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

Director: Clint Eastwood

Summary: John Kelso, a magazine reporter on a visit in Savannah, attends a party given by Jim Williams, a self-made man and antiques collector. Later the same night Jim Williams is accused of murder. Based on the novel by John Berendt.

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.

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Readers of John Berendt's bestselling novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, were bound to be at least somewhat disappointed by this big-screen adaptation, but despite mixed reaction from critics and audiences, there's still plenty to admire about director Clint Eastwood's take on the material. Readers will surely miss the rich atmosphere and societal detail that Berendt brought to his "Savannah story," and the movie can only scratch the surface of Georgian history, tradition and wealthy decadence underlying Berendt's fact-based murder mystery. Still, Eastwood maintains an assured focus on the wonderful eccentrics of Savannah, most notably a gay Savannah antiques dealer (superbly played by Kevin Spacey), who may or may not have killed his friend and alleged lover (Jude Law). John Cusack plays the Town &Countryjournalist who arrives in Savannah to find much more than he bargained for--including the city's legendary drag queen Lady Chablis (playing "herself")--and John Lee Hancock's smoothly adapted screenplay succeeds in bringing Berendt's characters vividly to life with plenty of flavourful dialogue. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Interactive Menus, Production Notes, Scene Access
Subtitles:	Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Year:	1997
Release Date:	January 25, 1999
Runtime:	149 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 014776
Keywords:	Midnight, Evil, General, Garden, Good, Drama, Berendt
Genre:	Drama