The Story of Adèle H.

François Truffaut's 1975 dramatization of the true story of Adèle Hugo, daughter of French author-in-exile Victor Hugo, and her romantic obsession with a young French officer is a cinematically lovely and emotionally wrenching portrait of a headstrong but unstable young woman. Isabelle Adjani stars as Adèle, who follows Lt. Pinson (Bruce Robinson) to Halifax, Nova Scotia, despite the fact that he has broken off their relationship. Sinking further into her own internal world, Adèle passes herself off as Pinson's wife and pours out her stormy emotions in a diary filled with delusional descriptions of her fantasy life. Beautifully shot by Nestor Almendros in vivid color, Truffaut's re-creation of 1860s life is accomplished not only with impressive sets and locations but also in the very style of the film, which features narration and voiceovers, written journal entries and letters, locations established with map reproductions, and a judicious use of stills. The result is a powerful, haunting portrait of obsessive love and madness. Long out-of-print but newly available again as part of MGM's manufactured-on-demand “Limited Edition Collection,” The Story of Adèle H. is unfortunately not remastered and it sports the same non-anamorphic transfer as an earlier DVD release. Regardless, this is still recommended. (S. Axmaker)