The Firm (novel)
The Company ( Original title: The Firm) is a novel by American author John Grisham, which was first published in 1991. The date the only German -language translation is by Christel Wiemken and published in 1992 by Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg. The book also developed in the German-speaking countries a bestseller - alone Hoffmann und Campe brought to 1995 27 runs out. Plus 16 paperback editions of Heyne Verlag come until 1996.
Content
Mitch McDeere is a successful graduate of the Law School of Harvard. Even before he completed his final exams, he gets an incredible job offer in the law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke ( BLL) in Memphis. McDeere, who came from poor family backgrounds, believes himself the goal of his desires: Interesting work, a fabulous salary, fantastic benefits. Mitch plunges into the work and also handles the heavy workload left in purchasing.
Rasch noted Mitch - Graduated in Accounting - the invoiced hourly rates - despite all overtime - never the fabulous salaries, welfare measures and benefits of the company justify ( " ... the money seemed to be on the trees to grow ..."). This but it displaces; working to exhaustion and neglected his wife.
Soon he finds that there are secrets in the company. Two of his fellow attorneys come during a stay in the apartments of the company killed and the FBI told him of incredible events in the firm. BLL is part of a mafia family from Chicago: The core business is the management of dirty money, the care ' real ' client brings a less, but serves as a money wash. After a few years - when the young lawyers have become accustomed to the good life - they gradually learn the truth; because now they can not get out; they know too much. The few who have tried it, it paid with their lives.
McDeere takes up the fight against the Mafia and the FBI to protect himself and his family's life. The FBI wants to win as chief witness and opens him to want to take care of him after obtaining incriminating documents with a new identity McDeere. Nevertheless, it will give him the freedom to choose to cooperate with the authorities or continue to behave loyally towards the firm, although McDeere then would have to reckon with a conviction, if the FBI can recruit at a later date another insider.
To contact the FBI for McDeere Wayne Tarrance is. There are also various meeting between the two concluded. However, these do not go unnoticed in the company, so you McDeere opposite is increasingly suspicious. Nevertheless, he succeeds with the help of his wife and one of his co-worker committed to collect incriminating evidence.
At the same time growing doubts in the McDeeres whether the FBI 's long term be able to protect them, especially since there is a mole in its ranks. So it ultimately comes to the final showdown in which McDeere, his wife and Tammy, the employee, both flee from the mob as well as from the FBI. Finally McDeere leaving the FBI but - as promised - the files so that members of the firm are convicted.
Adaptations
The novel was made into a film by Sydney Pollack in 1993. In addition to Tom Cruise in the lead role opposite Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter ( Academy Award nomination ) and Ed Harris are seen. Except for missing plotlines and another description of the relationship between Mitch and his wife, and another happy ending, the filmmakers kept the original novel. A portion was filmed on Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman.
2012, a television series titled The Firm was produced, which continues the movie. However, this was not continued after the first season.
There are also two German audio book adaptations of the novel in abridged form. The first was created in 1995 under the direction of Thomas Karallus with Michael Harck as a narrator ( Carousel Music and Video GmbH, Hamburg, ISBN 3-933281-05-9 ). In the second Charles Brewer reads the novel, directed by Margrit Osterwold ( Heyne, München 2001, ISBN 3-453-19858-1 or ISBN 3- 453-19859 -X).
Comments
In the original text, there are several significant word games. For example, the law firm is located on Front Street. The English word " front" can be translated as " facade" or " straw man " - the firm is a front for the Mafia family.