I think the title says it all and you can enjoy the whole video down below before we get into some of the context and backstory. Note: Increase volume and go full screen from 1:47. You’re welcome.
Le Grand Rendez-vous pays tribute to a similar short film called “C’était un rendez-vous” from 1976 directed by Claude Lelouch. It is an 8-minute single-take of a car rushing through the empty streets of Paris in the early hours of morning. The car itself is not seen as the camera is seemingly mounted to the front bumper. It was . For its intended effect, Lelouch brilliantly dubbed over the sounds of a Ferrari 275GTB (front-engined V12 greatness) while the footage itself was shot by using a Mercedes-Benz 450SEL. Lelouch himself had a 275GTB but I’d understand if he didn’t to retrofit a camera rig onto it in 1976 to do something he probably didn’t have total permission for.
Skip forward to present day and Ferrari have decided to pay tribute to Lelouch’s film but this time using an actual Maranello-bred supercar. What better than the current top-of-the-line, 1000bhp SF90 Stradale? The venue is set for Monaco and the film was shot on the morning of what was supposed to be the Monaco GP (May 24, it got cancelled for the first time ever due to COVID-19). The lockdown makes it easier to find these streets quite deserted. The SF90 is a lot of horsepower for the tight streets Monaco you might say. That’s why Lelouch paired up with a local by the name of Charles Leclerc. You might have heard of him? He’s the current star driver for Ferrari’s F1 team. The video above is the final result and it is every bit as spectacular and heart-pounding as I’d hoped it to be.
I suppose letting the Prince of Monaco, HSH Prince Albert be part of it the film is fair since he did give permission to shoot. Meanwhile, the story behind the flowers and the woman is kinda deep. In the original Lelouch short, the film ends with him stepping out to meet a lovely lady, the rendezvous he was rushing for all along. She is Gunilla Friden, then Lelouch’s partner which makes the relief on her face to see him show up even more real. The Ferrari-funded Le Grand Rendez-vous stars their granddaughter, Rebecca Blanc-Lelouch, as the girl with the flowers.
Enjoy the film, and if possible, check out the original one too! I’m sure it’s available somewhere on YouTube *wink-wink*.
The Auto Loons 