The Advocate (film)
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The Advocate is a 1993 film by writer/director Leslie Megahey. The film stars Colin Firth, Ian Holm, Donald Pleasance, Nicol Williamson, Jim Carter and Amina Annabi. It was originally released in the United Kingdom as The Hour of the Pig. The film is usually categorized as a drama, although it could also be classified as a mystery or a black comedy.
The North American release of the film is rated R primarily for nudity and sexual content.
[edit] Plot
The film is set in 15th century France and is based upon the career and case files of Bartholomew Chassenee, an actual lawyer of the time that served as an advocate for animals who were accused of crimes. At the time, animal trials were used to determine if animals were the prepetraitors of supernatural mayhem, and animals were subject to the same civil laws and penalties as human beings.
Richard Courtois (Firth) and his loyal clerk Mathieu (Carter) have left the decadence of Paris for what they believe will be a quiet life in the rural village of Ponthieu. Courtois quickly becomes involved in a number of back-logged cases, from murder to witchcraft. He takes on a case defending a pig that is accused of killing a young Jewish boy. The pig, however, belongs to a band of gypsies passing through town who appeal to Courtois to save the pig, as it is their only source of food for the coming winter.
As Courtois delves deeper into the case, and becomes more involved with the beautiful gypsy Samira (Annabi), he discovers that there is more at work than a simple murder. His work is brought to the attention of Seigneur Jehan d'Auferre (Williamson), who has his own designs on Courtois. Soon Courtois finds that he is being used as a pawn in a highly complicated game of sociopolitical intrigue that extends beyond merely racism, corruption, and the attitudes of a society caught between the superstition of the Dark Ages and the enlightenment of the Renaissance.
[edit] Alternate versions
Besides having its name changed to The Advocate, the film's explicit content was heavily trimmed when it was imported to the United States to avoid an NC-17 rating. According to the Internet Movie Database, approximately 15 minutes of footage was excised. Only the R-rated version of the film was ever released to VHS or DVD in North America.
