The Pelican Brief Novel Vs. Movie

"The Pelican Brief" Novel vs. Movie

The differences and the similarities between the novel "The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham and the movie "The Pelican Brief" by Alan J. Pakula film. There were maybe similarities between the novel and the movie. The story line and plot were basically the same in both the novel and the movie. Then there were also many differences when the novel was made in to a movie. As in most cases when a novel is made in to a movie there are certain things that are left out in the movie version.

The novel and the movie were both very suspenseful. The main characters are both the same in the book and in the movie but are a little bit different then their counter partners in the novel/movie. In both the movie and novel settings are the same, they both take place in New Orleans and Washington D.C. There are a lot of similarities from the novel and the movie.

The novel seemed to flow better than the movie version. When I was watching the movie even though I had read the novel I was still a little confused and wasn't sure what was going on all the time. The novel was also a lot more detailed and expressed a lot more emotion than that movie version. The movie version was also seemed to be drawn out and some what boring to me personally. The novel version seemed to keep my attention and did not lose it for the duration of my reading.

The movie version of "The Pelican Brief' seemed to leave out a few key scenes that are present in the novel version. For instance in the third chapter where it is introducing the assassin "Khamel", John Grisham goes in to great detail to introduce him and show how dangerous and famous he is. The movie version left this scene completely out of the movie. I think it's an important scene that lets the readers be aware of how important the assassin is and how dangerous he is. In the novel he is introduced by ridding up to the shore in a small boat, he then picks up Luke (or who we know as Luke) and they go along. Luke realizes who "Sam" is the famous assassin "Khamel". This excites Luke he becomes quite nervous and kind of scared. He keeps to him self due to the fact he know how deadly and dangerous "Khamel" is. This introduction of "Khamel" lets the readers know how dangerous the assassin is. You don't get that in the movie, and it's kind of confusing who "Khamel" is in the movie, when he is introduced.

Another example where the movie version left out some of what was in the novel is in the relationship of Thomas Callahan and Darby Shaw. The novel elaborates on the relationship between professor Callahan and Darby, where as the movie version say very little about there relationship. In the novel version the relationship between Callahan and Darby is explained and is a major part of coming to get to know the two characters. In the movie version the specifics about Callahan and Darby's relationship is not really touched as it is in the novel.

Some of the characters are some what different from the novel to the movie. A major difference is in the character Gray Grantham. In the novel he is a white male, and in the movie he is an African American male. One of the scenes that would be different in the novel is in the scene where he meets a White House janitor to find out if he has heard any new in the White House that he could use in one of his articles. What would change in this scene if Grantham was an African American is that he would not feel uncomfortable in the coffee shop because he is also an African American.

Another character that changed from the novel to the book was Thomas Callahan. In the novel is somewhat of an alcoholic and a womanizer, which drank all the time. It seems in the novel that all Callahan uses Darby for is to please his sexual drives. The movie portrays him as a recovering alcoholic and only starts to drink after the death of Justice Rosenberg. In the movie I would say that he is a more lovable character. The novel in a way portrays Callahan as some what of a bad guy. And a small but apparent difference from the novel to the movie is Callahan's car in the novel it's a Porsche, and in the movie he had a vintage Mustang.

The scene in the novel where all the porno cinemas were bombed and burned to the ground was somewhat important in the fact that it showed to state of anarchy our country is in, in this novel. The movie neglected to use that scene in to the movie version of "The Pelican Brief." The burning down of the porno cinemas gave an example and showed how the "Underground Military" worked. This in a sense excluded them from the list of suspects do to there expert use of explosives. If they had indeed were the killers of the two Chief Justices they most likely would of stuck to there area of expertise, explosives.

The main difference between the novel and the movie is that in the novel you are introduced to more characters and there involvement in the story is explained. The movie doesn't really introduce u as well as the novel does and this makes it harder to follow what is going on in the movie version. It is harder in a movie to introduce a character but it seemed that it was poorly don in "The Pelican Brief" movie version. I can understand why its easer for a novel to describe how and what they what you to know about a particular character. Now in a movie it's your own perception that you make of a character.

The perception that the novel is usually better than the movie version in this case is true; I preferred reading the novel over watching the movie. The novel was just more descriptive and flowed smoothly. Where as the move was some what confusing and seemed to drag on. John Grisham through his creative descriptions the characters and the different situations make the novel come alive in my imagination. It was as if I was in the novel trying to find out who had killed the two Chief Justices. I would highly recommend reading this novel and then watch the movie version you may have a different reaction then my self and may think the movie is better than the novel. But in tell you read the novel or watch the movie you'll