Devil in a Blue Dress Rhetorical Analysis Novel vs. Film

Devil in a Blue Dress: Novel vs. Film The hardboiled mystery novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley was first published in 1990 and was acknowledged by former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, as one of his many favorite novelists (Easy Writer). Taking place in post-war Los Angeles, the story is narrated by an African American laborer, Easy Rawlins, who is transformed into an L.A. detective after being pulled in to the affairs of local townspeople. The successful novel continued onto screen adaptation in 1995 and was directed by Carl Franklin and starred Denzel Washington, who also financed and produced the film (Easy Writer). From a well-liked hardboiled detective novel to a contemporary film, viewers and readers are restricted from several rhetorical devices and techniques displayed in either mediums such as point of view, tone and imagery. In both works we see how this transition of mediums affects viewer’s appreciation and understanding of the plot, characters, and historical context. When comparing the film adaptation and hardboiled novel, we see how Easy conveys the story with his point of view through first person narration. Since the film had a time limitation of 102 minutes (imbd) it held back the benefits of incorporating all of Easy’s narrations from the book. According to his article, Devil in a Blue Dress, Jeff Stafford states, “Universal first acquired the rights to Devil in a Blue Dress and hired Walter Mosley to adapt his own novel for the screen but the author soon realized it was not his forte…”. His statement shows how difficult it was to transform the novel into a 102-minute film without excluding its great literary aspects. In the novel, Easy conveys the story through his perspective and, consequently, we have access to his opinions, insights and visuals. For example, in the book, readers have access to Easy’s intentions and motives when looking for Frank Green. He admits,
“I never brought up Frank's name though. Frank was

Cited: "The 25 Best Denzel Washington Films of All Time." VIBE. Ed. Vibe Pop Culture. VIBE, 5 Nov. 2012. Web. 4 June 2013. . Devil in a Blue Dress. Dir. Carl Franklin. Perf. Denzel Washington. TriStar Pictures, 1995. DVD. "Devil in a Blue Dress." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 June 2013. . Jahiel, Edwin. "Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 04 June 2013. . Stafford, Jeff. "Devil in a Blue Dress" TCM., Web. 04 June 2013. < http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/133206%7C133222/Devil-in-a-Blue-Dress.html>. Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress. New York: Norton, 1990. Print. Pulver, Andrew. "Easy Writer." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 03 Sept. 2004. Web. 04 June 2013. . American film editor, Andrew Pulver, vividly touches base with topic pertaining the 1990 novel, Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley, such as the author, story, film-makers, book and film comparison, and inspirations and influences. This informative article describes essential aspects concerning the hardboiled L.A. detective novel and film adaption. Pulver uses factual evidence and analysis as well as background information about the authors and directors to support his opinions and outtake on the two mediums. His article concerns mostly those who have read Devil in a Blue Dress and/or have seen the film to introduce background information and differentiate the two mediums as well as address historical context in the late 1940s. Simpson, Kelly. "The Great Migration: Creating a New Black Identity in Los Angeles | Portraits | Land of Sunshine | KCET." KCET. N.p., 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 04 June 2013. . Travers, Peter. "Devil in a Blue Dress." Rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone Reviews, 29 Sept. 1995. Web. 04 June 2013. .