Wheels On Film: C'était un rendezvous

Category: Romance/stunt-driving/insanity

The cast: Two un-credited actors.

The car: A Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 stars as Ferrari 275 GTB. Yes, that's a car playing another car. And very convincingly we might add...

The plot: A young Frenchman has promised to meet his lover at a certain time in a certain place in Paris. After setting off at the crack of dawn - presumably he overslept - he drives hell for leather to their rendezvous point. Apparently love waits for no one in the city of romance, and so it pays to be punctual! Road laws be damned!

In a nutshell: The story behind one the most exhilarating and gorgeous films ever made is something of a legend among petrolheads, with as many untruths as certifiable facts swirling around it. What we know for certain, is as follows; after he had finished shooting one of his movies, director Claude Lelouch discovered he had nine minutes of film left over. Never being one to allow good film stock to go to waste, he decided the best way to make use of it, was to load it into a gyro-stabilized camera mounted on the front of his Mercedes and then tear through the streets of Paris at the crack of dawn. He later dubbed screeching tyres, gear changes and a roaring engine into the proceedings.

The result is probably one of the most breathtaking short-films in existence - a white-knuckle sprint across the city of romance as the sun begins to rise. There's no plot to speak of and no dialogue - just a thrilling view from the front of the car as it blasts through Paris, skidding round corners, scattering the occasional group of pigeons and screaming through the narrow streets.

It should be pointed out at this stage that C'était un rendez-vous is also one of the most irresponsible films ever made. It's something of a statistical anaomly (or miracle, depending on how you view it) that no one was seriously injured or killed during the filming. One story about the film (which may or may not be true) demonstrates how horribly things could've turned out; one of the spotters on the route stationed at a blind turn (which occurs at the 3:27 mark) and charged with telling Lelouch that the coast was clear to make that turn, was unable to do so, due to the fact his walkie-talkie died as filming began.

However, C'était un rendezvous is an essential entry in the petrolhead film canon - even if Lelouch deserved more than the slap on the wrist he got from the authorities for making it. It's a thrill-fuelled Valentine to the romance capital of the world. What more could you ask for?

Best bit: The ending of this insane experience is sure to bring a smile to your face - so we won't spoil it for you here.

Worst bit: We're tempted to lament the fact that they'll never make a film like this ever again - but that's probably a good thing.

Random fact: The Parisian chief of police summoned Claude Lelouch to his office after the completion of the film, and reportedly took his licence away. He returned it seconds later, but issued a stern warning; "don't do it again!"

Should appeal to: Petrolheads, chase scene fans, and anyone with even a hint romance in their soul.

Worth watching? You can watch the whole film for free over on YouTube, but we recommend splashing out on a DVD copy. To truly appreciate this beautiful piece of work, it should be viewed on the biggest screen possible.