ARNOLD STIEFEL / PRODUCER

Arnold Stiefel bought the rights to “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” John Berendt’s drama of a real murder in Savannah, Ga., before it was even published--but after virtually everyone in Hollywood had passed on it. Now Stiefel, 53, is producer of the Clint Eastwood-directed film that opens Friday. He also continues his day job as manager of pop musicians Rod Stewart, Toni Braxton and Scott Weiland.

PICK TO CLICK: “If anyone reads the log line on this story--Savannah antiques dealer shoots male live-in lover, with other quirky characters--this doesn’t exactly scream ‘Lethal Weapon.’ ”

BASIC INSTINCT: “The only reason we have it is that Anita Zuckerman, the president of production of our film company, read it and figured out how to make it a film. She’s a very well-bred girl from a fine family.” (Note: She’s Stiefel’s

sister.)

FLYING HIGH: “A year after [“Midnight” was published], film executives would get on airlines and this green-covered book was being read by three or four people in first class. Agents saw it in business class, and development people saw it in coach. Slowly it got to Hollywood that this book was something.”

IN AND/OR OUT: “Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery were my first choice [for the lead in “Midnight”] because here

was a chance to explode the gay stereotype that involved Ethel Merman and show music. I assure you [the story’s central character] Jim Williams never saw ‘Yentl.’ ”

A SECOND OPINION: “Obviously, Clint’s vision of it was far different, as he cast it with an actor [Kevin Spacey] three decades younger than himself, who by the way is absolutely extraordinary, exactly the Southern gentleman, man’s man I hoped for.”

MADE HIS DAY: “I was tipped by executives and agents all over town that if Clint Eastwood is doing your film, you’ll never get to be involved yourself. But if I had a studio, if I could get every person to work like Clint, I would. The people he has there have worked with him for 21 years, from editing to catering.”

SCREENING ROOM: “I saw an advance of ‘Music From Another Room,’ the last movie Orion made. In it is a performance by Jude Law, the [murdered] hustler in our

film. Offscreen, he’s like you or me, but onscreen, he gives

new meaning to the phrase ‘the camera loves him.’ ”