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The Advocate

Play trailer Poster for The Advocate R 1993 1h 42m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 11 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.

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The Advocate

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 01/01/2000
3/4
A quirky British film that seems to aim halfway between Monty Python and Sommersby. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Jul 10
4/5
…The Hour of the Pig is an obscure but actually great little British film that’s sexy, funny and educational at the same time, with a cruel sense of historical irony that few films can match… Go to Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault 08/31/2022
B
Far from being a stuffy period piece, the movie is fun and intellectually engaging. Go to Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot 03/14/2022
3/4
Among the irreverence is the fact that modern slang is often sprinkled amid the medieval talk... Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 09/30/2005
2/5
Andy Klein Los Angeles CityBeat 03/24/2005
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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05/14/2019 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... See more 12/04/2016 Why did I watch this See more 01/15/2014 Småtrevlig, bra skådespel av Donald Pleasence, men lite väl tunn plot. Långt ifrån mästerligt medeltidsdrama. See more 06/23/2013 (***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] See more 06/19/2011 I found this little known historical legal practice fascinating See more 04/23/2011 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. See more Read all reviews
The Advocate

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Cast & Crew

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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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The Advocate

The Advocate (1993) View more photos

Movie Info

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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