''An Officer and a Spy'' is a 2013
historical fiction thriller by the English writer and journalist
Robert Harris. It tells the true story of the French officer
Georges Picquart
Marie-Georges Picquart (6 September 1854 – 19 January 1914) was a French Army officer and Minister of War. He is best known for his role in the Dreyfus affair, in which he played a key role in uncovering the real culprit.
Early career
Picqua ...
from 1896 to 1906, as he struggles to expose the truth about the doctored evidence that sent
Alfred Dreyfus to
Devil's Island.
Plot summary
Upon being promoted to run the ''Statistical Section'', the top secret headquarters of French military intelligence,
Georges Picquart
Marie-Georges Picquart (6 September 1854 – 19 January 1914) was a French Army officer and Minister of War. He is best known for his role in the Dreyfus affair, in which he played a key role in uncovering the real culprit.
Early career
Picqua ...
begins to discover that the evidence that was used to convict
Alfred Dreyfus of espionage, which resulted in his imprisonment for life on
Devil's Island, is flimsy at best. As he investigates further, he discovers that the military and the government doctored much of the evidence. Moreover, the spy who actually passed the information Dreyfus was convicted of sending to the Germans is actually still operating. Warned off the investigation by his superiors, Picquart persists, risking his career and his life, to free an innocent man from unjust imprisonment and to stop a spy operating within the military, who has gone unpunished.
Reception
The novel won the
(2014), and the
American Library in Paris Book Award (2014). Anna Franco praised the book highly in a review for The Objective Standard, writing, “''An Officer and a Spy'' is at once a compelling historical novel and a spy thriller, portraying a few people who take principled actions to save an innocent man.”
Film
Robert Harris was inspired to write the novel by his friend
Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...
's longtime interest in the
Dreyfus affair
The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...
. Harris followed up the novel with a script of the same story, titled ''D'', with Polanski announced as director in 2012.
Although set in Paris, the film was initially scheduled to shoot in Warsaw in 2014, for economic reasons. However, production was postponed after Polanski moved to Poland for filming and the U.S. Government filed extradition papers. The Polish government eventually rejected them, by which time new French film tax credits had been introduced, allowing the film to shoot on location in Paris. It was budgeted at 60 million euros and was again set to start production in July 2016, however its production was postponed again as Polanski waited on the availability of a star, whose name was not announced.
It was announced in September 2018 that the project had been retitled ''J'accuse'', and would go into production in the fall of 2018, starring
Jean Dujardin
Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...
as Picquart and co-starring
Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric (; born 25 October 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker. He is best known internationally for his roles in the James Bond film '' Quantum of Solace'', in which he played the lead villain, Steven Spielberg's ''Munich'', Wes An ...
and
Olivier Gourmet
Olivier Gourmet (born 22 July 1963) is a Belgian actor.
Gourmet was born in Namur. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in '' Le Fils'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in ''La Promesse ...
. It is produced by
Alain Goldman
Alain Goldman, also known as Ilan Goldman (born 12 January 1961) is a French film producer.
Early life
Goldman was born in Montmartre, Paris, the son of Jewish parents. His grandfather was the first representative for Universal Pictures in Franc ...
and distributed by
Gaumont. Jean Dujardin announced on November 26, 2018 that filming had begun that day. Dujardin announced on April 28, 2019 that filming had been completed.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Officer and a Spy
2013 British novels
Novels by Robert Harris
British thriller novels
English novels
Hutchinson (publisher) books
Dreyfus affair
Cultural depictions of Alfred Dreyfus
British novels adapted into films
Walter Scott Prize-winning works