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A review by nealalex
Adèle et la Bête by Jacques Tardi
4.0
In the film directed by Luc Besson, Adele is a journalist (like Tintin) whereas is in the book she is a criminal. Less formulaic direction by, say, the Coen brothers, would’ve better captured the tone of the book. The plot is hard to follow, at least partly because, during the writing, Adele was originally the antagonist (baddy) but took top billing when the author found her more interesting. Moreover, most of the male characters are almost indistinguishable, even when not in disguise, and are prone to double- and triple-cross each other. Finally, the plot seems scattershot in that, for example, Adele’s boyfriend only appears near the end, only to be killed almost immediately, and the real plot driver is not the pterodactyl but a previous robbery that isn’t even mentioned till very late on. Oh, and we have a copy in French, which I don’t properly understand. But somehow I found it so engrossing that I made the following synopsis (spoiler alert):
Adele Blanc-Sec kidnaps Edith Rabatjoie, intending to demand a ransom from her father, a wealthy and innovative engineer. Edith is in Paris to solve the mystery of the pterodactyl terrorizing the city, which is also being hunted by the brave but obtuse Inspector Caponi. Leaving Edith in the custody of her accomplices Albert & Joseph, Adele tries to brush off the lovestruck young scientist Zborowsky, but narrowly escapes being killed by a rival criminal, Lobel. On returning to her hideout, Adele finds that Albert has betrayed her, escaping with Edith and leaving Joseph unconscious. Pretending to be Zborowsky, Lobel lures Adele to the museum gardens, where the pterodactyl is shot by a big game hunter, St Hubert. As the pterodactyl dies, so, in Lyon, does the spiritualist Boutardieu, who had hatched its fossilized museum egg by channelling psychic energy. In the commotion in the gardens, Lobel tries to shoot Adele, but is himself shot by the triple-crossing Albert. The next day, Adele is joyfully reunited with Ripol, a former accomplice, after his dramatic rescue from the guillotine by what seemed to be another pterodactyl, but was really Edith in her father’s flying machine. Edith and Albert follow Ripol and Adele to the museum, where Ripol has stashed loot from a previous robbery. Ripol is shot dead by Albert, who is in turn shot by Joseph. As Caponi arrives on the scene, Adele escapes by accepting a lift from Simon Flageolet who, showing himself suspiciously knowledgeable of the whole affair, invites Adele to join forces with him.
Adele Blanc-Sec kidnaps Edith Rabatjoie, intending to demand a ransom from her father, a wealthy and innovative engineer. Edith is in Paris to solve the mystery of the pterodactyl terrorizing the city, which is also being hunted by the brave but obtuse Inspector Caponi. Leaving Edith in the custody of her accomplices Albert & Joseph, Adele tries to brush off the lovestruck young scientist Zborowsky, but narrowly escapes being killed by a rival criminal, Lobel. On returning to her hideout, Adele finds that Albert has betrayed her, escaping with Edith and leaving Joseph unconscious. Pretending to be Zborowsky, Lobel lures Adele to the museum gardens, where the pterodactyl is shot by a big game hunter, St Hubert. As the pterodactyl dies, so, in Lyon, does the spiritualist Boutardieu, who had hatched its fossilized museum egg by channelling psychic energy. In the commotion in the gardens, Lobel tries to shoot Adele, but is himself shot by the triple-crossing Albert. The next day, Adele is joyfully reunited with Ripol, a former accomplice, after his dramatic rescue from the guillotine by what seemed to be another pterodactyl, but was really Edith in her father’s flying machine. Edith and Albert follow Ripol and Adele to the museum, where Ripol has stashed loot from a previous robbery. Ripol is shot dead by Albert, who is in turn shot by Joseph. As Caponi arrives on the scene, Adele escapes by accepting a lift from Simon Flageolet who, showing himself suspiciously knowledgeable of the whole affair, invites Adele to join forces with him.