Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a 1997 American mystery thriller film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey. The screenplay by John Lee Hancock was based on John Berendt 's 1994 book of the same name and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute.
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What is the plot of Midnight in the garden of good and evil?
Best-selling novel, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" explores the life of prominent Savannah socialite Jim Williams, and the murder of his lover Danny Hansford. Take a walk in the shoes of the true life characters and Savannah residents that know the story all too well.
Is night in the garden of good and evil based on a book?
Closing disclaimer: This film is based upon John Berendt's book "MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL". Dialogue and certain events and characters contained in the film were created for the purposes of dramatization.
Why is it called the garden of good and evil?
The title alludes to the hoodoo notion of "midnight," the period between the time for good magic (11 pm to midnight) and the time for evil magic (midnight to 1 am), and "the garden of good and evil," which refers principally to the cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina, where Dr. Buzzard, the husband of Minerva, the folk-magic practitioner who ...
Why is Bonaventure called the garden of Midnight?
The title alludes to the hoodoo notion of “midnight”, the period between the time for good magic and the time for evil magic, and “the garden of good and evil,” which refers principally to Bonaventure Cemetery. The famous Bird Girl statue, originally designed both as art and as a birdseed holder, was originally located at Bonaventure.
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Is the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil a true story?
Other than that, the exterior of the house today is very much as it was in the movie. This photo below was taken last week. The book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is based on a true story about Jim Williams. Of course, John Berendt added and embellished to make it more exciting.
What is the theme of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
The author, John Berendt, draws a vivid picture of Savannah's residents while creating a book that revolves around the themes of money, isolation, illusion, and good versus evil.
Is there nudity in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
A reporter (John Cusack) investigates Southern culture in the midst of a murder trial. SEX/NUDITY 3 - Lots of sexual innuendo (including references about female and male anatomy, transsexuals, homosexuality, incest). A nightclub scene with a transsexual performing and suggestive dancing. Cleavage revealing outfits.
Who is in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
That reporter was John Berendt, and his book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was adapted into a 1997 film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Lady Chablis, and Jude Law. The story takes place in The '80s.
What happens at the end of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
By the end, Jim recounts his story with different details, saying that the reason there is no residue on Hanson's extremities is because he never fired a shot; the gun jammed up as Billy was about to shoot, and Jim murdered the young man.
Where is statue from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
the Telfair Academy MuseumMade famous thanks in part to the cover of the novel, Bonaventure Cemetery was the original home of the Bird Girl statue. Now relocated to the Telfair Academy Museum, this hauntingly beautiful statue is now on display for all to see.
What is Lady Chablis real name?
Benjamin Edward KnoxLady Chablis was born Benjamin Edward Knox, but she legally changed her name to The Lady Chablis around the time of the “Midnight” movie, said Hall, who knew her since the 1980s.
Was Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil filmed in Savannah?
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" filmed in Savannah starting in May 1997. Warner Bros. Pictures spent an estimated $5.5 million filming in Savannah, said Jay Self, director of tourism and film services.
What does the Bird Girl statue represent?
The Bird Girl became a symbol of Savannah. An unofficial tourist attraction, the statue was relocated to Telfair Museums after the Trosdal family complained about visitors causing damage to their family's plot.
What is a midnight garden?
Midnight gardens are ALL white flowers and seem to glow at night. Hence the name "Midnight Garden" ♥PIN ALL YOU WANT. 203 Pins. 9y.
What movie was based in Savannah Georgia?
Did you know that there's actually many famous movies filmed in Savannah? Yep, this pretty part of Georgia has been the setting for lots of top films, including Forrest Gump, The Last Song with Miley Cyrus and Oscar winning 1989 film Glory.
Storyline
This panoramic tale of Savannah, Georgia's eccentricities focuses on a murder and the subsequent trial of James Arthur Williams (Kevin Spacey): self made man, art collector, antiques dealer, bon vivant, and semi-closeted homosexual.
Did you know
Lady Chablis, the transgender woman from Savannah featured in the source novel, plays herself.
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By what name was Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997) officially released in India in Hindi?
Who wrote the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
When the author, John Berendt, wrote "The Book" as it is now referred to by residents of Savannah, Georgia, he did what many writers do. He combined fact with fiction. "The Book" turned into the movie entitled, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.". Berendt's book remained on the New York Times best seller list for 216 weeks ...
What does Minerva say about voodoo?
This discloses truth in the voodoo belief as Minerva stated, "One hour before midnight for doing good, one hour after midnight for evil.".
What is the book "The High Society" about?
The book is about people in their most naked reality and that good and evil combine to prove truth is stranger than fiction. For example, the high society in Savannah projects the image of style and "class," that covers darker characteristics in their personalities. In Savannah, residents are aware of homosexuals and the transgendered.
Who played the voodoo woman in the movie?
Many of Berendt 's characters such as the voodoo woman, Minerva, the transgendered nightclub entertainer, Chablis and Joe Odom were actually Savannah residents.
What is the meaning of "faction" in the book "The Dark Side"?
Berendt's book was considered "faction.". This simply means it is part fact and part fiction. The characters in the story actually were residents of Savannah. Without realizing it, Berendt exposed the dark side of Savannah society, a relatively insular, highly traditional composition of diverse individuals.
What you need to know about the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"?
What You Need To Know: Tolerance for everyone but those opposed to the sexual “revolution” is one of the messages of director Clint Eastwood’s movie MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, based on John Berendt’s docu-novel. The movie is set in Savannah, Georgia and tells about the true-life murder trial of Jim Williams, ...
Where is the movie Night in the Garden of Good and Evil set?
The movie is set in Savannah, Georgia and tells about the true-life murder trial of Jim Williams, a newly wealthy antique dealer, collector and restoration specialist who shot and killed his bisexual male lover and employee Billy Hanson, a violent-prone man from the poor side of town.
What is the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil about?
The book, Berendt's first, was published in 1994 and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the murder of a male prostitute. Subtitled A Savannah Story, with an initial printing of 25,000 copies, the book became a New York Times Best-Seller ...
Who wrote the book Midnight in the Garden?
Midnight in the Garden. of Good and Evil. The cover of the 1994 book, which features the Bird Girl sculpture. Author. John Berendt. Country. United States. Language. English.
Why did Minerva perform the incantations?
It is over his grave that Minerva performed the incantations to ensure a more successful result in the retrial for the case of Jim Williams. (The marriage between Minerva and Dr. Buzzard was the invention of John Berendt. Dr. Buzzard was based on Stephen Robinson, who died in 1947, aged 86.)
Where did the death of the Lady Chablis take place?
The death occurred in Williams' home, Mercer House. The book highlights many other notable Savannah residents as well, including The Lady Chablis, a local transgender woman, club performer, and entertainer. Chablis provides both a Greek chorus of sorts as well as a light-hearted contrast to the more serious action.
Where is the garden of good and evil?
Although Bonaventure Cemetery is the focus in the book, "the garden of good and evil" refers principally to the cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina, where Dr. Louis Buzzard, the husband of Minerva, the folk-magic practitioner who figures in the story, is buried.
Who is Minerva based on?
The person represented by the character Serena Dawes died in 1974, over twenty years before the book's release. Minerva is based on root doctor Valerie Bowles. She died in 2009, aged 76.
Who played Mandy Nichols in the movie?
They took place in '85 or later, and they are pretty much verbatim what happened with those people and me.". Nancy Hillis , who appears as Mandy Nichols, later explained that, contrary to Berendt's portrayal of her, she did not meet Joe Odom until he had moved from 16 East Jones Street to 101 East Oglethorpe Avenue.
What is midnight in the garden of good and evil?
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a book that exists as a conspiracy between the author and the reader: John Berendt paints a portrait of a city so eccentric, so dripping with Southern Gothic weirdness, that it can't survive for long when it's removed from the life-support system of our imagination. Clint Eastwood's film is a determined attempt to be faithful to the book's spirit, but something ineffable is lost just by turning on the camera: Nothing we see can be as amazing as what we've imagined.
Who plays Minerva in the movie?
Much is made of Minerva ( Irma P. Hall ), the voodoo priestess, who casts hexes against the prosecuting attorneys and leads midnight forays into local cemeteries. In the book some local residents, Jim Williams included, halfway believe in her magic; in the movie, she comes across more as a local eccentric. In a way, the filmmakers faced the same ...
What is the book Savannah about?
Advertisement. The book tells the story of a New York author who visits Savannah, Ga., is bewitched, and takes an apartment there. Gradually he meets the local fauna, including a gay antiques dealer, a piano bar owner of no fixed abode, a drag queen, a voodoo priestess, a man who keeps flies on leashes, a man who walks an invisible dog and ...
Who is Mandy in the movie?
He's a charmer who has the misfortune to be dating Mandy Nichols (Alison Eastwood), and so the movie has to hustle him out of sight to free Mandy for her frictionless dalliance with Kelso--who mutters vaguely about his "track record'' in romance, and has to be instructed to kiss her after their first date.
Who was Roger Ebert?
Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
What is the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil about?
Here’s a brief synopsis of the movie from Wikipedia: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is atmospheric and Southern Gothic in tone, depicting a wide range of eccentric Savannah personalities.
What is the meaning of the title "The Garden of Good and Evil"?
The title alludes to the hoodoo notion of “midnight”, the period between the time for good magic and the time for evil magic, and “the garden of good and evil,” which refers principally to Bonaventure Cemetery.
What does Jim tell John about his neighbor's dogs?
In the movie, Jim tells John about his neighbor’s (Lee and Emma Adler) dogs that bark and annoy him. To get revenge, he plays this organ in the ball room really loud. It would rival some organs found in churches. John is stunned when the curtains roll back to reveal these giant pipes.
Where did the death of the Lady Chablis take place?
The death took place in Williams’ home , originally built by an ancestor of songwriter and Savannah native Johnny Mercer. The novel also highlights many other residents of Savannah, most notably The Lady Chablis, a local drag queen and entertainer.
Is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil based on a true story?
The book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, is based on a true story about Jim Williams. Of course, John Berendt added and embellished to make it more exciting. Mr. Williams bought Mercer house in 1969 after it had been vacant for over a decade.
