The Melbourne Rendezvous

1957 1h 46m FR

😐

5.7

MID

★5.7TMDB · 6

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Rendez-Vous a Melbourne is the official filmed record of the 1956 Olympic Games in Australia. At the time of its release, there was much controversy in the documentary-filmmaking world over the fact that the Aussies signed over exclusive distribution rights to a French firm, resulting in a boycott from other movie companies. None of this matters when the film is seen today: though not in the same league as Leni Reifenstahl's Olympiad, this 110-minute extravaganza is consistently entertaining. Fifteen cameras were utilized to lens every aspect of the event; it was then up to editors Jean Dudrumet and Monique Lacombe to burrow through miles and miles of film to cull the highlights seen herein. Portions of Rendez-Vous a Melbourne have since resurfaced in practically every Olympics documentary -- not to mention the many TV specials attending the now-biannual event.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

François Périer
Narrator
Raymond Marcillac
Narrator

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: René Lucot
Writers: Raymond Marcillac, Hubert-René Lucot
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jean-Charles Dudrumet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

François Périer and Raymond Marcillac carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0165926 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

René Lucot directs. Jean-Charles Dudrumet cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

169 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Editor Jean-Charles Dudrumet shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5François Périer and Raymond Marcillac carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0165926 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Editing: Jean-Charles Dudrumet
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: The Melbourne Rendezvous (1957)

Part of

100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012

Spanning fifty-three movies and forty-one editions of the Olympic Games, 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012 is the culmination of a monumental, award-winning archival project encompassing dozens of new restorations by the International Olympic Committee. The documentaries collected here cast a cinematic eye on some of the most iconic moments in the history of modern sports, spotlighting athletes who embody the Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger”: Jesse Owens shattering world records on the track in 1936 Berlin, Jean-Claude Killy dominating the Grenoble slopes in 1968, Joan Benoit breaking away to win the Games’ first women’s marathon in Los Angeles in 1984.