owning the DVD, I had a dub on VHS, and before I had that, I had a dub on U-matic that was pulled from the 1st French (SECAM) release. (I still have those BTW.) Also, the film never went "underground" it has been available in various formats for years (at least since the mid 80s). Also, that wasn't a gyro stabilized mount, it was just bolted onto the bumper, grip truck style. The first gyro units were about the size of washing machines, and weighed quite a bit. I don't think that they were available at all at the time this film was shot. I seriously doubt that was a Merc he was driving, especially a 450 SEL. Those things are tanks, to put it mildly. That shot was probably taken from another production. Yes, and Climb Dance/Ari Vatanen is another of my favorites. Hell, ANY in car camera footage from a rally car is damn impressive. Go out and search for footage from either the Rallye Monte Carlo or the Tour de Course. There's stages on both of those that will drain the blood from your face. Oh, and poweredbybeard, take a cab or a bus, and leave the driving to people who can handle it.

By: Relay

Relay — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:40:00 -0800

" ...but still it and videos of it's kind encourage behaviour that is totally unacceptable. IMO it should still be banned." hoskala Oh, OK then ... We'll get to that right after we ban rap music, violent TV, the Three Stooges, comic books, and any recordings of Dizzy Dean's sports commentary that are floating around out there. Give me a break ...

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 20:43:26 -0800

This film is awesome, but still it and videos of it's kind encourage behaviour that is totally unacceptable. IMO it should still be banned. Movies don't kill people. People who watch movies, and don't have the benefit of critical thinking and/or media literacy, kill people. Solution? Ban people.

By: crunchland

crunchland — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 21:05:46 -0800

IMO it should still be banned. Next, I suppose you'll suggest that there are books that shouldn't be on the shelves of our public library. I'm sure you weren't really thinking your stance out when you typed that. Censorship is evil, no matter how righteous your justification may seem.

By: livii

livii — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 21:39:22 -0800

Just wanted to pop in to give a huge shoutout to Civil_Disobedient for the amazing map he put together - that's seriously wonderful stuff. I shared it with the MoFi folk as well, so the link's going around, but everyone loves it. (And I also loved the film. Great tour of Paris. First saw it last week thanks to C_D's comment, so, double thanks there, I guess!)

By: ob

ob — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 23:04:31 -0800

This film was amazing, some truly brilliant driving (and this comes from an avid F1 fan.) I liked it a great deal. I guess that makes me a neanderthal, but, IMHO that's better than being a self-righteous prick...

By: dhartung

dhartung — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 23:44:58 -0800

This is ... an interesting precursor to some disrupting social things we're gonna be experiencing as internet video becomes more commonplace. My thought watching this was that it was a bit like the sf concept of being able to 'record' the experience of someone and play it back for someone else -- from a mundane tropical vacation, to extreme sports, to sex, to sex with a celebrity, to murder. One story on this riff posited a recording of someone who accidentally drove off a cliff -- while being recorded -- as the most popular product of the company. Here, we get to experience someone doing something exciting and objectionable, and there are definitely some hackles raised. There's a lot of videos online or offline -- Jackass, Paris Hilton -- that raise the same sort of objections or qualms. I suspect, however, that we're gonna be seeing more of this as more people are able to easily an inexpensively put up videos of them doing stupid or objectionable things. Back to Lelouch. It's pretty clear he knows what the hell he's doing -- from the engine revving as horn substitute, to the careful navigation of obstacles (notice how he always goes behind the pedestrians), and a few maneuvers that show he really had some crack situational awareness. The speed is, of course, only up to 140mph on the first part of the Champs Ellysees, although the scary part for me was the dark, curving streets at the end. He must also have rehearsed the route -- and some possible alternates -- beforehand and been pretty familiar with these streets. I don't want to endorse this -- imagine if he had killed someone (*cough* John Landis) -- but as far as it goes, it was done about as professionally as one could hope.

By: chrismear

chrismear — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 01:45:33 -0800

Look, I'm not trying to make myself out as some kind of saint, okay? I watched the video, and I felt a thrill of excitement. And yes, I've driven (illegally) at 120 mph. I think speed limits are stupid, and driving skill is far more important. I wish I wasn't proud of my pathetic little speed achievement. But a part of me still is. And in a certain circle of friends, I would talk about it, and we'd have a nice macho conversation about ridiculous driving stunts. I'm sure you've done the same. Why is this socially acceptable? It shouldn't be, should it? Would you have a conversation with your mates about how you knocked back half a bottle of Jack Daniels before driving across town, and man you couldn't see shit, although you do remember some pretty cool near-misses, but hey, you made it to your destination in one piece, so damn you must be one shit hot driver. No, you wouldn't. These days, drink-driving is socially and morally unacceptable. And I know that it's only relatively recently that this has been the case. Don't you think that it's a good thing that people feel a social and internal pressure not to drink and drive? Yet we still have a culture that persists this idea that dangerous driving and taking risks on public roads makes you a big hard man, and safe driving makes you a pussy. If I posted a fake violent rape porn video that I'd found, and started going on about the amazing production quality, and the realistic acting, the vicarious excitement I feel when I watch it, and about how I'd come close to replicating a similar kind of thrill in my real life... wouldn't you all think I was nuts? Wouldn't you feel some kind of moral disgust towards me? Why is this thread any different? Why does dangerous driving have this level of social acceptability when every other reckless, damaging crime doesn't?

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 01:48:27 -0800

a) I saw this on cable TV - once - when I was about 12. It made a permanent impression, because it's a great piece of cinema. I'm glad to see it again; it got better with time. b) It's clearly not a 1978 Ferrari, because it doesn't have enough oversteer accelerating out of those corners. You steer a Ferrari with its throttle. c) At age 16, I would have been doing 130 mph on the side streets of LA in my '65 Pontiac GTO even if I hadn't seen this film. If there's any moral to that, it's that 16 year old boys shouldn't be allowed to drive.

By: Frasermoo

Frasermoo — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 01:52:52 -0800

13twelve nailed this whole thing for me.

By: funambulist

funambulist — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 02:32:30 -0800

chrismear: If I posted a fake violent rape porn video that I'd found Most inappropriate comparison ever? The footage is neither about a man driving while drunk or about a man raping a woman! Please.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 03:29:58 -0800

Just did a time/distance calculation based on the run from the Arc d'Triumphe to Place de la Concorde, where he averages 120km/hr., or about 75mph. That doesn't take into account acceleration and deceleration. I think it's safe to say that he broke 100mph on at least a couple of those straight stretches.

By: hatchetjack

hatchetjack — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:02:55 -0800

I too, am totally going to try to replicate this in my hometown. I'll probably have to put extra duct tape to keep the blinker from falling out like it does. I'm glad I saw this otherwise it wouldn't have occured to me... I had no idea people did this sort of thing. Thanks Metafilter! Wish me luck!

By: chrismear

chrismear — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 11:04:52 -0800

Thank you, funambulist, you've demonstrated my point exactly. I'm going to stop pissing all over this thread now. I think I've laboured my point enough.

By: funambulist

funambulist — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 12:36:25 -0800

No hang on a second, how did I prove your point? Not trying to reignite any argument, I honestly don't get what the point of that comparison was. You asked "what if I'd posted violent rape porn... Wouldn't you feel some kind of moral disgust towards me? why is this thread different" -- well, chrismear, surely you can see the difference yourself? Unless you really do think that what Lelouch did here is the same as rape porn, or, that if one feels vicarious excitement at watching Lelouch's Rendevouz, then one must feel the same at watching a rape porn film? Seriously?

By: Crabby Appleton

Crabby Appleton — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 12:51:09 -0800

chrismear, I'm going to respond to some of your points. You probably won't like it, though. Nobody really likes a moralist, except another moralist. People don't think it's nearly as bad to endanger someone as to actually hurt someone. I believe this is a built-in moral intuition that doesn't respond well to argument. People admire competence, and Lelouch demonstrated competence in pulling off this stunt. Quod licet Jovi, non licet bovi. The current drunk driving hysteria is a moral panic prolonged for political reasons. It won't last forever. (Most of the real damage is done by a very small number of very egregious recidivists. Targeting them, as opposed to your random upstanding citizen with a BAC of 0.08%, would solve the problem.) Rape fantasies are common, among women as well as men. There are actually a fair number of people who don't give a damn what is "socially acceptable" at any particular point in history. They make their own moral decisions consciously and live (or die) with the consequences. As we all do, really, come to think of it.

By: funambulist

funambulist — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 13:19:51 -0800

Oh, all right then, I get it, it's yet another classic slippery slope! You start by watching formula 1 races, next thing you know you're watching someone acting like a formula 1 racer in the middle of Paris, next thing you know, you're having fantasies about raping or being raped, same thing, and just the same thing as driving a ferrari only soo much more exciting, and next thing you know, you're doing it to your sister. The final step is of course 'war porn' and torture. Kind of like with gay marriage and bestiality really, no? Oh Mr Lelouch, what have you done, accelerating the breakdown of civilisation in less than ten minutes...

By: hatchetjack

hatchetjack — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 14:02:39 -0800

mmmm.... Ferrari rape.... nice...