The Advocate

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The Advocate

R

1993

1h 42m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Hoping to escape the complications of 15th-century Paris, young lawyer Richard Courtois (Colin Firth) takes a job as a public defender in a rural area. There he finds himself defending a pig accused of murdering a Jewish boy. Squaring off against a determined prosecutor (Donald Pleasence) and Catholic priest (Ian Holm), Richard defends the animal, which is owned by a beautiful gypsy woman, Samira (Amina Annabi). The medieval justice system and local superstitions mingle as the case plays out.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

A quirky British film that seems to aim halfway between Monty Python and Sommersby.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Far from being a stuffy period piece, the movie is fun and intellectually engaging.

Rated: B

Aug 31, 2022

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Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

Among the irreverence is the fact that modern slang is often sprinkled amid the medieval talk...

Rated: 3/4

Mar 14, 2022

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Sep 30, 2005

Full Review

Andy Klein

Los Angeles CityBeat

Rated: 4/5

Mar 24, 2005

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Rated: 3/5

Mar 27, 2004

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Audience Member

A neglected, but butchered, gem.. The US cut (the only one freely available) makes it harder to follow and loses pivotal aspects. Basically it is an act of vandalism. Even so, the clever script, fantastic cast and quality production values, sense of place, costumes etc. carry it through and make it special. Intriguing, quirky, funny and dark, it gets better with every re-watching... This seriously merits a release of the original version...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Why did I watch this

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

Småtrevlig, bra skådespel av Donald Pleasence, men lite väl tunn plot. Långt ifrån mästerligt medeltidsdrama.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

(***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

I found this little known historical legal practice fascinating

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

So, in the 15th century, animals were put on trial just the same as people. Watch this movie if you don't believe me. Colin Firth's hair rocks.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Leslie Megahey

Director

Colin Firth

Richard Courtois

Lysette Anthony

Filette d'Auferre

Ian Holm

Albertus

Donald Pleasence

Pincheon

Amina Annabi

Samira

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Synopsis

Hoping to escape the complications of 15th-century Paris, young lawyer Richard Courtois (Colin Firth) takes a job as a public defender in a rural area. There he finds himself defending a pig accused of murdering a Jewish boy. Squaring off against a determined prosecutor (Donald Pleasence) and Catholic priest (Ian Holm), Richard defends the animal, which is owned by a beautiful gypsy woman, Samira (Amina Annabi). The medieval justice system and local superstitions mingle as the case plays out.

Director: Leslie Megahey
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $231.0K
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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