Minuit dans le jardin du bien et du mal

Like every film Clint Eastwood makes, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is fascinated by the mystery of masculinity: what it means to be a man, and what you have to do to be the kind of man you think you need to be -- whether that's a father, a member of a cultural group, or the ideal man in a certain social situation. Two highly-acclaimed recent Eastwood films -- "Mystic River" and "Million-Dollar Baby" -- mildly disappointed me by sinking into oversimplification and predictability. Possibly Eastwood's directing hand is more interesting when less "self-assured," because 1997's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" follows these questions down less well-defined, and thus less predictable, paths. Maintaining a scrupulously neutral eye, the film recounts a complex tale of murder, involving characters who are recognizable types on the surface but carry deep difference underneath. It unfurls a slow, rich, and troubling narrative which answers the mysteries of its crime premise even as it opens much more difficult questions about the very things that murder stories are supposed to make simple: innocence, guilt, motivations, affection, and its characters' so-called morality.

Thanks in large part to a literally mesmerizing performance by Kevin Spacey (I'm riveted every time he appears on screen) and a well- balanced turn by John Cusack as the sympathetic investigating reporter, who charms us even as he maintains a total and focused receptivity to new information and strange events, the movie fills its two and a half hours with a slow-paced and carefully balanced story that brings us into the suffocating green world of Southern Gothic, with its all its mannered refinements, thick silences and passionate secrets. There's something in this film that would have pleased Tennessee Williams or Truman Capote, those cool-eyed investigators of the closeted South. John Berendt's nuanced book, Spacey's restrained, smoldering performance and Eastwood's lucidly hands-off direction have created a strange, slow gem of a film. It's not a gem appreciated by everyone, but two years before Spacey's turn in "American Beauty" struck a chord that resonated with the wider public, "Midnight in the Garden" asks similar questions in a context that is, at the same time, more precise, more exotic, and equally American.

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.

I am at a loss as to how anyone can not like this film. It was pure genius. Cusack plays a somewhat stereotypical character (which was very appropriate for the movie, it created a perfect contrast between the cultures of New York and Savannah). Kevin Spacey was nothing short of amazing, better than in The Usual Suspects, and almost as good as in American Beauty. Lady Chablis was also excellent. I especially enjoyed watching Lady Chablis and Jim Kelso's relationship mature and change throughout the film. I have seen the movie numerous times and plan to see it again. Though, it is not for those who wish to go to a movie to be simply entertained. Highly recommended....

10/10

It is 4 years since I first saw this movie (and commented on it before reading the book on which it is based). Having since read the book twice, I thought it time to look at the movie again. I can now see why some of those who had read the book are so dismissive of the movie.

I still think it is an interesting, well cast film - but it could have been done better - and that is a pity. There is of course no reason to expect a movie to be an exact replica of a book, but when it is such an excellent book it is a pity that Eastwood chose to alter things unnecessarily. Too much of his daughter (charming though she may be), too much Lady Chablis (fascinating ditto). These additions took up time and space where the actual story could have been fleshed out more.

In spite of these minor quibbles, I still think it is an interesting story - and to fans of the book I say - accept it for what it is - it is a fascinating film, entertaining and well worth watching.

John Cusack plays John Kelso, a New York writer who goes down to Savannah, Georgia to interview Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey), a wealthy socialite and art connoisseur who likes to give expensive parties. While in Savannah, Kelso gets involved in murder, voodoo, and some eccentric characters. Kelso is a plot-convenient stand-in for John Berendt, the author of the nonfiction book upon which the film's screenplay was based.

With the film's intriguing title, maybe I was expecting too much. I really don't know what director Eastwood was trying to tell us here. The film was cluttered with disjointed subplots, which included: a murder and subsequent trial, a romance, a character study of Williams, a parade of strange characters largely irrelevant to other subplots, a travelogue of a Southern city, and some voodoo thrown in.

The acting ranged from good (Kevin Spacey) to mediocre to fairly poor. The cinematography and the production design were adequate.

This film has entertainment value for Kevin Spacey fans. But the story itself lacked focus, and it led nowhere. Indeed, the ending was ambiguous, in an irritating sort of way.

The main problem with "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil" was its questionable rationale. Why was it made? Just because a film is based on a true event does not ensure a favorable cinematic outcome, especially if the film's screenplay digresses significantly from its source. Better direction would have helped a lot, as would a complete rewrite of the screenplay, based on a more cohesive premise.