Recreating a Classic: Celebrating 50 Years of Adèle Hugo's Tale

A new documentary is being produced to mark the 50th anniversary of a well-known film that was shot in Guernsey. The original film, The Story of Adèle H, was directed by François Truffaut in 1975 and starred Isabelle Adjani as Adèle Hugo, the daughter of the famous novelist Victor Hugo. This new documentary, called Adèle - Between Two Tides, is being created by filmmaker Lars Janssen. He has spent the past two months recording interviews and filming scenes at locations that were used in the original movie. The documentary is almost finished, with the final scenes being filmed this week in preparation for its premiere.

One of the highlights of the documentary is actress and singer Isla André, who is 19 years old. She was chosen to recreate Isabelle Adjani's Oscar-nominated performance as Adèle Hugo. Isla admitted that she did not know much about Adèle Hugo before getting the role, but she watched clips from the original film to study Adjani's acting style, especially her body language and facial expressions. Isla is currently studying acting at Drama Studio London. She explained that Adèle starts out as a reserved character but becomes more unstable as the story goes on because she develops a strong crush.

Lars Janssen filmed Isla André at several important locations from the original movie, such as Castle Cornet and St Martin Parish Church. He wanted to reinterpret some of the key scenes to show how they were made. Janssen also interviewed about 20 people who were involved in the making of the 1975 film. These included a pet owner whose dog appeared in the movie, carpenters who built the sets, firemen who helped create fake snow, and even an actor who was rejected for being 'too tall. ' Although most of the documentary has already been edited, Janssen said he still expects to be busy finishing the final touches before the weekend.

The documentary was commissioned by the Victor Hugo Centre, and Laura Harrison, the operations manager, said it will be shown on Saturday, 6 September at the Princess Royal Performing Arts Centre. The event will also feature talks from experts and a screening of the original film. Tickets cost £25, but local students can attend for free. The event is designed to celebrate the history of the film and the people who helped make it. BBC Guernsey will be sharing more updates, and people are encouraged to send in their own story ideas. The documentary and the anniversary event will help everyone appreciate the legacy of Adèle Hugo and the impact of the film on Guernsey's cultural history.