The Story of Adele H. (1975)

The Story of Adele H. (L’histoire d’Adele H.)
Directed by Francois Truffaut
Written by Francois Truffaut, et al from the diaries of Adele Hugo
1975/France
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Adèle Hugo: I’m your wife. Forever. We’ll stay together until we die.

Isabelle Adjani is fantastic in Truffaut’s true story of obsession and madness.

The setting is 1862.  The British are still undecided about whether to enter the American Civil War on the side of the Confederacy.  A battalion is posted in Halifax, Nova Scotia on the ready.

Adele Hugo fell in love with handsome young British lieutenant Albert Pinson (Bruce Robinson) in Guernsey where her father Victor Hugo lived in exile.  They evidently had a sexual affair and he spoke of marriage.  Her father disapproved and before Adele knew it Albert was transferred to Halifax.

Adele bravely crossed the ocean alone and incognito in search of her man.  By the time she arrives in Halifax he has lost interest and basically wants her to leave him alone.  She believes that she belongs to him and that he will eventually see reason.

Adele takes up lodging in a boarding house under an assumed name.  She will not take no for an answer and resorts to using increasingly desperate and humiliating ways of persuading or coercing Albert into marrying her.  She knows he has gambling debts and gives him most of the money she gets from home.  He accepts the money but not Adele. She maliciously interferes with his engagement, puts marriage announcements in the papers, and generally stalks him to an intolerable extent.

In the meantime, she uses up reams of paper writing her diary in a secret language.  It is not too clear whether she was mad before her fling with Albert or developed her crazy ways after being rejected by him.  At any rate, as time goes on she runs out of money and starts living in abject poverty.  When Albert is transferred to Barbados, she follows him there using the money her father had given her to return home.  Her madness intensifies.  

I really enjoyed this.  Truffaut makes great use of the period setting and Adjani is simply fantastic at every stage of her downfall.  It might not be a must-see but if the plot appeals I can recommend it.

Isabelle Adjani was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.

English-language trailer (i watched the subtitled version)