Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

Synopsis: Bringing John Berendt's international best-selling novel, MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, to the screen must have been a challenge. The book is essentially an anecdotal travelogue of the... Bringing John Berendt's international best-selling novel, MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, to the screen must have been a challenge. The book is essentially an anecdotal travelogue of the fascinating city of Savannah, Georgia. The filmmakers decided to add a character, John Kelso (well played by John Cusack), a writer from New York, who's meant to represent Berendt's point of view. They also put most of the focus of the narrative on the murder trial of local millionaire socialite Jim Williams (the redoubtable Kevin Spacey). This is slightly problematic in that Kelso, a mere observer, now becomes the central character of the film. But director Clint Eastwood (straying from his usual milieu, and, atypically, not appearing the film) and writer John Lee Hancock still manage to capture the quirky spirit of the book. They're greatly aided in this regard by the lush images of cinematographer Jack N. Green and the detailed work of production designer Henry Bumstead, who create just the right atmosphere for the small city and its environs. The strong cast, including actual Savannah residents such as sparkplug transsexual the Lady Chablis, makes the film an enjoyable idyll in a strange yet welcoming place. [More]

Starring: Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall

Starring: Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood, Paul Hipp, Lady Chablis, Geoffrey Lewis, Dorothy Loudon, Anne Haney, Kim Hunter, Richard Herd, Leon Rippy, Bob Gunton, Michael O'Hagan, Gary Anthony Williams, Tim Black, Muriel Moore, Sonny Seiler, Terry Rhoads, Victor Brandt, Patricia Herd, Nick Gillie, Patrika Darbo, J. Patrick McCormack, Emma Kelly, Tyrone Lee Weaver, Greg Goossen, Shannon Eubanks, Virginia Duncan, Rhoda Griffis, Judith Robinson, Joann Pflug, James Moody, John Duncan, Bess S. Thompson, Jin Hi Soucy, Michael Rosenbaum, Dan Biggers, Georgia Allen, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Charles Black, Aleta Mitchell, Kevin Harry, Dorothy Kingery, Amanda Kingery, Susan Kingery, Ted Manson, Margaret R. Davis, Doug Dearth

Director: Clint Eastwood

Director: Clint Eastwood
Story: John Berendt
Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock
Composer: Lennie Niehaus
Producer: Clint Eastwood, Arnold Stiefel

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