I'm ranking all of the films of Isabelle Adjani that I can find. I don't know of any beyond those listed on IMDB, but would welcome information about her other appearances.
** Bonus: Not a film, but you can find on YouTube a TV special that is a full video performance of Adjani's album of Gainsbourg songs, Pull Marine. Worth a look for the fan.
** Bonus 2: Adjani is the voice of the wicked stepmother in the French version of "Tangled", the recently released Disney remake of the Rapunzel story (Raiponce in French). I am still trying to get hold of this one.
44. The Last Horror Film (1982)
This film ranks at the bottom of all of her IMDB credits. She only appears for a couple of seconds, filmed from a distance walking up the red carpet at Cannes. She is not even heard speaking. I don't think this really rates a mention on IMDB. It only misleads fanatics who then waste their time watching this awful C-movie horror thinking she has a role.
43. Ishkq in Paris (2012)
I am ranking this near the bottom only because it's not released, and I haven't seen it yet.
42. David et Madame Hansen (2012)
Also not released yet, so I'm ranking it near the bottom.
41. Lung Ta: The Forgotten Tibet (1990)
Apparently Isabelle narrates this documentary about Tibet. I am unable to source a copy, seeing that this film falls into the late VHS-era distribution hole, so I can't rank it higher. I would love to get a copy.
40. Ariane (1974)
This play appears to be completely unavailable except for some stills, so I have to rank it near the bottom.
39. Le secret des Flamands (TV movie, 1974)
I have only been able to find short extracts of this movie on the internet. Isabelle looks young, charming, and passionate, similar to the other early Comédie-Française plays I have seen, so this one could move up if I were ever able to get my hands on a copy.
38. L'école des femmes (TV movie, 1973)
Same comments as for Le secret des Flamands. Isabelle looks great, but I can only scrounge up a couple of minutes of footage.
37. Aïcha - Job à tout prix (TV series, 2011)
Isabelle plays Docteur Assoussa in one episode of this Algerian series, which can be found on the Internet. The cameo lasts all of about three minutes, but Isabelle plays with energy and fun. The show seems a bit silly though.
36. I Paparazzi (1998)
Adjani's role in this movie is just too small.
35. De force (2011)
A somber policier that suffers from lack of action, grey scenery, and a heavy-handed plot. It is interesting to see how the now middle-aged Isabelle handles this less than glamorous full-length role. Her acting is fine, even memorable, but it can't save this dreary mess.
34. You've Got Beautiful Stairs, You Know (short, 1986)
This film is very brief, but it is so nice that Isabelle is literally the face of French film in this piece. She is of course perfect for the part.
33. Monsieur Ibrahim (2003)
A low ranking for this film only because Isabelle's cameo is so brief. She has fun with this little part, though. The film is quite pleasant to watch, especially for a masterful veteran performance from Omar Sharif.
32. Figaro (TV movie, 2008)
Isabelle plays a plump but still ravishing aged countess in this version of Beaumarchais' Marriage of Figaro, which includes some plot elements from the other parts of the trilogy. Jacques Weber, who played alongside Isabelle when both were young in Faustine et le bel été, is impressive here as an old count. The staging and behavior of all of the characters is a bit unnatural, however, and I couldn't really recommend the film on its own merits.
31. Ishtar (1987)
This movie is just about as bad as its reputation - corny, hammy, spammy, spinachy, or whatever other culinary adjectives you'd like to apply, but Isabelle is the saving grace of the film. Perhaps it is most notable as the first film with Adjani playing an Arab role. The image of Isabelle pacing with a turban and a rifle will stay with you, but she is held down by the English dialogue and ridiculous plot.
30. Mammuth (2010)
This is a great film in its own right, for its theme and for Depardieu. Adjani's role, however, is brief. She captures the necessary tragic essence, and the fact that this pairing of now aged actors parallels their earlier pairings in Camille Claudel and Barocco at the beginning of their careers makes the imagery of these giants of French film together even more poignant. It was when watching this film that I felt the sense of loss or nostalgia that launched my Adjani project. I realized that the grand era of Adjani, Depardieu, and all of the supporting world of French film that brought us the cinéma héritage , the wacky 80s films, and the radical 70s films, had passed and was not coming back. I realized there was nothing in newly released movies, French or otherwise, that would be a better use of the time I devote to film than to embark on a project to watch all of Adjani's films. And so here we are at #31.
29. Bon voyage (2003)
Isabelle's performance here is almost a caricature of herself, but it still has some charm and intrigue. Unusually, Depardieu delivers a muted performance. A very watchable movie, but a bit too trite.
28. Quartet (1981)
Merchant-Ivory, Paris in the 1920s, Adjani and Maggie Smith, what's not to like? The stilted dialogue and direction. Sorry but the Merchant Ivory combo hadn't really hit its stride here. Adjani is generally weaker in English language films than in French, and here she struggles a bit with the source material. Maggie Smith's acting is the highlight here.
27. Faustine et le bel été (1972)
The young Adjani has a very minor but pleasant role in this film which reeks of the early 1970s. Is it gentle and sweet, or a gauzy softcore male fantasy? The film exists in that very 70s place where it is hard to tell which is which, probably because the director genuinely thought that the softcore was art. Thankfully Adjani is not involved in any of the sleazy bits.
26. The Driver (1978)
Isabelle is on screen quite a bit in this movie, but it's virtually a non-speaking part, and she comes off as stiff and wooden in English.
25. L'avare (TV movie, 1973)
Adjani plays in this Molière play performed by the Comédie-Française. It is delightful to see her starting out on stage, but is she overacting a bit here? I was too charmed to care. An austere yet intriguing production.
24. Toxic Affair (1993)
This is the lowest ranking film on the list in which Isabelle is in full "Adjani" mode (crazy and irresistably charming throughout). But the movie itself somehow misfires, reminiscent of Ishtar, never moving beyond goofy.
23. Le petit bougnat (1970)
The film that started it all and set Adjani on the road to acting. She is charming here and perfectly captures the yearning for independence and adulthood of a young teen.
22. L'année prochaine... si tout va bien (1981)
Isabelle does a fine acting job in the lead in this movie, but this film and Thierry Lhermitte are just too bland to recommend it highly.
21. Barocco (1976)
Adjani and Depardieu star together for the first time. Unfortunately, it is in this somewhat skewed and clumsy early effort by Techiné, who would also direct Adjani in the superior Soeurs Bronte. Lots of broken cuts and jagged edges in this movie, that still somehow leaves you questioning, "What if?". What if the movie had gelled properly around its actors and themes? Something good is waiting to break out of its embryonic state here, both frustrating and intriguing the viewer.
20. Tout feu, tout flamme (1982)
This is a fairly bland and somewhat silly mainstream movie, but Isabelle does a great job with the transformation of the serious daughter into comedic heroine through the series of hijinks that occur. Souchon (from the higher ranked L'été meurtrier) is here, but leaves less of an impression. The waxy Yves Montand is the focus, oddly enough.
19. Violette et François (1977)
Isabelle is paired with the repellent and depressing Jacques Dutronc and acts out as a petty thief. This film, however, is thick with its rundown 1970s atmosphere, and leaves more of a lasting impression than some of the blander fare listed above.
18. Le Locataire (the Tenant) (1976)
Adjani's role as a strange sexpot is unusual for her. This Polanski film is quite good, with an excellent creepy feeling, but Adjani's role is too small to merit a higher ranking.
17. Antonieta (1982)
This film is apparently only available as a horrendous copy of a decayed VHS tape, and is strangely played (Hanna Schygulla and Adjani as the leads in a Spanish-language film? Whose idea was this?). The Mexican politics are overwhelming, and the film is amateurish at times, but I found the character of Antonieta intriguing and well-played by Adjani. The grittiness of the subpar DVD transfer somehow adds to the time capsule feel of this film.
16. La gifle (1974)
A nicely played 70s film about generational and political conflict. Here Adjani shows true star power, with dynamism and energy that carries the film a bit beyond its dated subject matter.
15. Subway (1985)
This is a bad movie, but in a very fun way that will make you nostalgic for all of the strangeness of the mid-80s. Isabelle's role is not quite central, but her Iroquois scene is unforgettably hilarious.
14. Diabolique (1996)
No one seems to like this movie, but I find watching Stone and Adjani together in a film that plays to each of their acting strengths is enough for me to recommend this highly. Perhaps I also like this because it was one of the earlier movies that I "discovered" Adjani in, so my judgment may be clouded. I find all thrillers rather preposterous, and so have trouble distinguishing those that are considered more credible by connoisseurs of the genre. To think that Adjani was already 41 and Stone 38 in this movie, and yet they burn up the screen!
13. L'histoire d'Adèle H (1975)
In contrast to Diabolique, everyone loves this movie, but I don't see the magic. The name Truffaut does not do much for me, reminding of Truffle or Truite, and I see here a relatively ordinary costume drama that is interesting because it is 1) based on a moving true story, and 2) gives Isabelle a lot of screen time to undergo her metamorphosis from a charming meek girl to tragic nutcase. As her breakthrough to film stardom, it can't be ranked lower. For a costume drama based on a moving true story that exceeds this film in every dimension, see Camille Claudel at #4.
12. Les soeurs Brontë (1979)
Adjani plays Emily, alongside Isabelle Huppert (Adjani's roommate in the 1970s). Techiné directs and Nuytten (father of one of Adjani's children) mans the camera. This is a very solidly put together costume drama that emphasizes the psychological conflicts between the members of the family. Isabelle does a fine job showing the free spirit of Emily. But the film moves slowly, and doesn't contain the fireworks of other films. Definitely worth a look, though.
11. Ondine (1975, TV movie)
We are fortunate to have this full stage play by Giraudoux available on DVD. This work really shows Isabelle in an early star turn on the stage. She vividly projects the strangeness and passion of the mermaid in love with a man in this play that showcases strange verbal and stage effects. Unforgettable, but it requires some viewer effort to slog through the high-falutin' French (filled with exotic feudal and nautical terms) without subtitles. This is probably my favorite early work of Adjani's.
10. La journée de la jupe (2008)
Adjani's performance is riveting in this movie, and certainly worthy of that fifth César. Her dedication to Molière is inspiring, and this film would make a good double-billing with L'avare. However, outside of Adjani's performance, it is somewhat one-dimensional, more TV melodrama than grand film.
9. Clara et les Chics Types (1981)
This is a weird late 70s/early 80s movie that gives off a funky vibe. Thierry Lhermitte is actually not that bad here, and there is an early appearance of Daniel Auteuil that is noteworthy. Isabelle's role is limited, but is so pitch perfect that it just carries the viewer along for a wonderful ride. Not great or coherent as a film, but one for the Adjani fan to savor.
8. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Now the rankings enter into a realm of extreme subjectivity. Each of the remaining films are must-see works, for both their artistry, and for Adjani's performances. Trying to value one above another is done only on the basis of other factors, which ultimately boil down to how unique they are to me personally. Nosferatu is a perfect gem of a film, with Herzog capturing an eerie hushed tone of horror, Kinski in a masterfully subtle and unforgettable role as Dracula, and Isabelle behaving as a intensified version of a silent film star. Some truly amazing scenes here, but the movie as a whole is a bit too intellectual and specialized compared to the more passionnate films in Adjani's repertoire.
7. La repentie (2002)
A film that apparently saw little distribution outside of France, and was panned in some reviews, but that won me over. The plot is somewhat artificial, but some of these elements only serve to heighten the focus on Adjani's character. I found there were some delightful scenes that are as good as anything in Isabelle's oeuvre. Adjani in this period (see Adolphe) has developed great subtlety to her acting and her charm. But it is perhaps true that the film as a whole does not hold together. And Sami Frey's mumbling diction is really hard to catch without subtitles! Still, I could watch this one again and again.
6. La Reine Margot (1994)
Once more, subjectivity. This is a superb and superbly entertaining film, in which several luminaries of French film (Lisi, Auteuil, Greggory) come together. All of the performances are riveting, and the high-minded bloodiness and claustrophobic atmosphere of the movie is achieved with great directing skill. Adjani's performance is complex and riveting. But it is still an historical blockbuster, and subjectively I prefer idiosyncratic, individualistic films that bring something new to my internal world.
5. L'été meurtrier (1983)
This one is in the top 5 for Adjani's tour-de-force performance, where she pulls out all of the emotional stops (and pulls off all of her clothes) to create an unforgettable character. There is an offbeat chemistry between her and Alain Souchon that drives the movie forward. A couple of demerits for some occasional wanderings in tone and pace, but the strong theme and acting put this movie into a rarefied sphere.
4. Camille Claudel (1988)
While this is perhaps the Adjani film that I would most unhesitatingly recommend to a new viewer, we are entering elite territory, and I'm only placing this film at numero 4. Adjani completely inhabits the character of Camille, a role that plays to all of her strengths as a charming, passionnate, headstrong, unique spirit, driven to madness by the cruelties of the world. There are so many memorable images and scenes in this film, and the presence of and chemistry with Depardieu is a double plus. This film is just perfect, but it is also "conventional" and so there are perhaps some other films that could substitute for it in a pinch. I have to reserve the highest places for the irreplaceable films.
3. Adolphe (2002)
This film is hard to get into at first, but it grows and grows on you. The level of understatedness and subtlety in every aspect of filming - acting, script, image - is fantastic. Bright Star had a similar feel in English, but this movie makes Bright Star seem trashy and loud by comparison. It's just so very engrossing and complete in its atmosphere. Adjani delivers a heartbreaking performance while remaining stunningly beautiful as the older haunting and delicate self she displays here. Just as Adjani has created an "Adjaniness" that is both new and universal, this movie has an "Adolpheness" that is a unique contribution. Perhaps that comes from the book as well, but in that case the movie is a perfect translation of it. Actually, having looked at the book, I think the film does it better by refining the most tragic elements and taking the focus away from the character flaws of Adolphe himself.
2. Possession (1981)
What can be said about this movie that hasn't already been said? Somehow I lived through many years without ever hearing about it, but now Google can bring information about such gems to anyone in the world. This film has about a dozen unforgettable Adjani scences, and a few more without her to boot. Such an exhilirating ride through weirdsville, with such sincerity at the core, combined with taut film-making, stellar acting (the best Sam Neill performance ever), fantastic authentic atmosphere provided by the Berlin setting. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I could watch this movie any night of the week and not get bored. Zulawski's masterpiece, and since it is Adjani's most extreme work, also a milestone for her.
1. Mortelle Randonnée (1983)
Is this movie really the best on the list? I can't be sure, and probably most readers will disagree with me. But I have never found a film like this with its special combination of melancholia, comedy, irony, and poignancy. The book is just awful, and the English "Eye of the Beholder" awkward, but this version finds the core of the material and lets it blossom. Note that the French version has several additional minutes that smooth out and complete the story. Adjani is so sad and sympathetic in a role constructed out of almost nothing, and Serrault also conjures depth and humour out of the thinnest of plot groundings. Perhaps one secret is that the French are content to let weirdness remain weird without converting it to quirkiness. Or is it that the book was written by an American living in France, about America, but then translated to a French context by the filmmakers that makes it so oddly resonant to the American francophile? With a few other surprises, such as the roles of Stephane Audran and Sami Frey, this is an absolutely one-of-a-kind film that hits a unique note of sensibility that I have never seen elsewhere. I don't know if this even begins to explain why, but I love this movie.
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