Dec. 21 Weekly Open Thread
As always, this is the venue for discussion that doesn't really fit anywhere else.
- Saab still has a flicker of hope, in the form of a last-minute bid from Dutch specialty carmaker Spyker. GM's deadline for a decision is end of day today, so this is most certainly a Hail Mary attempt. I'm not getting my (already dangerously overstressed) hopes up.
- As part of my ongoing effort to raise my daughter with an appropriate sense of values, I sat down with her this weekend to watch the 1976 Claude Lelouch film C'était un Rendezvous. For those of you unfamiliar with Rendezvous, it is an eight-minute-long short film with no dialogue, no immediately apparent plot, and no characterization. Rather than any of those tiresome elements, Rendezvous keeps things simple--it's about an unseen driver piloting an unseen car flat-out through sleepy, unsuspecting, pre-dawn Paris.
The movie might seem dull at first to eyes jaded by modern car chases and racing video games, all of which make outrageous speed commonplace. Rendezvous isn't outrageously fast, but it enthralls me because it's all real. The camera car blasts through a completely uncontrolled urban environment, blowing through red lights, jinking onto the wrong side of the road to clear slow traffic, scattering pigeons, and nearly clipping startled Parisians. Only the last 10 seconds of the movie are scripted; the rest is all fraught with uncertainty and danger.
Rendezvous would be fun even at legal speeds; I love soaking in the sights of 1976 Paris, particularly the cars. There are a few nice Citroen 2CVs on offer, and I'd swear that I saw at least two Citroen CXs. The soundtrack is engrossing as well; the glorious engine sound is from Lelouch's Ferrari 275GTB, but current speculation is that the actual camera car was a beastly Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 and that the Ferrari engine noise was overdubbed. Either way, the sound is stirring.
I'm happy to report that my daughter loved Rendezvous so much that we watched it twice.
--Chris H.
Chris Hafner on December 21, 2009 at 02:31 PM
Sounds like the dialogue between Spyker and GM must be at least a little bit productive ...
http://www.saabsunited.com/2009/12/breaking-news-spyker-softens-on-deadline.html
Shawn on December 21, 2009 at 04:19 PM
One of the highlights of having a close friend with a young son is that I get to buy him toy cars for Christmas. He is clearly being raised right because he can't get enough of them! This year he is being educated further with a selection of Hot Wheels VW's including a mk. 1 GTI and best of all a puke green Matchbox Citroen DS. It was hard not keeping that last one for myself.
Random Walker on December 21, 2009 at 04:29 PM
Can anyone identify the white car he passes at 5:39? Looks like American Muscle???
CodyJarrett on December 21, 2009 at 05:37 PM
I'll take a crack at IDing that white car in the video(5:39).
Its Eleanor,on her European tour.:)
69/70/71 mustang/Shelby
John B on December 21, 2009 at 08:49 PM
CodyJarrett--
That's what I thought when I saw it.
But, there were NO Shelbys based on the 1971-73 Mustang.
Mochi Mochi on December 21, 2009 at 08:51 PM
Oh this brings back memories. I clicked the video before reading and I was like "Paris? Are we heading towards Etoile?" The roads got instantly familiar and there she was... This is a great find. I'm going to play this over and over again and relive the old days. No - I did not drive through that much of Paris in the pre-dawn hours at speed. When I was driving in that beautiful city 8 minutes would get you about 2 blocks or less no matter what. But I am proud to say that in my reckless youth I did repeatedly circle the Arc de Triomphe drifting a Mercedes 280SE at speeds of 100+ kph in mid-day traffic. It was and still is one of those stupid and unique accomplishments of which I am exceedingly proud... even though I'd never do it again.
As far as the over dubbing goes... if they did over dub they did a really good job of getting just the right echo effects at just the right moments. If it was a mercedes then I'd understand why there's not much drop or lift in the film during acceleration or deceleration... I would have expected more had it been a Ferrari. But who cares... that was a beautiful ride and mercedes or ferrari driving in europe and especially paris in the late 70s... a completely transformative experience. nirvana.
George on December 22, 2009 at 01:46 AM
Have you ever seen Two-Lane Blacktop starring James Taylor?