In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However, he is soon drawn into amorous and political intrigues. At the same time, he is ...
See full summary »
Get the best new trailers in under a minute, including "True Detective" Season 3, Spies in Disguise, and "Room 104."
Related News
-
Medical Drama ‘Remedy’ From Katie Lovejoy & Vendetta Prods. Set At Fox
12 October 2018 | Deadline -
YouTuber Tyler Oakley Feted For Lgbtq Advocacy Work On Cover Of ‘The Advocate’
26 September 2018 | Tubefilter News -
Los Angeles D.A. Declines To Charge Benny Medina For Alleged 2004 Sexual Assault
21 September 2018 | Deadline
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Advocate (1993)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Playmaker
(1994)
Drama
|
Mystery
|
Thriller
Director:
Yuri Zeltser
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Jennifer Rubin,
John Getz
Wings of Fame
(1990)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Fantasy
Director:
Otakar Votocek
Stars:
Peter O'Toole,
Colin Firth,
Marie Trintignant
The Secret Laughter of Women
(1999)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Peter Schwabach
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Nia Long,
Dan Lett
Donovan Quick
(TV Movie 2000)
Director:
David Blair
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Katy Murphy,
David O'Hara
Fourplay
(2001)
Comedy
Director:
Mike Binder
Stars:
Mike Binder,
Colin Firth,
Mariel Hemingway
Femme Fatale
(1991)
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Andre R. Guttfreund
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Lisa Zane,
Billy Zane
The Pleasure Principle
(1992)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
David Cohen
Stars:
Peter Firth,
Chloe Davies,
Haydn Gwynne
Relative Values
(2000)
Comedy
Director:
Eric Styles
Stars:
Julie Andrews,
Edward Atterton,
William Baldwin
My Life So Far
(1999)
Biography
|
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Hugh Hudson
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Rosemary Harris,
Irène Jacob
Safe Haven
(1995)
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Debbie Shuter
Stars:
Allie Byrne,
Miranda Pleasence,
Jeremy Sheffield
A Shock to the System
(1990)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Thriller
Director:
Jan Egleson
Stars:
Michael Caine,
Elizabeth McGovern,
Peter Riegert
A Month in the Country
(1987)
Drama
Director:
Pat O'Connor
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Kenneth Branagh,
John Atkinsons
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Colin Firth | ... | Richard Courtois | |
| Ian Holm | ... | Albertus | |
| Donald Pleasence | ... | Pincheon | |
| Amina Annabi | ... | Samira | |
| Nicol Williamson | ... | Seigneur Jehan d'Auferre | |
| Michael Gough | ... | Magistrate Boniface | |
| Harriet Walter | ... | Jeannine Martin | |
| Jim Carter | ... | Mathieu | |
| Lysette Anthony | ... | Filette d'Auferre | |
| Sophie Dix | ... | Maria | |
| Vincent Grass | ... | Bailiff Labatier | |
| Elizabeth Spriggs | ... | Madame Langlois | |
 |
Raoul Delfosse | ... | Blind George |
| Justin Chadwick | ... | Gerard d'Auferre | |
|
|
Jean-Pierre Stewart | ... | Sheriff |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However, he is soon drawn into amorous and political intrigues. At the same time, he is pushed to defend a pig, owned by the mysterious gypsy Samira. The pig has been arrested for the murder of a young boy. Written by Reid Gagle
Taglines:
When murder is the motive, seduction is the last defense.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 August 1994 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Advocate See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$667,078Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
Dolby SRColor:
Color (Rankcolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Written by Perrin D'Agincourt
Performed by the St. George's Canzona
Counter-tenor, Derek Harrison
Arranged by John Sothcott
Courtesy of CRD Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Based on genuine Court proceedings against animals. See more »Goofs
In the epilogue crawl, the character name Mathieu is spelled once correctly, and in a subsequent paragraph as Mathiew. See more »Alternate Versions
Originally rated NC-17 in the U.S., some sexually explicit material was cut to be re-rated R. See more »Soundtracks
Quant Voi en la Fin D'esteWritten by Perrin D'Agincourt
Performed by the St. George's Canzona
Counter-tenor, Derek Harrison
Arranged by John Sothcott
Courtesy of CRD Records
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
I saw this film as "The Advocate," not that it matters, but just so you know. The place where I rented it didn't have the original box, so I had NO idea what the film was about. I was, um, surprised.
Colin Firth plays a 15th-century lawyer (called an advocate) who moves to the country from Paris. He wants to get in touch with the real essence of the law, defending the common folk and such. As it turns out, animals can be charged with crimes as well. Poor Colin finds himself defending rats and a pig in open court. (I could make a really obvious crack about the parallels to the practices of modern law, but that's a tad crass. Truthful, but crass.)
The film's claim that the secret of the movie is along the same lines of "The Crying Game" is surely meant as a joke. Still, the movie spends too much dwelling on the absurdity of defending animals and not enough time finding a story to tell. There is some twaddle about defending a beautiful gypsy woman's pig in a murder trial, but it is never gripping or, sadly, interesting.
The acting make up for the triteness of the story, though. Firth is solid and has some great scenes with the Seigneur who owns the land and the village Firth comes to reside in. There is also a small appearance by the wonderful, underrated, nuanced, subtle IAN HOLM~ as a shady priest. The cast raises the film from the status of sideshow curiosity.
While the "Crying Game" style secret is a reference to the murder case that is (ultimately) shuffled off to the side of the movie, I have no problem revealing another big secret of "The Advocate": the sow is really a hog!!!