C'etait un Rendez-vous

We are approaching the 50th anniversary of French director Claude Lalouch's insane, law-breaking, early morning drive through Paris, which became his short film, the title of which in English is "It was a date",  a punchline you'll understand if you watch to the end of the film, which is less than nine minutes.  Lalouch's exploit inspired generations of racing aficionados.

Lalouch is driving his Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 but the sound track is overdubbed using a Ferrari and isn't always synced to the action. In order to accomplish the drive the director attempted it during August, when Paris is most deserted, particularly back in the 70s, at 5:30 in the morning, and on a Sunday.  It's August 15, 1976.

The drive is entirely on the Right Bank of Paris, starting at Port Dauphine, adjacent to the Bois de Boulogne, ending at Sacre-Coeur in Montmarte.  Along the way we see the Arc de Triumphe, Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, and encounter the cobbled streets of Montmarte.  Lalouch speeds the entire way and ignores red lights.

The first 3:15 are relatively calm.  Though Lalouch is driving fast, the roads are mostly wide and straight.  Then he makes a left turn into the Louvre, driving through a narrow tunnel ending in a blind-cross street and things get a lot more tense.  He is nearly hit by a car, he narrowly misses pedestrians, at one point to avoid a collision he drives into oncoming traffic having to swerve to miss a bus, and runs into a flock of pigeons, all as the streets get narrower, with more frequent intersections.

You couldn't do this today.  August is busier in Paris, the streets get crowded much earlier, and traffic monitoring by the police is much better.  Too bad. 

Here is the film, followed by a documentary explaining how it was done.