Review of The Story of Adèle H. (1975) by Jesse B — 01 Apr 2012

Ah, Adele. Poor young, confused, slightly psychotic girl. Francois Truffaut's The Story of Adele H. is the story of a beautiful young French girl in love -- rather obsessed with a strapping young British soldier whom she follows half way across the world to confront.

To be quite honest, if this film were not based in fact and the main character did not truly exist with all of her little foibles as shown, this may very well have been considered a horror film. Adele is actually quite deranged. She relentlessly stalks the young soldier under the banner of love, and does everything in her power to convince him that they are to marry. She goes as far as to tell her father (the great H. of the film, Hugo, as in the French revolutionary and author, Victor Hugo) that the two of them have been wed, which in turn prompts monsieur Hugo to write the local papers about it which eventually, being rather big news as it is, makes its way to the young soldier who is quite taken aback at the information.

Adele tries everything while keeping her namesake a secret. It would seem that her father is nothing more than a meal ticket for this spoiled young woman, as she does nothing but ask for his consent to wed a man who does not want her, and to beg for money on which she is currently surviving over seas. Monsieur Hugo, loving his daughter as he is portrayed as doing, obliges her in both. The money she spends frivolously and the man she pursues relentlessly.

At the end of the film she is penniless, having fallowed the young, and now married soldier, to Barbados, and completely mad it would seem, walking the dusty streets in tattered garments which once adorned her as a symbol of her status and rank in society. She now haunts the poorer.

Quarters like a zombie in a dry, lifeless land.

Although it is not one of Truffaut's truly great films -- being 400 Blows and Jules et Jim -- this is a very good movie with an astonishing performance by Isabelle Adjani in the titular role. Any honest Truffaut fan would be amiss to let this gem go without a viewing.