The Story of Adele H (L'Histoire d'Adèle H.) (1975)

93% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(3,607 ratings)

Based on the real-life diaries of Adèle Hugo, The Story of Adele H. is a psychological drama opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the 1860s. The daughter of famous French writer Victor Hugo, Adèle (Isabelle Adjani) has left her father's home to seek out her fiancé, the English soldier Lt. Albert… More Based on the real-life diaries of Adèle Hugo, The Story of Adele H. is a psychological drama opening in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the 1860s. The daughter of famous French writer Victor Hugo, Adèle (Isabelle Adjani) has left her father's home to seek out her fiancé, the English soldier Lt. Albert Pinson (Bruce Robinson). She conceals her identity and rents a room in a boarding house from Mrs. Saunders (Sylvia Marriott). Pinson wants nothing to do with her, but she still obsessively follows him and spies on his affairs. Spending her time writing madly in journals and letters, she eventually meets the bookseller (Joseph Blatchley), who develops an interest in her. Her madness grows when Mrs. Saunders discovers her true identity, and even more so when the bookseller gives her a copy of her father's latest work, Les Miserables. When Pinson is transferred to Barbados, Adèle follows him again and sinks into insanity, living on the street. With the help of a local woman, Madame Baa (Madame Louise), Adèle returns home to her father and spends the rest of her days writing in her diary in Paris. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: François Truffaut
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 8, 1975 Wide
On DVD: Jan 23, 2001

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Truffaut has taken this factual material and made it into a strange, moody film that belongs very much with the darker side of his work.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Looks and sounds like no other Truffaut film you've ever seen.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Its intensity is impressive and remains uncompromised by the prettifying aesthetic touches Truffaut adds here and there in an apparent attempt to distance himself from the overcharged material.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Love, obssession, and madness, key issues in most of Truffaut's work, also define this meticulously made 1975 film, arguably his last masterpiece.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Brilliant performance by Adjani.
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
One of Truffaut's best
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Polished but bland costume drama
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
Among Truffaut's greatest pictures, with a nuanced, revelatory performance from a 19-year-old Isabelle Adjani at its core.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Shot in the dead center of director François Truffaut's career, this is a frivilous curiosity for Truffaut and Hugo scholars... but little more.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Adjani is so uncommonly pretty and smart at the start of the film that her degeneration manages to catch us completely off guard.

Read all 10 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Not a favourite, but okay.
Adam M

under the shadow of her father, Victor Hugo, the most famous man alive at the time, she tries to turn her self-destructive love (for a cad) into a work of art; this movie is directly from her diary
Eric B

After hearing for years what a "classic" this film is, I finally saw it and was gravely disappointed. What an exasperatingly one-note story. The central character pines for a military officer who does not want her, and stalks him obsessively across three countries. Her… More
After hearing for years what a "classic" this film is, I finally saw it and was gravely disappointed. What an exasperatingly one-note story. The central character pines for a military officer who does not want her, and stalks him obsessively across three countries. Her grating neediness does not win our empathy, and we have no idea why she loves him so much. We only know that she does. Gradually, she descends into madness. The end. The direction, costumes, sets and, of course, the exquisite Isabelle Adjani are lovely. Is this enough? No.
Daisy M

The story of Adele H was a true story of Adele Hugo daughter of the famous poet Victor Hugo, who was obsessively in love with an English army lieutenant who did not want her. The scene was Halifax during the American Civil War. She followed Lt. Pinson from her home on the island of… More
The story of Adele H was a true story of Adele Hugo daughter of the famous poet Victor Hugo, who was obsessively in love with an English army lieutenant who did not want her. The scene was Halifax during the American Civil War. She followed Lt. Pinson from her home on the island of Guernsey to be with him even though he had rejected her. I am not familiar with Truffaut's work, but I found this one very haunting and showed Adele's circumstances and her torment without turning into a sentimental melodrama. This movie could be described as an arty movie. But I was certainly impressed by this movie, and especially by Adjani's performance.
Tom S

Don't miss Truffaut's greatest cameo ever.

Cast

            Isabelle Adjani as Adele Hugo

            Bruce Robinson as Lt. Albert Pinson

            Sylvia Marriott as Mrs. Saunders

            Reuben Dorey as Mr. Saunders

            Joseph Blatchley as Bookseller

            Carl Hathwell as Lt. Pinson's Batman

            Louise Bourdet as Victor Hugo's servant

            Geoffrey Crook as George

            Cecil de Saumarez as M. Lenoir

            Chantal Durpoix as Young whore

            Raymone Falla as Judge Johnstone

            David Foote as Young Boy

            Jacques Fréjabue as Cabinetmaker

            Clive Gillingham as Keaton

            Ivry Gitlis as Hypnotist

            Edward Jackson as O'Brien

            Jean-Pierre Leursse as Black penpusher

            Madame Louise as Mme. Baa

            Aurelia Mansion as Widow with Dogs

            Roger Martin as Dr. Murdock

            M. White as Col. White

            Mr. White as Colonel

            Thi Loan Nguyen as Chinese

            François Truffaut as Officer On Ramparts

            Ralph Vaughan Williams as Canadian
See full cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started

The Story of Adele H (L'Histoire d'Adèle H.) (1975)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Adam M

Eric B

Daisy M

Tom S

Cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!