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

Screening on Film

Directed by François Truffaut.
With Isabelle Adjani, Bruce Robinson.
France, 1975, 35mm, color, 98 min.
French with English subtitles.

In 1863, the beautiful young daughter of the writer Victor Hugo crosses the Atlantic in desperate pursuit of a British lieutenant she believes is her fiancÈ, her lover, and her destiny—despite the fact that he has rejected her. Based on Adèle Hugo's diary, written in code and deciphered in 1955, the film presents what Truffaut described as the “autopsy of a passion.” Nineteen-year-old Isabelle Adjani was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of an unhinged woman whose burning desire dooms her to madness.