C'etait un Rendez-Vous

A friend an I were talking about a film made in the 70's which shows a guy driving through Paris in a Ferrari at incredible speeds. I remember seeing it sometime ago and now it seems to have disappeared. Until now.

Here's the story:

In 1976 Claude Lelouch claims he mounted a gyro stabilized 35mm motion picture camera onto the bumper of a Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9. He had in mind a route that would take him through Paris at a speed nearing 140 MPH. He basically had one shot since the camera only held 1000 feet of film. Which explains the nine minute film you are about to see.

So, at 5:30AM, he took off and shot the film. In one take. No effects except for one. He dubbed in the sound of his Ferrari 275 GTB to match the gearing and speeding of the Mercedes. After shooting with the Mercedes, he drove the same route with the Ferrari recording the audio for the overdub. Nevertheless, this is one hell of a ride. The red lights are real and so are the pedestrians. He could not secure a permit to close any of the streets for this shoot, so he shot it illegally.

After watching this film a couple of times, I'm more under the impression that he likely did this only once with the Ferrari. Matching the audio to the film would have been a little tricky in some parts. Besides, why risk the danger more than once? BUT...

He also makes the claim there was an assistant with a walkie talkie near the Louvre archway who was acting as a spotter, looking for pedestrians. This was because the one turn he makes there is blind. Claude said after the fact, the radios had failed and he would have never heard the warning had there been one.

Other claims made after the fact include the reasoning behind the Ferrari overdub was to give the viewer a greater sense of speed. Calculations by some independent groups claim Lelouch never exceeded 85 MPH. Keep in mind, the Mercedes he claims he used as the camera car is certainly capable of 140MPH. However, some people state the route he took is only 6.48 miles and in the 7 minute 57 second run time, that would give him an average speed of 48.86 MPH. Hardly the speed demon he's presenting in the film. I don't know about you, but the route seems longer than what is being disputed here.

The route he took is here. It starts to the left. It starts near Port Dauphine and takes him through the Louvre, the Arc d'Triomphe and along the Champs-Elysees. He ends the run at Mont Marte overlooking Paris, and a hot blond woman.

After the drive, it is rumored Claude (who says he actually drove the route) was arrested and released but was ticketed for the stunt. It's also rumored the mayor of Paris at the time, tore the ticket up as it was not known, at the time of the film who exactly was the driver. Claude merely admitted to being the filmmaker.

It would seem Lelouch was downplaying the production of the film as it was said that he was on the receiving end of massive criticism for the stunt. Whatever or however the film was produced is of no real consequence though as it is undoubtedly a thrill to watch.

There is a DVD of this out with a making-of documentary and it is highly recommended for those of you who like this sort of thing.

It is recommended you watch this in full screen with the volume up. Then go find the DVD. The footage on it has been remastered.

The thumbnail here takes you off the blog to another site which is hosting the film.



Short Movie Rendez-Vous of Claude Lelouch, in Paris in 1976

What do you think?

This is what it's like for me when I am late for work at 4:30AM.

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Res Ipsa Loquitur

Five years ago (tomorrow as of this posting) marks the 5th anniversary of the day Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his own life. Much has been said about that event and all those the things which surround that day.

Whatever you take is on the good Doctor. One thing is certain, he did leave an indelible mark on the literary world through his larger than life persona and all he wrote about.

I can't and won't expand on Thompson as I could do him no justice, at least none he would be pleased with, so I leave it with the following video. Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride.

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Dolph Lundgren

After seeing what I am about to share with you here, I have to admit, I was torn. The first thought that came to mind was Dolph Lundgren is a tool. An ass kicking tool, mind you, but a tool nonetheless. Then again, taking in the context of what this video actually is, from Swedish TV, you have to marvel at the entertainment value. In fact, one thought that comes to mind is Mel Brooks' monster from Young Frankenstein (brilliantly played by Peter Boyle), specifically the Puttin' on the Ritz number.

Now, you are going to have to be a bit patient with the beginning of this video, it being in Swedish and all. But I promise there lies within this video some of the best entertainment the internet and Swedish TV can provide.

There is something in here for everyone. From Elvis, to dancing go-go girls, to an ass kicking demonstration and some fairly competent work on the drums.

The only thing missing, is his display of brains. After all, the man does hold a masters degree in chemical engineering. With a reported IQ of 160, you have to wonder what is going through the man's mind here. Then again, maybe not.

Sit back and bask in the glory that is the "talent" that is Dolph Lundgren...




If only I could be this entertaining.

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Mona Lisas

If you ever get to see the real Mona Lisa in the Louvre. You'll be shocked at just how small the thing really is. It's about the size of a standard piece of paper.

The one on top you probably have not seen. Left is the famous one hanging in the Louvre.

Leonardo's masterpiece still holds some strange allure after all these years. But, who was she? Mona Lisa del Giocondo, wife of a Florentine nobleman. At the time of the original painting, she was mourning the loss of her baby and was wearing a transparent veil during the sittings.

It took da Vinci four years to finish the painting, and when it was done, he gave it to the Giocondos as a gift. Now, ol' Leo had a habit of making more than one painting of the same subject. Because it might come in handy. In fact, there are some sixty known Mona Lisa's out there and all are cataloged. All of them just a bit different.

Apparently there was one done for Guiliano de Medici which is a portrait of his mistress at the time, Costanza d'Avalos. Now, this lady had an uncanny resemblance to Mona Lisa del Giocondo. Leonardo nicknamed the piece "La Gioconda"- which means, approximately, "smiler". Sadly, when it was finished, de Medici ran this woman off and married someone else. So, Leonardo took the painting with him to France where it eventually found it's way to London and ultimately became the property of Dr. Henry Pulitzer.

Then came this:



This is La Belle Gabrielle and at one time was in the collection of Lord Spencer of Northamptonshire, England and has been attributed to the school of Leonardo da Vinci. The topless Lisa, as she has come to be known was recently found after apparently being lost for some time. It was hidden behind a wall for nearly one hundred years. Now, obviously this broad looks NOTHING like the other two broads and had to have been a piece Leonardo did for some extra cash or for whatever reason.

So it seems, Leonardo would keep the same idea for these paintings and just swap out the face. Sort of the Photoshop of his day.

Not much is known about La Belle Gabrielle, but she has made a return to the public by hanging in a museum in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo's home.

I bet you never thought you would ever read a bit about art history here, did you?

You never know what is going to show up around here so,

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Facebook

I must admit, I dragged my knuckles into the 21st century in some respects and walked upright and faced this brave new world like a somewhat evolved ape-man in others. We made the plunge into HD TV as soon as it was practical. I "monkeyed" with Twitter long enough to realize it wasn't all that bad.

Then came Facebook.

All the questions, wherever I went... "Are you on Facebook? When are you going to get on Facebook?" Etc. Then I did it. Went and opened an account on Facebook. After earlier answers to the above questions had been tossed off with, "Not for me. It just seems rather pointless."

You know, those answers may very well be accurate, now that I am on Facebook. Nevertheless, I am on it a bunch. Although, not much of a contributor there (go figure), I do find it wildly entertaining to read what people say about their lives and the little comments that are posted in response. In a way, it surprises me the things some people will actually post on that thing, for all to read.

It brings to mind the old adage an old journalist once told me. Speech, by and large, disappears as it is spoken. But the written word can be and often is, eternal.

One must be careful as to what one posts on such a site. As is this blog, too. Lest someone takes what you say as an affront to their sensibilities and uses such words against you. For example, the internet is certainly not the place to go to openly bitch about your job or whatever it is life that has you peeved. Those words you wrote can, and will, bite you in the ass.

Plus, I am finding it interesting that some people will post some of the most private details of their lives to random strangers. As if those reading were to have some vague notion of the subject being posted. Yet, when it comes to privacy issues, these people tend to get worked up over private details that are found on the internet... posted by them.

It would seem to me, if you are the least bit concerned about what is and what is not private, why are you telling everyone about yourself that some would consider as private? Fascinating.

Could I live without it? Sure. Do I like it? Sure.

It's like being given the key to the door that everyone wants to know what its hiding.

Happy Facebooking and...

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