Touches You

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Did anyone else think Pinson intended to kill Adele on that Barbados back street, until he realized that he had finally driven her insane? Bruce Robinson plays the wormy cad to a T, but amazing kudos go to Adjani, as the deeply suffering heart of what Truffaut dubbed his "love story for one." I realize that Adele was an obsessive, masochistic, lying stalker. But she also suffered from the vicarious trauma of her sister's drowning in addition to probably having a tendency toward mental illness. What a case study in the truism that money can't buy you love!Let's not trivialize this great film by reducing it to a "fatal attraction" for the 19th century. What woman hasn't found herself in the position of having given herself to a man only to be callously cast aside?Truffaut beautifully captures the ineffable helplessness of being in this excruciating position.I first saw this film back in 1975 as an undergraduate at Penn State, while majoring in English. I remember telling a poet friend, "I wish I wrote as much as Adele did!" I'd like to believe I have aged as admirably as this powerful work.

Francois Truffaut's historical tale about Victor Hugo's daughter Adele and her obsessive quest for the English soldier she loved is bittersweet and heartfelt at the same time. It takes the true talent and caliber of a director like Truffaut to make a character such as Adele Hugo into a person that ends up being more sympathetic than deplorable. Still, Truffaut does not shy away from the elements that make up her descent into madness and deep sorrow, showing the ways in which she will go to extreme lengths to get what she wants. There is a burning desire in this woman that is both disturbing and admirable at the same time.Isabelle Adjani won much acclaim for her work as Adele and it was well- deserved. At a mere 19, Adjani showed incredible poise as a young actress, capable of carrying virtually the entire picture mostly with her eyes, which are a deep blue and give her face a hauntingly beautiful quality. There is the constant feeling about Adele that she, being the daughter of the famous French poet Victor Hugo, is simply a spoiled rich girl using her father's money to try and buy a husband. Yet, Truffaut does not see it that way. Rather, he views Adele as a tortured soul who had enough passion and love for both herself and the man of her dreams only to receive indifference and cold incredulity. It is a sad film but at the same time a film of remarkable human courage and persistence. Many would question Adele's motivations for doing the things she does, which seem to be purely selfish, but no one can question the heart and passion with which she does it.

Story of Adele H, The (1975)*** (out of 4) Isabelle Adjani picked up an Academy Award nomination for her performance of Victor Hugo's second daughter Adele who follows Lt. Pinson (Bruce Robinson) to Halifax where her obsession with him quickly turns to madness. We follow Adele as she first arrives in Halifax and tries to get the man to marry her but when he refuses we see her continue various attempts in getting what she wants but each time these attempts just become more outlandish. THE STORY OF ADELE H appears to get fairly mixed reviews. Some call it a masterpiece and one of the director's best works while others call it cold and forgettable. I guess I'm in the middle because I thought the film was terrific to look at and we also get a great performance by Adjani but in the end it was just impossible for me to connect with this character or care a bit about her. There's no denying that this is an incredible film to look at as director Truffaut does a marvelous job in capturing the mood and look of the 1860s. No matter what was happening on the screen I simply couldn't take my eyes off the costumes, sets and even the buildings. There's one very quick sequence where Adele is walking through a snowstorm and passes out. Even the look of the snow was rather hypnotizing to and beautifully shot. Truffaut takes his time telling the story and this actually builds up a pretty good atmosphere and the way he reveals the woman's obsession and how he shows it turning into this craziness is picked up very well with the slower pace. Adjani certainly deserves all the praise because she's simply divine no matter what personality she's playing. There's a scene early in the movie where she's staying at a house and the soldier comes to visit her. The way Adjani goes from normal to mad in the matter of seconds was extremely believable and there wasn't a false move by her anywhere in the film. The supporting players fit their parts well, although no one really stands out. The one flaw I had with the film was the fact that I never really connected to Adele nor did I ever really begin to feel for her. The only thing that kept me connected to her was knowing she was the daughter of Victor Hugo who of course is a legend. If this had been anyone else in the world then it's doubtful I would have connected to her for anything. The film is still worth viewing if you're a fan of the director but in terms of his career I'd say this isn't nearly his best work.

The Story of Adele H. is an interesting study about obsessive love, which inverts the customary roles by showing the woman as the predator and the man as the victim. Long before Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction, there was Isabelle Adjani playing Adele Hugo, daughter of the famous writer, Victor Hugo, and completely crazy about Lieutenant Pinson, a man she's determined to marry or else ruin.There's not much to say about this movie. The story is quite simple and develops in an inevitable way, as happens when an inflexible personality collides with something she wants but can't have. As far as period dramas go, it's pretty but intimate; it's not the typical, flamboyant recreation of a lost time.In the end, all there is to talk about is Isabelle Adjani's powerful, unforgettable performance as the crazy Adele. It's a good thing she's in almost every scene of the movie. This is one of those rare instances when an actor manages to carry an entire movie on the shoulders. Adjani displays her insanity and intensity of feeling quite clearly thanks to her expressive eyes. It's well known that good acting is pretty much a matter of expressing emotions with one's eyes, and on that account Adjani is unmatched in this movie. One look at her eyes here and you'll see an inextinguishable fire burning inside her, that will eventually consume her sanity.I hadn't seen a François Truffaut movie before this one, and I can say I'm quite pleased with his direction in it. It was straightforward, unobtrusive. It gave Adjani room to display her talent. It's amazing to think that she was only 20 when this movie came out. She was just starting her career and yet showed more talent than many veteran actors. I'm a big believer that a good movie needs a good screenplay. But when that's lacking, I hope at least it has a good actor like Isabelle Adjani.