Le départ

Nineteen-year-old Marc is an apprentice at a ladies hairdressing salon. His great passion, however, is cars and car-racing. A rally will be taking place in two days time. Marc has entered his employer’s Porsche, which he plans to “borrow”. He practices at night with a friend as co-pilot. Suddenly, he hears that his boss aims to take a car trip that weekend, so he has to find another car. With the help of an Indian “Maharajah”, he manages to borrow a car from a Porsche rep., so that he can now practice for a short while at least. While he is working at the salon, a client gives him her telephone number and advises him to rent a car from a car-hire company. However, this means he would have to pay a 15,000-franc deposit. Marc is at his wits’ end. It is as much as his new girlfriend Michèle can do to stop him from stealing some spare parts at an automobile exhibition. The next day they manage to sell a few old things at a second-hand dealer’s – but not the plaits worth 10 000 Francs, which his friend has “procured” for him. Nor does a talk with his obliging client improve his financial situation. An attempt to steal a car fails. While Marc is sitting completely disheartened alongside Michèle in the hairdressing salon, his boss suddenly returns from his trip. Marc and Michèle set off in his Porsche. They manage to get a few hours’ sleep at a hotel near the race-track. Michèle is woken by the loud roar of engines. Marc is standing there at the window, looking out. His great dream remains unfulfilled.



Translated from: Festival-Programmblatt der 17. Internationalen Filmfestspiele Berlin 1967