Midnight in Garden of Good & Evil

A well written, acted, directed and produced move that has aged well. It is still a favorite of mine after all these years. Ironically, this movie also started my love affair with Savannah! I have been several times and just watched this movie again right before my most recent trip to Savannah. Forsyth Park will forever be one of my favorite places although seeing the Mercer house and the small park in the roundabout is always fun too. Well cast and beautifully produced story of mystery and intrigue as well as tossing in a bit of romance, Christmas and fun times. I will continue to watch this movie and enjoy in the future! Definitely on my top favorites list!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil on DVD brings the haunting, atmospheric world of the classic novel to life with gripping performances and a vivid portrayal of Savannah's eccentric charm. The movie beautifully blends mystery, drama, and Southern culture, capturing the essence of the story with its intricate characters and setting. From the eerie suspense to the rich, authentic dialogue, this film is a must-watch for fans of the book or anyone who enjoys a compelling, thought-provoking story. I would love to receive more products from the company, Amazon, or the vendor, whether the same or different, as their dedication to delivering exceptional entertainment continues to impress! 🍃

The star of this movie is: John Cusack. Kevin Spacey. The Lady Chablis. Minerva, the juju woman. Savannah. Uga.Okay, Uga can only be a supporting star; #1.,his part is small - important, but limited, and #2., he's a dog.But everybody in this quirky, involving, dramatized true story is a star without a doubt, including a few folks you will recognize from other movie roles but not be able to put a name to. This is the sort of movie that attaches itself to followers of "Northern Exposure" and other vehicles for personal expression and individuality. The setting itself is spectacular; Savannah, Georgia, a town I could place on a map but until this didn't know much about, is suddenly at the top of my list of places to see before the end. There is undeniable Southern charm, the cliqueishness of a community dedicated to keeping outsiders in the dark, an indefinable spookiness aided by Spanish moss hanging from the trees and lush green gardens and dark corners everywhere; mystery permeates every frame of this film, augmented by a waggish I'm-Southern-and-you're-not attitude presented by almost everybody without rancor or arrogance. These are people comfortable in their own skins and they don't care if the visitor is particularly at ease or not.John Kelso (John Cusack), a writer for Town & Country Magazine, gleans the peach assignment of covering the annual and much-desired Christmas party hosted by Savannahian Jim Williams, an entrepreneur restorer of old mansions and art works who resides in the gorgeous former home of songwriter Johnny Mercer. The house itself is a character in the movie; classy, elegant, well-appointed, it is the architectural equivalent of its human conservator, Jim Williams, who oversees every aspect of his place in Savannah society with panache. Genteel is a word that applies to all but one of the principals here, and that principal makes his raucous and vulgar debut fairly early in the Christmas party. During John Kelso's tour of this beautiful home, as he is being shown around by Jim Williams, a loud, ill-dressed young man strides threateningly into the room yelling at Jim, and we are introduced to Billy Hanson (Jude Law), who is miffed that he wasn't included in the party. It's obvious from the start that there is more to this meeting than is immediately apparent, and you can watch the wheels turning in John Kelso's mind as he attempts to work it out. After the vulgar young man stomps out, an unruffled Jim Williams explains with perfect Southern charm, "Uh, that was Billy Hanson, works part time in the shop - and can, at times, be a very colourful character."Later on, John Kelso is awakened in his carriage-house quarters by a deal of noise and confusion, and wanders out into a surreal scandal which becomes his full induction into Savannah and all its many colours: wall-to-wall police at the Mercer home, all of Savannah milling about outside in the dark, and a dead Billy Hanson in the front room, an obviously traumatised Jim Williams giving an emotional account of Billy's demise in another room to the police detective. John Kelso is allowed to wander through the crime scene unchallenged for a few minutes until he himself realizes what he is doing and vacates.The movie swings into overdrive now in its parade of colourful characters. John Kelso, abandoning his Christmas party coverage in favour of instead writing a book about what he sees to be a sensational story, embarks upon an examination of everyone involved. The movie is clearly stolen by the Lady Chablis, a local showgirl and friend of many of the principals, who knows a little too much about everybody and who is, moreover, played to perfection by the actual Lady Chablis (I can't imagine anyone else in this role). Others in this group of individuals includes the actual defense attorney in the subsequent trial (in the movie he plays the judge); an old juju woman who communes with the dead; a juror in the trial who wanders through Savannah with a flock of horseflies attached to his person via threads superglued to the flies; an entertaining duo who run a club (the woman singer is played extremely well by Clint Eastwood's daughter Alison); and various other small parts that make up a cohesive whole of a truly unique and charming community.The fact that this true story was portrayed by many of the people who were actually involved is a great stroke of luck; they bring a light to the story that would fall a little flat otherwise. (The Lady Chablis is her own story, and it is impossible to look away when she is onscreen.) Kevin Spacey is unsurpassed in his portrayal (he even bears a remarkable resemblance to the real Jim Williams) and his wonderful Southern diction is worth listening to no matter what he is saying. John Cusack's wide-eyed-New-York-writer is well-played also. The only role i thought a bit stilted was Jude Law's Billy Hanson, which was jarring (perhaps on purpose) and seemed strained.The extras section, which includes a tour of the noted locations in Savannah, is as interesting as the movie itself, and as said previously, makes me eager to visit this beautiful city.

I've been looking for this for quite some time. Luck was with me as the seller sent a perfect dvd & case & very fast. First of all, the acting & dialogue just amazes me. Clint Eastwood directed this quirky, partially based on a real story into a fascinating mystery, full of voodoo and the eccentricities of the south in Savannah into this marvelous movie. Kevin Spacey & John Cusack (two the best actors ever) were perfection in their roles and who could forget the outstanding Lady Chablis. Not fast paced but enthralling! I'm so happy to have this in my collection and will never tire of it.

Just Fair

This actor, producer has proven time and time again that he is comfortable in many types of environments. This movie is old but yet another example of his awesome character. I

I have been waiting for this movie to come on. In some way, and at least I got to pay a small amount of money to see it. It's a great movie with a great cast

I purchased this book to read before traveling to Savannah where we visited the house (Mercer Williams) where the main character in the book (Jim Williams) lived. We enjoyed seeing places and items mentioned in the book.

Superbe film qui invite à se laisser envoûter par la douceur du Sud.Le film suit le roman qui montre l’initiation d’un journaliste new-yorkais à la vie sociale de la ville de Savannah et cela à travers son enquête sur la bourgeoisie locale et la découverte de ses secrets les plus intimes. Ce n’est pas un film policier, mais plutôt une galerie de personnages atypiques défilant le long d’une chronique de Noël tragique.

So glad to have this again, I purchased this many years ago on VHS, I’m showing my age now. It’s quite the upgrade on the Blu-Ray, Kevin Spacey(also known for his stellar performances in Se7en 1995, The Usual Suspects 1995, L.A Confidential 1997, American Beauty 1999, K-Pax 2001 & Austin Powers in Goldmember 2002) excels as a Savannah Georgia based charismatic Jim Williams a self made millionaire caught up with some of the intriguing characters he surrounds himself with. John Cusack(from Stand by Me 1986, The Thin Red Line 1998, Pushing Tin 1999, High Fidelity 2000, Runaway Jury 2003, 2012 as Jackson Curtis 2009, The Frozen Ground 2013 & Hot Tub Time Machine 2010 among others) performs as John Kelso a New York based author requested at the behest of Jim Williams as the only writer he will permit to contract for Town & Country magazine to review for his much famed Savannah soirée, Cusack obliges. But this southern setting offers so much more than 500 word count Cusack is limited too. With characters like Billy Hanson, played by Jude Law(from Gattaca 1997, The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999, Enemy at the Gates 2001, Road to Perdition, The Aviator 2004 & Side Effects 2013), Sonny Seiler portrayed by Jack Thompson (from Breaker Morant 1980, The Man from Snowy River 1982, The Sum of Us 1994, Australia 2008 & High Ground 2020) among other notable individuals; directed by Clint Eastwood(known for Unforgiven 1992, A Perfect World 1993, Absolute Power 1997, Mystic River 2003, Million Dollar Baby 2004, Letters From Iwo Jima 2006, Flags of our Fathers 2006, Gran Toronto 2008, J. Edgar 2011, American Sniper 2014, Jersey Boys 2014, The Mule 2018 among many notable others) in this wonderful Malpaso production. Enter the garden of good and evil with this superb cast and crew, but be sure to keep an eye on the time though. This is not to be missed, get your Blu-Ray edition copy too before they’re all snapped up, so it’s always ready for your movie marathon.Thank-you Mr. Eastwood thank-you.

Das erstaunliche an Clint Eastwoods Regiearbeiten ist: Keiner seiner Filme verrät eine typische Handschrift, so wie etwa ein Scorsese-Film immer ein Scorsese-Film ist (oder ein Coppola oder ein Peckinpah). Eastwood sagt dazu: Die Filme entwickeln sich beim Drehen, sie sind so unterschiedlich, wie die Geschichten, die erzählt werden. So erinnert "Mitternacht.." eher an den großen Gatsby, als an Eastwoods Western. Wunderbar gefilmt, vor einer tollen Kulisse, mit exzellenten Schauspielern: Die Eastwood meisterhaft führt. John Cusack spielt hier seine womöglich beste Rolle, Eastwoods alter Kumpel Geoffrey Lewis darf als Spinner namens Luther Driggers seine ganze Exzentrik freisetzen, Kevin Spacey als reicher Gentleman-Schwuler ist eher fein gezeichnet und wird nicht in Klischees erstickt. Der Macho Eastwood hat erst spät filmisch zu Homosexuellen Stellung genommen, er tut dies hier ohne die abwertend-überhebliche Attitüde, die manche von ihm erwarten würden. Lediglich in den Gesten und Blicken der Saaldiener und Polizisten von Savannah ist zu erahnen, dass sie diese spezielle Facette ihrer schillernden Stadt nicht als bereichernd empfinden. Genau beobachtet, mit sehr spannenden und intelligenten Dialogen im Drehbuch von John Lee Hancock: Sicher eine von Eastwoods besten Arbeiten, und dabei noch immer 155 Minuten perfekte Kino-Unterhaltung (so lang ist laut IMDB das Original, die DVD ist 6 Minuten kürzer). Ich habe mich keine Minute lang gelangweilt.

Great Movie based on a true story. Artistic licensee is taken of course but there are characters like those shown in the south and in Georgia that add to the colour and the character of the state. Truly a wonderful movie. Brought back memories of being stationed at nearby Fort Stewart in the 24th Infantry Division

DVD reçu très rapidement et conforme à ma commande... Film déjà vu et beaucoup aimé, à mon sens l'un, si ce n'est "le" film, des plus intéressants de Clint Eastwood.