From the Vault: Mightnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Apparently I am behind the times, because it took me 13 years to finally see Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and I am thrilled that I finally did. The film begins with a journalist, John Kelso, from New York City who is sent to Savannah to cover the annual Christmas party that is thrown by one of the city's aristocrats, Jim Williams. What begins as a story about Christmas hams, mistletoe, and decorated trees becomes a suspenseful tale about murder and secrets. The real story is not aboutthe murder and trail but about the people in Savannah who are even more colorful than the houses and plantations.

Kelso, played by John Cusak, begins the film as a naive journalist who is a bit aggravated that he has been assigned to cover a Christmas party in the South. He believes that it will be a bore and that nothing in Savannah will compare to the drama and life of NYC. Within the first hour, his judgment on the southern city has changed. Jim Williams, played by Kevin Spacey, is the epitome or southern money. He lives in a giant mansion and has an enormous group of "friends" who are more eccentric than anyone that Kelso has met in NYC. On the night of the party, Williams' lover (played by Jude Law) becomes enraged and becomes violent which prompts Williams to shoot him. Williams' crime only brings out more of the eccentric people in Savannah and further challenges Kelso's beliefs about the south.

Though the movie is over 2 hours, I felt like it flew by and when the credits rolled I wanted more of the characters. I can't remember the last time I was so entranced by a film's characters and the way that they were depicted by the actors and actresses. Even over a month later, I am still thinking about and can't wait to read the book.

-DLP