A far cry from the original “C’était un rendez-vous”
You may not know about Claude Lelouch’s "C’était un rendez-vous" short film from 1976. It’s one of the most appraised car-related motion pictures — it even got awarded at the 1977 Krakow Film Festival.
It might not seem such a cinematographic gem when you look at it now, but consider that it was shot in 1976, at a time when Google Maps, Waze, mobile phones, and OSMO cameras didn’t exist.
So the director didn’t have very much to work with. All he did was strap a camera on a Mercedes 450SEL’s bonnet and blast through the streets of Paris to his rendez-vous. He later added the sound of a Ferrari V12 engine, for added thrill factor. A Ferrari camera car most likely would have led to nine minutes of shaky ‘70s cinematography, so the Merc’s air suspension was the right call.
Now, hearing a Mustang’s 5.0-liter V8 growl on the streets of Paris while retracing the same itinerary is music to our ears. And, thanks to VR technology, it surely looks good too. However, knowing this was made “with the full approval and cooperation of the French local authorities,” in “controlled conditions,” with a “professional driver,” we get the feeling that it somehow misses the whole idea and spirit of the original rendez-vous short film.
Lelouch took his 6.9 Merc and risked a lot just to capture this sheer experience, of a lover rushing through traffic to meet his half. He had a spotter that would radio him if there was any traffic coming from a blind corner (the second tunnel near the Louvre); without any received warning, he hammered it, just to find out later that the walkie-talkie was broken anyway.