Broadcast on Sunday January 8, 2023 on Arte, The Pelican Affair is an excellent thriller which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The opportunity to see it again and find out what a big difference there is between the film and John Grisham’s novel.
Arte broadcasts this Sunday, January 8, 2023 The Pelican Affair by Alan J. Pakula, director of presumed innocent, dating from 1993. A thriller set in the United States. The country is waking up in shock after the assassinations of two Supreme Court justices. Encouraged by her teacher Thomas Callahan (Sam Shepard, figure of American cinema who died in 2017), with whom she has an affair, Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts, who we learned that she had injured herself on the set of Snow White), a law student in New Orleans, is looking for a link between the two victims, who have opposing beliefs. In parallel, Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington, who got confused with Quentin Tarantino), journalist at washington herald, is approached by a man who claims to have information about the case. When Thomas is murdered, Darby, seeing the threat approaching, decides to get in touch with Gray Grantham.
John Grisham an author much adapted to the cinema
The Pelican Affair is not an original scenario. Indeed, the film is an adaptation of the eponymous novel by John Grismam, released in 1992. Successful author, John Grisman started strong with a first thriller in 1989: Not guilty. A book adapted to the cinema by Joel Schumacher in 1996 under the title The right to kill. His second novel will have the same treatment in 1993, by Sidney Pollack. It is The firm, with Tom Cuise and Gene Hackman, published in 1991. Five other of his novels will be adapted in Hollywood including The Client, The Game Master Where The Legacy of Hate. Suffice to say that John Grisman is particularly pampered in Hollywood by directors. However, the films adapted from his novels are not all faithful to the original plot. This is the case of The Pelican Affair.
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A size difference!
Long before the book was released, Warner bought its rights, with author John Grisham writing a simple sample to interest the studios. Alan J. Pakula was immediately chosen to direct the film. He tackled the scenario but decided to change a given size. Indeed, the whole film is based on the investigation led by Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. They are looking for who is behind the assassination of the two judges. If in the film we never see the villain at the head of the plot, in the book he often appears under the pen of John Grisham! A will of Alan J. Pakula to maintain the suspense.
