- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (film)
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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 
Theatrical release postersDirected by Clint Eastwood Produced by Clint Eastwood Screenplay by John Lee Hancock Story by John Berendt (book) Starring Kevin Spacey
John CusackMusic by Lennie Niehaus Cinematography Jack N. Green Editing by Joel Cox Studio Malpaso Productions
Silver PicturesDistributed by Warner Bros. Release date(s) November 21, 1997 Running time 155 minutes Country United States Language English
FrenchBudget $30 million[1] Box office $25 million[1] Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a 1997 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, and an adaptation of the book of the same name which was based on real-life events in the 1980s. The film features Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams and John Cusack as John Kelso.
Several changes were made from the book. Many of the more colorful characters were eliminated or made into composite characters. The reporter, played by John Cusack, was based upon Berendt, but was given a love interest not featured in the book, played by Eastwood's daughter Alison Eastwood. The multiple Williams trials were combined into one on-screen trial. Jim Williams's real life attorney Sonny Seiler appeared in the movie in the role of Judge White, the presiding judge at the trial.
Advertising for the film became a source of controversy when Warner Bros. used elements of Jack Leigh's famous photograph in its movie posters without his permission.
Contents
Cast
- Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams
- John Cusack as John Kelso
- Jack Thompson as Sonny Seiler
- Irma P. Hall as Minerva
- Jude Law as Billy Hanson
- Alison Eastwood as Mandy Nicholls
- Paul Hipp as Joe Odom
- The Lady Chablis as Chablis Deveau
- Kim Hunter as Betty Harty
- Geoffrey Lewis as Luther Driggers
- Bob Gunton as Finley Largent
- Richard Herd as Henry Skerridge
Production
Filming started in spring 1997, and was shot in Savannah, Georgia.[2] The film featured a cameo by Uga V, the English bulldog live mascot of the University of Georgia, playing his father, Uga IV. The Uga mascots live in Savannah between football games.
Reception
Reviews of the film were mixed, with a score of 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was praised, however for Spacey's likeness to Williams. The film's box office performance was ultimately disappointing.
Soundtrack
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 
Soundtrack album by Various Artists Released November 18, 1997 Length 58:04 Label Warner Bros. Producer Ernie Altschuler Professional reviews Integral to the film was the soundtrack which was released in 1997. It is dedicated to the music of Johnny Mercer, a Savannah native. The CD includes versions of songs heard in the film.
Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Performer Length 1. "Skylark" Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer k. d. lang 3:46 2. "Too Marvelous for Words" Richard Whiting, Mercer Joe Williams 3:40 3. "Autumn Leaves" Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, Mercer Paula Cole 7:24 4. "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" Rube Bloom, Mercer Rosemary Clooney 4:10 5. "Dream" Mercer Brad Mehldau 5:10 6. "Days of Wine and Roses" Henry Mancini, Mercer Cassandra Wilson 4:47 7. "That Old Black Magic" Harold Arlen, Mercer Kevin Spacey 3:33 8. "Come Rain or Come Shine" Arlen, Mercer Alison Eastwood 4:32 9. "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" Arlen, Mercer Clint Eastwood 3:35 10. "This Time the Dream's on Me" Arlen, Mercer Alison Krauss 3:46 11. "Laura" David Raksin, Mercer Kevin Mahogany 4:49 12. "Midnight Sun" Lionel Hampton, Sonny Burke, Mercer Diana Krall 4:01 13. "I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)" Mercer Joshua Redman 4:59 14. "I Wanna Be Around" Sadie Vimmerstedt, Mercer Tony Bennett 2:10 See also
References
Bibliography
- Hughes, Howard (2009). Aim for the Heart. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 9781845119027.
External links
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at the Internet Movie Database
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at AllRovi
- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at Rotten Tomatoes
- Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil at Box Office Mojo
Films directed by Clint Eastwood 1970s Play Misty for Me (1971) • High Plains Drifter (1973) • Breezy (1973) • The Eiger Sanction (1975) • The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) • The Gauntlet (1977)1980s Bronco Billy (1980) • Firefox (1982) • Honkytonk Man (1982) • Sudden Impact (1983) • Pale Rider (1985) • Heartbreak Ridge (1986) • Bird (1988)1990s White Hunter Black Heart (1990) • The Rookie (1990) • Unforgiven (1992) • A Perfect World (1993) • The Bridges of Madison County (1995) • Absolute Power (1997) • Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) • True Crime (1999)2000s Space Cowboys (2000) • Blood Work (2002) • Mystic River (2003) • Million Dollar Baby (2004) • Flags of Our Fathers (2006) • Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) • Changeling (2008) • Gran Torino (2008) • Invictus (2009)2010s Hereafter (2010) • J. Edgar (2011)Categories:- 1997 films
- American films
- 1990s crime films
- Films directed by Clint Eastwood
- Films based on non-fiction books
- American LGBT-related films
- Savannah, Georgia in fiction
- English-language films
- French-language films
- American crime drama films
- Films set in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Malpaso Productions films
- Warner Bros. films
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