Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Name: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Drama
Released: 1997-11-21
Duration: 2 h 35 min
Rating: 6.6
Cast: John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood, Jack Thompson

Welcome to Savannah, Georgia. A city of hot nights and cold blooded murder.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

Timing: 2:35 (155 min)

6.6/10
47 986

—
no scores

6.3/10
638

6.6/10
44000

Rate the movie:

Everything about the movie

Video 4

Photo 22

Actors and characters

Video for the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil — Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

2:27

Movie poster "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"

Photo 22

Release date

1997-11-21

Country

United States

Production

Warner Bros. Pictures, Silver Pictures, Malpaso Productions

Genre

Mystery, Crime, Drama

Budget

$35 000 000

Box office

$25 105 255

Website

Director

Clint Eastwood

Actors

John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jude Law, Alison Eastwood, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall, Paul Hipp, Lady Chablis, Dorothy Loudon, Anne Haney
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Clint Eastwood, Arnold Stiefel, Anita Zuckerman

Camera operator

Jack N. Green

Composer

Lennie Niehaus

Artist

Henry Bumstead

Audition

Phyllis Huffman

Editing

Joel Cox
Whole Team (117)

Short description

A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.

What's left behind the scenes

Luther Driggers, played by Jeffrey Lewis (1935-2015), was based on a real Savannah resident, Mo Fetzner. He was depicted in an unflattering light in the novel. He remained indignant until the end of his days about how he was portrayed in the novel and how Lewis played him.
Many people who had previously attended receptions at the mansion were invited to film the Christmas celebration, as well as several relatives of James Arthur Williams. These extras later unanimously stated that everything was very realistic, including how Spacey portrayed Williams.
Luther Driggers, played by Jeffrey Lewis (1935-2015), was based on a real resident of Savannah, Mo Fetzer. In the novel, he was portrayed in an unflattering light. Until the end of his days, he remained outraged by how he was depicted in the novel and how he was played by Lewis.
A significant portion of the characters shown in the film are based on real residents of Savannah, but some details were changed for greater dramatic effect. Joe Odom was a real person, a former lawyer who opened a bar. He died of AIDS in 1991. The character of John Kelso is a portrayal of Berendt himself, but his personal life is described inaccurately. In reality, Berendt is homosexual.
Screenwriter John Berendt, author of the novel on which the screenplay was based, provided Kevin Spacey with recordings of a speech by Jim Williams, who was accused of murder, so that he could listen to how Williams spoke. Spacey replied that he had already heard Williams’ statement in court and didn't need to. During filming, however, Spacey spoke in a way that didn’t resemble Williams’ speech at all. It was only later that Berendt realized Spacey was actually speaking the way Williams did – but only during the fourth court session, when Williams himself was under the influence of Valium (a drug with sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, and amnesic effects).
Screenwriter John Berendt, author of the novel of the same name that served as the literary source for the script, gave Kevin Spacey tapes of the speech of Jim Williams, who was accused of murder, so that he could listen to how Williams spoke. Spacey replied that he had already heard Williams' testimony in court and didn't need them. During filming, however, Spacey spoke in a way that sounded nothing like Williams' speech. Only over time did Berendt realize that Spacey actually was speaking exactly like Williams—but only as he did during the fourth court hearing, when Williams himself was under the influence of Valium (a drug with sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, and amnestic effects).
The film was shot in a genuine old mansion, but before filming began, the filmmakers were unable to find an insurance company willing to insure all the property inside. Therefore, all the original items had to be removed to storage for the duration of filming, and specially made replicas were used instead.
Many people who had previously attended receptions at the mansion, and even several relatives of James Arthur Williams, were invited to film the Christmas celebration. These background actors later stated unanimously that everything felt very authentic, including the way Spacey portrayed Williams.