The Story of Adele H (1975)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Hugo Fool

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

The beautiful Isabelle Adjani stars (and received the first of her two Academy Award nominations) for her role as Adele, the daughter of the world-famous author Victor Hugo (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Les Misérables). It's 1863 and Adele travels to Halifax to be near a soldier, Lieutenant Albert Pinson (Bruce Robinson, who went on to write and direct Withnail & I) and to declare her love for him. He wants nothing to do with her, but she remains determined, growing more and more obsessed and irrational. She even tries to conjure the spirit of her dead sister and approaches a hypnotist to see if Pinson can be forced into falling in love with her. Pauline Kael saw The Story of Adele H as a comedy, believing that Adele knows full well that her soldier is a nothing, but going through the rollercoaster anyway, in an effort to assert herself, to butt heads with her father. That may or may not be what Truffaut had in mind, but it's Adjani who sells this story. We see her interior, and how her desires and behaviors are entirely rational to her. Nestor Almendros provides the beautiful cinematography, helping Truffaut once again find his balance between romance and illusion.

Kino Lorber released the movie on a fine-looking Blu-ray for 2023, including a commentary track by film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, and a bunch of trailers, many of them for Truffaut films.