Celebrating the The Story of Adèle H – Guernsey’s AcademyAward nominated film
On September 6th, at the Princess Royal Centre, The Victor Hugo in Guernsey Society and the Victor Hugo Centre are organising a special event, sponsored by Saffery Trust, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of François Truffaut’s award-winning feature film, The Story of Adele H, filmed in Guernsey with a cast including local islanders. The film is based on the life of Victor Hugo’s youngest daughter, Adèle.
In 1975 Francois Truffaut was already a multi-award winning director, widely considered to be one of the founders of French “New Wave” cinema. He chose to come to Guernsey and to tell the story of Adèle Hugo for several reasons, which will be discussed further during the upcoming event.
Adèle Hugo was the fifth and last child of Victor Hugo. When she was 13, her elder sister drowned in a boating accident on the River Seine. When Adèle was 21, she was forced into exile with her family. Whilst living in the Channel Islands, she became romantically involved with a British lieutenant, an attachment that ultimately became a tragic obsession.
Shooting for the film began in Guernsey on 7 January 1975 – 100 years after the actual events. Isabelle Adjani, the French film star who plays Adèle was only 19 during the filming. Having previously appeared in only one film, her performance as Adèle earned Adjani an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
The lieutenant is played by British actor, Bruce Robinson, one of three British professionals in the film. All the other cast members, except a French violinist, were islanders. Assistant director Suzanne Schiffman explained that they wanted to film scenes at Hauteville House because Adèle had lived there; she and Truffaut became very interested in St Peter Port. They received such a warm welcome and support from local people that they decided to make most of the film in Guernsey.
Many local people were involved in the filming – several the actors with spoken parts were members of GADOC, and extras in the crowd scenes answered advertisements in the Guernsey Press. Local carpenters and builders were employed to build the sets. Local animals also appear in the film – dogs and horses were used, with sometimes amusing results.
The stories and memories of those who helped create the film are being captured and compiled by filmmaker Lars Janssen, who is creating a short documentary that will be premiered before the movie screening. Janssen directed the action-adventure feature film, Captain Hook: The Cursed Tides.
Larry Malcic, chair of the Victor Hugo Centre, commented, ‘This celebration recalls a unique time 50 years ago when our island appeared on cinema screens around the world; an example of how Guernsey continues to benefit from Victor Hugo’s global reputation.’
Tickets are available through Guernsey Tickets or the Princess Royal Centre for Performing Arts. Tickets for the film screening are free but need to be booked in advance. Free tickets to the afternoon presentations are available forstudents, please contact laura@vhc.gg for more information.