bkoganbing
A tale set in medieval France, The Advocate is the story of a lawyer who tired of the decadence of Paris longs for a simpler life Colin Firth heads for a most rural area where he figures the peasant folk to be a kindler, gentler lot than what he left in the Isle De France. What he finds is a brutal and ignorant lot of people ruled by a cynical local lord played by Nicol Williamson who manipulates the populace for his own benefit. Williamson is not someone from an old and titled family, he's a harbinger of what was to come, a businessman who for services rendered got a title. Now that he's rich and with a title, he and his family can live a hedonistic lifestyle and they indulge themselves to the fullest. Williamson's son Justin Chadwick has all the vices and invents a few of his own.Among the beliefs these folks have is that animals have souls, souls because of their simplicity can be readily possessed by Satan and his minions. They face trial for offenses as one poor goat does at the beginning with a man who sodomized him. Only a testament to the goat's good moral character saves him from Judge Michael Gough hanging him with the man who did him wrong.As a defense advocate Firth gets one case to defend a pig owned by a family of gypsies. I will not go further except to say that Firth is quite disillusioned by everyone in what he thought was some rural idyll.The film has a lot of nudity in it. Quite frankly it needed it to perk up the interest. The Advocate for the most part is one crashingly dull film and I think the players knew it. Even Donald Pleasence who usually can spark a film doesn't deliver at all. No doubt Pleasence was kept in strict directorial check, a pity.Medieval France is recreated quite well, too bad the story just wasn't more interesting.
Armand
Beautiful exploration of premodern atmosphere, of time's masks and of faith. Show in rule's body and ambiguity of innocence. Signs, symbols and respiration of a era. Misticism, sin and a strange advocate lost in a deceptive world.A great character in Ian Holm acting and subtle recreation of gestures of every period. At first sight, the love is only motive of characters actions. Love for law, for power or money, prestige or personal image, for ideal or for a woman. But, the essence is the sin, like result of corruption, hypocrisy and prejudices. Richard Curtois is not only an outsider, the stranger but principal danger for community. The desertion of Paris is capital error . The endeavor to move life in his rational limits- a cruel blasphemy. Image of his failure is not the departure, but the presence of father Albertus in a place who destroys every innocence's shadow.In spite of atmosphere, it is not a historical film. The reality after September 11 is Medieval in same measure and same saving knight is expecting.
kris_imdb
This movie is one of the funniest movies I've seen! However, the humor is very dark. The first scene of the movie suffices to give you the flavor of the rest of it. So, if after the first scene, you are disgusted, or not laughing, you might want to return the movie.
mimacdon4
Firstly, this movie is based on true legal cases during the 15th century which makes it intriguing from the get go. It is based on Richard Cortois, played by Colin Firth, an Advocate who leaves a practice in Paris, to seek the simple country life in a village named Abbeville. What he finds is a quite different story. Country law applies to both man and beast and that is where much of the fun unfolds. The story centers mainly around the case against a pig accused of killing a Jewish child. Courtois, at first, finds the case a bit ridiculous, but finds that as the defense Advocate, he must represent the pig. He is also solicited by the pig's owner to try the case "as the pig is everything to them". As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that there is more here than meets the eye. The case becomes a symbol of maintaining order in the little country town. Courtois attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery and finds that other children have similiarly gone missing over the last year. He is provided a hint by a client tried for witchery saying "Look to the boy, Maitre". It is a great film on many levels and provides quite a bit of comic relief during the many trial sequences. Ian Holm, as the priest who has his own defination of good-which includes trysts with many of his lady parishoners, gives a worthy performance as does Nicole Williamson as the corrupt Seigneur. It is Colin Firth who shines in his wonderful portrayal of Richard Cortois, the one driving force of nobility and honor in the town rotten to the core with evil.
AD
