Rendezvous
September 27, 2015 2:45 PM Subscribe
1976. Sunrise in Paris. French film director Claude Lelouch mounted a camera on his Mercedes and went for a spin.
Illegal, controversial underground and mysterious are all words to describe this film. Drive retraces and deconstructs the hair-raising ride.
It seems that Lelouch used his Mercedes for suspension/camera-stability reasons but overdubbed audio from his Ferrari for dramatic reasons. But the video is real and uninterrupted.
Illegal, controversial underground and mysterious are all words to describe this film. Drive retraces and deconstructs the hair-raising ride.
It seems that Lelouch used his Mercedes for suspension/camera-stability reasons but overdubbed audio from his Ferrari for dramatic reasons. But the video is real and uninterrupted.
Actually, the 4th link isn't. Sorry. Drive on.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:53 PM on September 27, 2015
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:53 PM on September 27, 2015
Ah GenjiandProust beat me to it. It should be noted that the video links in the 2005 post no longer work.
posted by fragmede at 2:54 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by fragmede at 2:54 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
What a jerk. Talk about entitlement. Leave it at the track.
posted by adept256 at 3:18 PM on September 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 3:18 PM on September 27, 2015 [6 favorites]
Yeah, he was a huge reckless asshole, and the ending feels... well, very 70s, but it's breathtaking to watch.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:20 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:20 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
but overdubbed audio from his Ferrari for dramatic reasons
Yeah as I began watching it I thought 'that's no 450 SEL'. That, friends, is a lovely noise.
posted by jimmythefish at 3:28 PM on September 27, 2015
Yeah as I began watching it I thought 'that's no 450 SEL'. That, friends, is a lovely noise.
posted by jimmythefish at 3:28 PM on September 27, 2015
I like the loud screeching effects for gentle turns on damp roads. I kept expecting to hear some dramatic commentary from Sheriff John Bunnell.
posted by ftm at 3:31 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ftm at 3:31 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
soundtrack is hideous and it proves he's an asshole
posted by thelonius at 3:32 PM on September 27, 2015
posted by thelonius at 3:32 PM on September 27, 2015
soundtrack is hideous and it proves he's an asshole
Why? If anything it proves he's not as much of an asshole as it was made out to be. The sound (from a stunningly beautiful Ferrari 275GTB) makes it appear as though he's going really fast, but it doesn't really look like he is from the video.
posted by jimmythefish at 3:46 PM on September 27, 2015
Why? If anything it proves he's not as much of an asshole as it was made out to be. The sound (from a stunningly beautiful Ferrari 275GTB) makes it appear as though he's going really fast, but it doesn't really look like he is from the video.
posted by jimmythefish at 3:46 PM on September 27, 2015
Huh, I was grumpy about this in the previous thread. My fears for my son's driving were proven correct by the next few years as he managed to total two cars (one of them twice).
posted by octothorpe at 3:48 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by octothorpe at 3:48 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Do red lights mean something different in France than they do in the US?
posted by el io at 3:59 PM on September 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by el io at 3:59 PM on September 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
You're thinking of Italy.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:07 PM on September 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:07 PM on September 27, 2015 [9 favorites]
Try turning the sound off and playing the engine noise from this 2CV instead
posted by Lanark at 4:20 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Lanark at 4:20 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I kept waiting to hear those French DOO-DEE DOO-DEE sirens.
posted by 4ster at 4:21 PM on September 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by 4ster at 4:21 PM on September 27, 2015 [7 favorites]
b1tr0t: "In a decade or two, self-driving cars will be able to take us on similar hair-raising rides in perfect safety."
Self driving cars won't be omniscient; this sort of thing would still be recklessly dangerous to anyone one else who happens to be walking/biking/playing along the route.
posted by Mitheral at 4:25 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Self driving cars won't be omniscient; this sort of thing would still be recklessly dangerous to anyone one else who happens to be walking/biking/playing along the route.
posted by Mitheral at 4:25 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I am still not grumpy about this, despite having two kids since last seeing it. Maybe because, since it's not unlike a couple of rushed trips to the hospital I was behind the wheel for.
YMMV?
posted by swift at 4:33 PM on September 27, 2015
YMMV?
posted by swift at 4:33 PM on September 27, 2015
Oh man, I was looking for the dubbed version I saw years ago that had brum-brum/raspberry noises for the engine and ehhrrrrrrrrtt!s for the cornering. It's better than the original.
You could probably dub in TS3 engine noise for a similar effect.
posted by scruss at 4:46 PM on September 27, 2015
You could probably dub in TS3 engine noise for a similar effect.
posted by scruss at 4:46 PM on September 27, 2015
Try turning the sound off and playing the engine noise from this 2CV instead
I have heard squirrels that sound more powerful.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:57 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I have heard squirrels that sound more powerful.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:57 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I saw this at the Angelika before (I think?) Gus Van Sant's ELEPHANT. Trippy to see it again. The Ferrari engine sounds like it's revving in a French accent.
posted by pxe2000 at 4:59 PM on September 27, 2015
posted by pxe2000 at 4:59 PM on September 27, 2015
See also the music video for Destroyer's Savage Night at the Opera, an homage set in modern-day Vancouver.
posted by wemayfreeze at 5:00 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by wemayfreeze at 5:00 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Some other videos mentioned in the previous thread:
Scarier but much less sociopathic: Climb Dance - 1988 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Ari Vatanen
More Sociopathic: City Madness
Not at all the same: Vroom_mpg
And something from my link bank: Some moron in Quebec.
And this idiot got his licence revoked.
posted by Mitheral at 5:03 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Scarier but much less sociopathic: Climb Dance - 1988 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Ari Vatanen
More Sociopathic: City Madness
Not at all the same: Vroom_mpg
And something from my link bank: Some moron in Quebec.
And this idiot got his licence revoked.
posted by Mitheral at 5:03 PM on September 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I view these films/videos in the same frame of mind that some people view real-crime shows or security-camera footage: You know it's about watching people do bad things, rather than watching bad people be served justice. And it makes you feel bad. But not bad enough to keep from watching.
posted by ardgedee at 5:07 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 5:07 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
More Sociopathic:
The most sociopathic versions I've seen were filmed on the Paris périphérique, and it was a total miracle that they didn't kill themselves or others.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:14 PM on September 27, 2015
The most sociopathic versions I've seen were filmed on the Paris périphérique, and it was a total miracle that they didn't kill themselves or others.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:14 PM on September 27, 2015
> More Sociopathic: City Madness
Second or third time I've seen this, but first time I've noticed: Looks like he passes a motorcycle policeman at around 3:40.
posted by ardgedee at 5:17 PM on September 27, 2015
Second or third time I've seen this, but first time I've noticed: Looks like he passes a motorcycle policeman at around 3:40.
posted by ardgedee at 5:17 PM on September 27, 2015
jimmythefish: "The sound (from a stunningly beautiful Ferrari 275GTB) makes it appear as though he's going really fast, but it doesn't really look like he is from the video."
The Wikipedia page says that he went an average of 48 miles per hour, which means that he was going faster than that on many of the long avenues. That is really quite fast for an urban area.
posted by savetheclocktower at 5:19 PM on September 27, 2015
The Wikipedia page says that he went an average of 48 miles per hour, which means that he was going faster than that on many of the long avenues. That is really quite fast for an urban area.
posted by savetheclocktower at 5:19 PM on September 27, 2015
Also previously: Afro Duck's Fastest Lap Around Manhattan 2013.
posted by ardgedee at 5:34 PM on September 27, 2015
posted by ardgedee at 5:34 PM on September 27, 2015
Time is weird. This was originally posted a full year before I actually got a MetaFilter account, and was just a devoted lurker, and I immediately thought, "What, this again?"
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:38 PM on September 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:38 PM on September 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
There doesn't seem to be much traffic, I'd imagine trying this again at the same day/time in 2015 would be much more difficult and dangerous.
posted by 3urypteris at 5:56 PM on September 27, 2015
posted by 3urypteris at 5:56 PM on September 27, 2015
Shewt.... To the Dukes, that's about like takin' grandmaw for a Sunday drive.
posted by not_on_display at 8:20 PM on September 27, 2015
posted by not_on_display at 8:20 PM on September 27, 2015
Time is weird...
I just had the exact same experience. It's like some Neptunian Intrrnrt orbit has brought me around to this again. Though in the meantime I've, you know, grown my reaction to this is pretty much the same. Thankfully I don't feel the same way about REO Speedwagon.
posted by From Bklyn at 8:56 PM on September 27, 2015
I just had the exact same experience. It's like some Neptunian Intrrnrt orbit has brought me around to this again. Though in the meantime I've, you know, grown my reaction to this is pretty much the same. Thankfully I don't feel the same way about REO Speedwagon.
posted by From Bklyn at 8:56 PM on September 27, 2015
Paris in the early morning is still pretty deserted. Whenever I visit there, I make sure to get up around five-ish on one day and walk around - being (almost, obviously) the only person on Champs-Élysées or in the alleys around Montmatre is a pretty special way to experience the city. So, yeah, it would probably still be doable.
posted by dominik at 11:21 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by dominik at 11:21 PM on September 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Odd but I found the dubbed engine and tire noises completely off-putting. The noises were so out of sync with the footage it got to the point where it was annoying.
Yes, the truly sociopathic versions involve trips around the périphérique or a quick ride to Uppsala on motorcycles. This is what tracks are for.
posted by N-stoff at 11:51 PM on September 27, 2015
Yes, the truly sociopathic versions involve trips around the périphérique or a quick ride to Uppsala on motorcycles. This is what tracks are for.
posted by N-stoff at 11:51 PM on September 27, 2015
Mitheral: I'd never seen that Vancouver one, that's delightful (and brings back a lot of memories of living there...)
posted by vernondalhart at 12:26 AM on September 28, 2015
posted by vernondalhart at 12:26 AM on September 28, 2015
It's scary that I recognised every inch of this route except when he briefly lost me with that left turn at Boulevard de Clichy (I walked uphill from Pigalle to Abbesses to the funiculaire). I picked him up again when he turned right into Avenue Junot. I've been in Paris, what, four times? 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008. Such a memorable city.
posted by Autumn Leaf at 1:11 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Autumn Leaf at 1:11 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
A mesmerizing video, although I wouldn't have wanted to be a passenger in that car!
posted by Agave at 1:21 AM on September 28, 2015
posted by Agave at 1:21 AM on September 28, 2015
Swift : YMMV
Only if they've moved bits of Paris...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 3:24 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Only if they've moved bits of Paris...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 3:24 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Once a month I show a bunch of Interesting Videos From the Internet at the old persons home where I am employed to incite mirth and creativity. I search far and wide for items of general appeal and some of particular appeal, because "... and this one's for Mary" is always nice to do. "Rendezvous" will please the car-freaks in the audience AND the lone Francophile who loves to recall her travels in France in the '70s. Excellent - a twofer!
I'll play Rieu doing the "Hummingbird Chorus" straight after to compensate the others for subjecting them to that soundtrack.
posted by valetta at 3:53 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'll play Rieu doing the "Hummingbird Chorus" straight after to compensate the others for subjecting them to that soundtrack.
posted by valetta at 3:53 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Back in the day, I ordered a VHS copy of Rendez-vous, the André Téchiné movie starring Juliette Binoche, from what was then the big etailer of movies, Reel.com. They accidentally sent a copy of Rendezvous instead. I called them and explained the mistake and they said they'd get the correct movie out to me right away. I asked if they wanted this one back and they were like, "Nah. Keep it." So I watched it. Quelle surprise.
It went out of print shortly thereafter, and I was able to eBay the tape a few years later for an outrageous sum.
posted by Mothlight at 7:04 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
It went out of print shortly thereafter, and I was able to eBay the tape a few years later for an outrageous sum.
posted by Mothlight at 7:04 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
I first saw this film in, oh, 1991 on a terribly patched together 16mm reel. It was a rumored film, a rare film, something passed around as a non-commercial curiosity. There's something about the film editing that makes it quite compelling. Also the insanity of driving around Paris in this manner, particularly if you know the city. Yes, the driver is a jackass, but the film artifact is still appealing. Maybe it's just Paris; hard to imagine the same joy watching a film of someone driving around St. Louis or Frankfurt.
posted by Nelson at 8:02 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 8:02 AM on September 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
He's made one film that I enjoy, And Now Ladies and Gentlemen, which is apparently an acquired taste. Other than that he's just always seemed like an entitled ass, making films about entitled asses. Not that the previously mentioned film doesn't fit into that spectrum, mind you.
posted by evilDoug at 8:08 AM on September 28, 2015
posted by evilDoug at 8:08 AM on September 28, 2015
The engine noises are almost but not quite in sync. I wonder if they made this by having the Mercedes fitted with camera in front closely followed by the Ferrari with the sound recording equipment. If so it's possible that the squealing tyres noises are actually coming from the heavy 6.9 L Merc in front.
posted by Lanark at 11:31 AM on September 28, 2015
posted by Lanark at 11:31 AM on September 28, 2015
It should be noted that the video links in the 2005 post no longer work.
That's why I saved me a copy!
posted by mikelieman at 1:34 PM on September 28, 2015
That's why I saved me a copy!
posted by mikelieman at 1:34 PM on September 28, 2015
A fitting post for the day Paris went car-free.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 11:52 PM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 11:52 PM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
A friend of mine has a super modified one of these mercedes. It's the normal sized sedan, but with the enormous dry-sump equipped engine of the one used for this video.
It's really, really cool and very fast. It's actually kind of terrifying, and that's coming from someone who used to own a really scary 60s V8 plymouth.
It's like the halfway point between loping, grumbling, almost mad max-ish carbureted 60's V8 cars and the totally computerized very precise feeling stuff today. It also has a citroen-like suspension that makes it feel very detached. It's a very easy car to get going a lot faster than you think you are in.
posted by emptythought at 4:14 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's really, really cool and very fast. It's actually kind of terrifying, and that's coming from someone who used to own a really scary 60s V8 plymouth.
It's like the halfway point between loping, grumbling, almost mad max-ish carbureted 60's V8 cars and the totally computerized very precise feeling stuff today. It also has a citroen-like suspension that makes it feel very detached. It's a very easy car to get going a lot faster than you think you are in.
posted by emptythought at 4:14 AM on September 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by infinitewindow at 2:50 PM on September 27, 2015