Home :: DVD :: Drama :: General  

African American Drama
Classics
Crime & Criminals
Cult Classics
Family Life
Gay & Lesbian
General

Love & Romance
Military & War
Murder & Mayhem
Period Piece
Religion
Sports
Television
The Advocate

The Advocate

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's about time this came out on tape
Review: It's about time this was released on tape... Brilliant early-Renaissance satire about a 14th-century big-for-his-britches Paris lawyer who has to move to the country to escape creditors and/or husbands, I forget which, and, there, defend a pig accused of murder (because pigs could be possessed by the devil, they could be tried at law just like humans)... One of the great courtroom farces of all time. Wonderful implicit satire on the eternal corruption of the justice system. Oh, and there's bawdry in it too. The twist at the end will jar you. You'll never forget the movie. You really need to buy this.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Murderous Medieval Porker Assembles Dream Team
Review: This bawdy romp through the medieval French countryside is an ideal candidate for "cult" status. Colin Firth's 12th-Century yuppie lawyer is farmed out to Le Hicksville to plead the case of a pig. Contrary to what you might think, the courtroom scenes actually provide the most sobering moments in the film, reminding us of how frighteningly easy it is for humans to kowtow thier basic freedoms to superstition and dogma. It is Firth's interactions with the "locals" outside the courtroom that provide the most entertainment. Some memorable tete a tetes involving a chambermaid and a fiery Gypsy siren recall the 1963 classic "Tom Jones" at times. Wonderful supporting performances from the likes of Ian Holm and the late Donald Pleasence (playing the "heavy" as only he could) round off this unique, highly entertaining little sleeper. Note: I have NEVER seen this film referred to as "Hour Of The Pig" (outside of this listing)...it is always titled as "The Advocate" on cable and in video stores.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: CLEVER, INTELLEGENT AND ENTERTAINING
Review: This film is very entertaining though I'll admit the uncut version(HOUR OF THE PIG)is slightly better because some of the key scenes were edited out of THE ADVOCATE so the plot can be a bit hard to follow at times. The film is made in a rather tongue-in-cheek style so that the dialogue is witty, sharp but needs to be followed closely so that you are able to savor every twist of the plot fully. The court room scenes are wonderful; the rest of the film is full of interesting characters and funny moments that season the story about the naive, big city lawyer who learns quite a bit about the real world during his stay in the small country town. Well directed, well acted, well written. More than worth the time to see again and again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Different take on Medieval stories
Review: This movie is definitely a different take on the usual Medieval movie because it's about a lawyer instead of knights on horseback and battles. The battles in it take place in a courtroom, and give the viewer a slight taste of how bizarre Medieval "justice" seems compared to modern justice.

Handsome, talented Colin Firth does a good job playing a lawyer from the city in search of a simpler life in a small provincial town. He's in for some major surprises. The rest of the cast is good also, full of British character actors.

Watch and listen VERY carefully or you will miss subtle details throughout the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Different take on Medieval stories
Review: This movie is definitely a different take on the usual Medieval movie because it's about a lawyer instead of knights on horseback and battles. The battles in it take place in a courtroom, and give the viewer a slight taste of how bizarre Medieval "justice" seems compared to modern justice.

Handsome, talented Colin Firth does a good job playing a lawyer from the city in search of a simpler life in a small provincial town. He's in for some major surprises. The rest of the cast is good also, full of British character actors.

Watch and listen VERY carefully or you will miss subtle details throughout the film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent acting in a Medieval "Who Dunnit"
Review: This story is based on a true incident that occurred in Medieval France. In those times, an animal could be tried, convicted, and executed for murder! A very large pig is the suspect, and Colin was wonderful as the lawyer defending the animal, There are also
dark undercurrents of unsolved murders which I found quite gripping and exciting. The viewer will have to get accustomed to the unusual costumes (wearing apparel) of that time. As usual, Colin Firth does a great job, he even became friendly with this monster pig!!!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good hit, no field
Review: This was a movie we really wanted to like. Good reviews in the local fish-wrapper, good plot, well-acted, but our problem was: it's the Middle Ages, OK? When was the bra invented? Damn near all the women in this have high, firm chests, which are shown too often, to the detriment of the film. Maybe if there were less babe-ish types, & more females that looked like Terry Jones in HOLY GRAIL or Leo McKern in HELP, we could have gotten behind this.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice movie
Review: When I read about the plot on the tape I imagined it to be more dynamic, so I was a little disappointed by the slow pace. Nevertheless, there are some interesting points that kept me watching. I didn't know some of the historic details, so it was good to learn something new. Colin Firth's performance is very good - he almost carries the whole performance himself.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Nice movie
Review: When I read about the plot on the tape I imagined it to be more dynamic, so I was a little disappointed by the slow pace. Nevertheless, there are some interesting points that kept me watching. I didn't know some of the historic details, so it was good to learn something new. Colin Firth's performance is very good - he almost carries the whole performance himself.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates