Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

The cover of the 1994 novel, which features the Bird Girl sculpture.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a book by John Berendt, and a movie, directed by Clint Eastwood based loosely on Berendt's story.

The Book

"The Book," as it is often referred to in Savannah, Georgia is atmospheric and Southern Gothic in tone, depicting eccentric Savannah personalities. The plot is propelled by the investigation of the shooting of hustler Danny Hansford (characterized as "a good time not yet had by all") by his boyfriend, respected art dealer Jim Williams, an event which resulted in four murder trials. The murder took place in Williams's home, originally built by an ancestor of songwriter and Savannah native Johnny Mercer.

Despite sounding fictional, the book's plot is based on real-life events that occurred in the 1980s and is classified as nonfiction. The book is among the most popular non-fiction releases of all time and appeared on The New York Times bestseller list for over two years.

The title alludes to "midnight"--the period between the time for good magic and the time for evil magic--in "the garden of good and evil," the Bonaventure Cemetery. The famous bird-girl statue--originally designed both as art and as a birdseed holder--was originally located at Bonaventure. As of July 2005 the Bird Girl Statue has been relocated for display to the Telfair Museum in Savannah.

The Movie

There are noteworthy differences between the book and the film. For example, Jim Williams' four murder trials are cut down to one trial. Some viewers felt that the gay sexual content is eliminated, rendering the gay characters colorful and yet asexual. The film added a resolute heterosexual New York City reporter (Cusack) and much of the film explored the reporter's romance of a local woman and his investigation of the town's colorful characters. The film also does not show Williams being the victim of a gay-bashing, nor does it mention the incident where Williams hung a Nazi flag from his balcony so as to disturb the filming of a Civil War era film that was being shot in the square in front of his home, Mercer House.

The movie stars John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jack Thompson, Kim Hunter, Dorothy Loudon, and Jude Law in one of his earlier roles. The Lady Chablis, a celebrated Savannah drag queen, plays herself in the film. Several smaller roles, such as the party guests and Jerry the hairdresser, were played by the people actually involved in the original real-life story. The judge in the courtroom scenes is in fact Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler, Jim Williams' real-life lawyer.

Critics

Criticism of the film was generally mixed. Some fans of the novel were unhappy with changes made in the film version. Some fans felt that the film sensationalized and exploited the gay and transvestite characters for mere shock value. Some also felt that the Libertarian views of director Clint Eastwood were displayed in the film.

The film is available on a DVD special edition that includes cast and crew talent files, a tour of Sanavah with on-screen historical text, and some brief film clips from local residents.