The Story of Adele H

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source: The Story of Adele H

Don't read ANY comments if you haven't seen it yet. OH God, François Truffaut summarized so perfectly the stages of ... well, "non corresponded love". It's obsessive, but above all is the love of a lost, fragile woman. Rejection told step by step in its consequences, brilliantly. And then there's Isabelle Adjani. WOW. WHAT A PERFORMANCE! She REALLY incorporates a psychologically instable Adele and deserved the recognition she got (NYFCCA, NBR, NSFCA and was robbed of a much deserving Oscar, but who can beat the "hurricane" One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest?) See IT and feel IT. Remember that it is based on a true story: you won't forget Adele H., her complexity and her nobility soon.

The real story of Adèle Hugo, Victor Hugo's youngest daughter, played by a yet-to-be 20-year-old Isabelle Adjani, whose one-sided infatuation to a British officer, Lieutenant Albert Pinson (Robinson), drives her to leave her family and come to Halifax alone, where he is stationed, only to be subjected to more stern rejection from Pinson, eventually she loses her sanity in Barbados and is sent back to her father, she lives until 1915 at the age of 85. Truffaut strong-willedly mines into the absurdity and irrationality of unrequited love evinced from Adèle's own diaries, and beats about the bush about Adèle's mental faculties at then, as at first viewers may get a vague idea that she is a congenital liar and her obsession could be completely derived from her imagination. But soon Pinson's visit clears the suspicion, he actually did be romantically linked with her, but presently he doesn't want anything to do with her, but he never gives an explanation, another sly bullet-dodging of revealing the speculative truth, since, understandably, you can not find that in one's own diaries. So, Adèle's torment, is simultaneously inflicted by Pinson's heartless rebuff and by her own deep-rooted delusion, it always takes two to tango, that's where lies the frustrating perverseness of the little destructive thing called love. The film is Adjani's star-making vehicle, she harrowingly lays bare Adèle's severely troubled soul on top of her ethereal beauty, and marvelously characterizes her vulnerability and paranoia, which are much beyond her age and experiences, and she laudably earns an Oscar nomination for her prowess. Credits should also be given to Bruce Robinson's portrayal of the obnoxiously uppity, narcissistic and self-serving Albert Pinson, who can mercilessly spurn Adjani's Adèle, a nonpareil belle who only wants to be loved by him, it is a rather surreal and idealistic role, and Robinson indeed makes a dent of his own effort notwithstanding that the movie has never focused on him, it is purely a showcase for the young Adjani. Adèle's tragedy is a rich kid's blues, living under the shadow of her world-known father and sibling rivalry, she pestered by the incubus of her late sister Léopoldine's drowning accident, and quintessentially, her relentless pursuit of love and marriage is a desperate attempt to imitate Léopoldine's short but fulfilled life, in Adèle's recount, the husband of Léopoldine voluntarily dies with her, that is something she needs to possess, to prove her own worth, after all, it is not about Pinson at all, which is emphatically captured by the final encounter between them. Like the illusionist (Gitlis) in the picture, our world is populated with deceptions and play-actings, and THE STORY OF ADELE H (it must be where Noah Baumbach's FRANCES HA 2012 gets its titular inspiration), further vouches for Truffaut's will power to debunk the ugly truth in his works, only this time, let it get brutally emotional under a often sombre palette from the one-and-only Néstor Almendros and incited by a compelling tour-de-force from Ms. Adjani.

Compared to "Jules & Jim", "Day for Night" or "The 400 Blows", "The Story of Adèle H." seems a minor Truffaut, but it's still a memorable film. Isabelle Adjani's sublime performance - and, we cannot deny, her mesmerizing beauty - as Victor Hugo's daughter, Adèle, blindly in love with a Lieutenant (played by Bruce Robinson, who wrote "The Killing Fields" and directed "Jennifer 8"), are the greatest force behind this film: Isabelle's face is one of the most expressive in film history, and she makes us feel all the sorrow of the tragic Adèle with a single look. Adjani should've won the Oscar she was nominated for (Louise Fletcher won it for her great, but borderline supporting performance in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"), but we know the Academy doesn't tend to give the statuette to actresses in foreign films (they haven't done that since 1961... hopefully that'll change next year if Marion Cotillard deservedly wins for her groundbreaking turn as Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose"). Academy's blunder apart, this is a sad and touching story of unrequited love that makes us wonder: why do we always fall for those who don't want us? If you ever fell for someone who didn't care for you (if you're one of 99% of the population, that is), you'll relate to Adèle's story at some point, even if your case wasn't as extreme as hers (and, for your own sake, I hope it isn't!). 8/10.

"I'm still young and yet it sometimes seems to me that I've reached the autumn of my life." This tragic statement, taken from the diaries of Adele Hugo, daughter of Victor, is both the doomed statement of a young girl driven mad by love, and an ironic testament to the performance of a then 20 year old Isabelle Adjani. Francois Truffaut takes us back to 1863, with the American Civil War in full swing, and France and Great Britain still undecided in participation. Young Adele Hugo arrives at a camp in Nova Scotia seeking out her great love Lieutenant Pinson (Bruce Robinson), who she had embarked on a love affair with and whose potential marriage had been frowned upon. What may have become a rather frustrating depiction of a desperate woman in love, Truffaut takes special care to create an air of Greek tragedy, as we witness the emotional deterioration of our protagonist, and her desperate pursuit of the unwilling Lieutenant Pinson. Adjani, simply unnervingly beautiful (seriously, how do the French keep doing it?), gives everything to the role. Adele herself, as depicted in the picture, is a time-bomb of emotions, giving every ounce of her strength into the tidal wave of pure love she feels - possibly a result of her father's grand romantic poems and novels - so anything less from Adjani wouldn't haven't done Adele justice. This is a different kind of work to what I've previously seen from Truffaut - I'm more familiar with his New Wave productions. Adele H. is filmed in dark lighting, acting almost like a character itself signifying the darkness clouding in Adele's emotional torment. Victor Hugo's presence can be felt throughout the film, although he is never seen. Adele's story was taken from her diaries and the frequent letters she wrote to her parents, both of whom were concerned for her well- being. She attempts to keep her identity a secret, but friends are shocked when they uncover her secret, and the film works almost as a testament to Victor Hugo, a bow to his sheer immensity. But whether this is an ode to tragic intellectualism, or a human story that grabbed Truffaut's heart, I'll never know, but this is a gently haunting tale, and one that will make you want to personally open the eyes of Adele to the possibilities that are all around her, were she not so swept away by madness and love. www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

If you like foreign-language films, then you need to see this movie. It's a period piece, about a young woman's obsessive love for a man--an obsession that drives her into madness. The highlight of this movie is, of course, the performance of Isabelle Adjani (who plays the title character). She gives an absolutely amazing performance in this movie (and from what I understand, she was only 19 or 20 years old when she made this film). This film kind of reminds me of Roman Polanski's "Tess", because of the colors that are used in this film, and because both films have a slow though graceful pace. This movie can also be described as an arty film--I like the creative shots in some of the scenes. What I didn't like was the fact that the subtitles moved too quickly in some scenes. But I was certainly impressed by this movie, and especially by Adjani's performance.

Well made and competent, Truffaut's "Adele H." is, at it's most basic level, the story of a stalker. That the stalker is the daughter of Victor Hugo simply adds to the morbid curiousity of it all. Adjani is pretty in a simple way which lends itself well to the story. As the British soldier who is the object of Adele's all consuming passion, Bruce Robinson is callow enough that it makes you wonder why she would follow him all over the "new world" for him. I especially like the mixing of both English and French especially in the scenes in Halifax, Nova Scotia. And the period details (like the soldier's uniforms) gives the film a very realistic feel without being overbearing. The ending is a bit of a let down because you kind of expect some kind of melodramatic ending considering all that Adele went through. To realize (SPOILER HERE) that she did go back to France and led an OK life until her death in 1915 is, despite the fact that it's true, anti-climatic. I think it would have been more satisfying to see how she was when she went back to France. Did she recover completely? Was she still somewhat obessessed? We simply get a quickie voiceover that feels like a cheat.

A genuine horror film of the spirit---the filmmaking is excellent and a bit of a thematic departure for Truffaut as there is little to no leavening humour in this film. In most of his works there is at least a touch of ironic drollness but this film is basically serious-minded all the way through with devastating results. "Haunting" is the best way to describe Adjani's work in this, one of her first film appearances. Her best moments are wordless; in her eyes is the essense of spiritual dissipation and emotional emaciation. Before our eyes, she is devoured by love, and not in the conventional sense. Without the film ever leaving the secular world, Adele Hugo descends to Hell and Truffaut finds the horror of her journey in the most mundane settings and gestures. A movie that stays with you. A lacerating but very rewarding experience!

A beautiful, haunting film. You will not be able to forget it. The performances (especially Adjani's)are sensitive and moving as is the direction and the script. Definitely the most intelligent movie about obsessive love ever made. If you are a Truffaut fan, or just a film fan in general, rent this film immediately.