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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
21 November 1997 (USA)
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Tagline:
Welcome to Savannah, Georgia. A City Of Hot Nights And Cold Blooded Murder.
Plot:
A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win
&
2 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(11 articles)
The M/C Interview: John Lee Hancock discusses 'The Blind Side'
(From Hitfix. 18 November 2009, 11:30 AM, PST)
Actress Kim Hunter Dies
(From WENN. 12 September 2002)
(From Hitfix. 18 November 2009, 11:30 AM, PST)
Actress Kim Hunter Dies
(From WENN. 12 September 2002)
User Comments:
Eastwood, the Gothic cowboy, hits Savannah.
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | John Cusack | ... | John Kelso |
 | Kevin Spacey | ... | Jim Williams |
 | Jack Thompson | ... | Sonny Seiler |
 | Irma P. Hall | ... | Minerva |
 | Jude Law | ... | Billy Hanson |
 | Alison Eastwood | ... | Mandy Nicholls |
| Paul Hipp | ... | Joe Odom |
| Lady Chablis | ... | Chablis Deveau (as The Lady Chablis) |
| Dorothy Loudon | ... | Serena Dawes |
| Anne Haney | ... | Margaret Williams |
 | Kim Hunter | ... | Betty Harty |
 | Geoffrey Lewis | ... | Luther Driggers |
 | Richard Herd | ... | Henry Skerridge |
 | Leon Rippy | ... | Detective Boone |
 | Bob Gunton | ... | Finley Largent |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language and brief violence.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
155 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:12 |
Singapore:PG (original rating) (cut) |
Argentina:13 |
Canada:14A |
Chile:14 |
Finland:K-12 (original rating) |
Finland:K-15 (TV rating) |
France:U |
Germany:12 (bw) |
Mexico:C |
Portugal:M/12 |
Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) |
Spain:13 |
Sweden:11 |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:15 |
USA:R
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The judge is played by Sonny Seiler, the attorney for Jim Williams during the trials.
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Goofs:
Continuity: John and Jim are walking UGA (the dog) to Jim's home. They go into the workshop and UGA is not with them.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Damn Good Dog (2004) (V)
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Soundtrack:
Come Rain Or Come Shine
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (186 total)
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A clever but flawed example of the black art of adapting a very literary work to film. The plot has been streamlined (one trial instead of four), some of the characters given expanded roles, others dropped out, a fictitious affair inserted. However the essentially journalistic narrative remains, and the theme remains – outsider tries to understand an inward-looking society bent on preserving their environment and way of life and resisting outside influence. Healthy decadence, if there is such a thing.
The Jim Williams case is really just a framework for author Berendt's enquiry into what makes Savannah tick, and the film tends to ignore that, concentrating on the trial(s) and Jim's relationship with the author figure, who is given a much bigger role than in the book. Hence some of the color bits, Minerva the voodoo lady, Joe the feckless party giver, even the Lady Chablis (played by herself) seemed kind of irrelevant.
Some nice acting was evident. Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams in a silver waistcoat and bushy moustache looked a bit like a riverboat gambler, but he held our attention, if not our sympathy. Jack Thompson as his lawyer showed his courtroom manner has come a long way since 'Breaker Morant' and almost had me convinced he really was a good ole boy from the American South instead of a Melbourne bred actor. The bulldog was good too.
Savannah is truly a cute town and deserves a visit; the film does not really do it justice. It's done the tourist industry there some good though. On a recent visit your correspondent was unable to get into Clary's, a fairly ordinary diner made famous by the book and the film, for lunch (they don't do dinner) due to the busloads of tourists that had descended on it. Never mind, there's better food elsewhere - try the deli on Drayton – Parker's, I think.