The title may be a bold claim for a movie that lasts less than 10 minutes, but while most movies last for 90 minutes, they can seem to be slightly boring in some parts, Rendezvous is not. Steeped in mystery for almost 30 years, the movie has been underground for most of this time, but thanks to modern technology, Cetait Un Rendezvous is back to enthrall a new generation of petrolheads. With no edits or special effects, meaning that everything you see was real, the movie seems all the more astonishing.
Starting off with a beating heart, the movie cuts to a rasping exhaust note of an unknown car, all taken from a camera mounted on the front of it, capturing the sights and sounds of 70's Paris, while the driver (who's face is never shown) extracts every ounce of performance out of said car. After 8 minutes of near misses, speeding through red lights and that intoxicating engine noise, a surprise is revealed.
The movie leaves all sorts of questions unanswered: What was the car? Who was the driver? How fast was he going? And how the hell did he do it? This next bit contains spoilers.
The car in the movie is believed to be the director's own Ferrari 275 GTB, while the driver is said to be either an F1 driver or the director himself. The speed of the car is said to be over 150mph. However, thanks to the way Rendezvous has left so many questions unanswered, these have been guesses. However, the sad truth is, Claude Lelouch, the director, explained that the car he was driving was actually a Mercedes, with the Ferrari exhaust note added to give the viewer a greater sense of speed, he also confirmed that he drove the car himself.
After people who simply watched the movie and admitted on how amazing it was, the previous truths may have burst a big bubble for them. However, who's to say that Lelouch was telling the truth this time? Couldn't it be possible for someone who never told the whole story for 30 years, is simply lying once more? Perhaps not, but the truth is, you never know, because you weren't there at that time.
Yet, while on the surface the film appears to be a reckless, brainless car movie for petrolheads only, the underlying notion the movie exudes is love: Think about the location Paris, the most romantic city in the world. Then think about the car engine note, a Ferrari, the car marque most often used with passion and love. Then think to the beginning of the movie, the beating heart. Why is it beating? Beating for the sheer excitement of traversing Paris at breakneck speed? Or beating for desire to spend time with the woman the driver loves, whom he meets at the end (the surprise ending, thus explaining the name of Cetait Un Rendezvous). Now think why he drove the way he did. Was it reckless? Stupid? Irresponsible? Yes. Why do it? Out of love and desire. The love of his woman, the desire to want to be with her so much that he would risk everything, just to spend one moment with her. In a world where everything has become fast paced and politically correct, the driver applies the fast-paced principle to the driving world, in order to relax and spend time with his girlfriend. Could it be that we spend so much time doing what we have to do, that we run out of time to do what we want to do? This is the true genius of Rendezvous: It appeals to so many by the action on screen, that it displays profound thinking that you never expect to find when you look deep into it's soul. You find something wonderful where you least expect it. On the surface, Rendezvous is one of the greatest car movies ever made, yet under the surface, it is also one of the most intriguing. A real shame that so few people have seen this tiny slice of cinema heaven, if you look hard enough, you will find Cetait Un Rendezvous, watch it and be amazed. Likewise, if you try to focus on the underlying theme in Rendezvous, you will be simply amazed by what you find.
Miss this amazing film at your own cost, for it is far greater than you would imagine it, in more ways than one.
Starting off with a beating heart, the movie cuts to a rasping exhaust note of an unknown car, all taken from a camera mounted on the front of it, capturing the sights and sounds of 70's Paris, while the driver (who's face is never shown) extracts every ounce of performance out of said car. After 8 minutes of near misses, speeding through red lights and that intoxicating engine noise, a surprise is revealed.
The movie leaves all sorts of questions unanswered: What was the car? Who was the driver? How fast was he going? And how the hell did he do it? This next bit contains spoilers.
The car in the movie is believed to be the director's own Ferrari 275 GTB, while the driver is said to be either an F1 driver or the director himself. The speed of the car is said to be over 150mph. However, thanks to the way Rendezvous has left so many questions unanswered, these have been guesses. However, the sad truth is, Claude Lelouch, the director, explained that the car he was driving was actually a Mercedes, with the Ferrari exhaust note added to give the viewer a greater sense of speed, he also confirmed that he drove the car himself.
After people who simply watched the movie and admitted on how amazing it was, the previous truths may have burst a big bubble for them. However, who's to say that Lelouch was telling the truth this time? Couldn't it be possible for someone who never told the whole story for 30 years, is simply lying once more? Perhaps not, but the truth is, you never know, because you weren't there at that time.
Yet, while on the surface the film appears to be a reckless, brainless car movie for petrolheads only, the underlying notion the movie exudes is love: Think about the location Paris, the most romantic city in the world. Then think about the car engine note, a Ferrari, the car marque most often used with passion and love. Then think to the beginning of the movie, the beating heart. Why is it beating? Beating for the sheer excitement of traversing Paris at breakneck speed? Or beating for desire to spend time with the woman the driver loves, whom he meets at the end (the surprise ending, thus explaining the name of Cetait Un Rendezvous). Now think why he drove the way he did. Was it reckless? Stupid? Irresponsible? Yes. Why do it? Out of love and desire. The love of his woman, the desire to want to be with her so much that he would risk everything, just to spend one moment with her. In a world where everything has become fast paced and politically correct, the driver applies the fast-paced principle to the driving world, in order to relax and spend time with his girlfriend. Could it be that we spend so much time doing what we have to do, that we run out of time to do what we want to do? This is the true genius of Rendezvous: It appeals to so many by the action on screen, that it displays profound thinking that you never expect to find when you look deep into it's soul. You find something wonderful where you least expect it. On the surface, Rendezvous is one of the greatest car movies ever made, yet under the surface, it is also one of the most intriguing. A real shame that so few people have seen this tiny slice of cinema heaven, if you look hard enough, you will find Cetait Un Rendezvous, watch it and be amazed. Likewise, if you try to focus on the underlying theme in Rendezvous, you will be simply amazed by what you find.
Miss this amazing film at your own cost, for it is far greater than you would imagine it, in more ways than one.