On its grimy surface, Leslie Megahey’s “The Advocate” may appear to be just another courtroom drama wrapped in 15th Century rags, but if one claws deeper into the medieval mud of this odd and telling tale, there is a great deal more mischief, malevolence and fun to be found than in your typical legal whodunit.
The story takes place in France, circa 1400. Richard Courtois (Colin Firth), a successful young attorney from Paris, has decided, in a burst of altruism, to move his practice to the rural village of Abbeville, where he plans to become the public defender, or advocate, for the great unwashed. He figures his small-town cases will be simple and direct, problems that fit neatly into his idealistic concept of the law, but he quickly finds that dirty little Abbeville has more than its share of big-city naughtiness-and then some-including bestiality, witchcraft and murder.
Courtois’ long and winding path to ultimate justice is further hindered by the likes of Pincheon (Donald Pleasence), the aged, learned and corrupt public prosecutor; Albertus (Ian Holm), the randy local priest who enjoys wielding his unholy spirit; and the evil Seigneur (Nicol Williamson), whose great wealth and unlimited power sully and stain virtually everything of significance in the cowering town.
Soon, Courtois finds himself confronting and arguing issues of insanity, prejudice and incest in and out of the courtroom. A woman is accused of fornicating with the devil, a man is charged with “knowing” his donkey, and a roving gang of rodents are framed for thievery. Rats? In court? Well, since humanism has yet to rear its large and logical head, a God-centered universe is still the order of the day, and medieval law decrees that objects and animals can be put on trial just as easily as humans, since they are all part of God’s universe, and therefore, a piece of God’s great plan.
As the story progresses, however, one case begins to rise above all the others. Someone or something is killing the children of Abbeville. This gruesome subplot involves a band of passing gypsies-who are despised as curse-bearing heathens-and one gypsy in particular, the lusty Samira (Amina Annabi), who gives Courtois the eye, and believe me, it’s not evil.
“The Advocate” is a fascinating amalgam, a curious stylistic combination of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “The Name of the Rose” and “The Return of Martin Guerre,” that offers lessons about the hidden meaning of justice in a plague-ridden world. It is a story that centers on the battle between powers. The power of religion over reason, of superstition over fact, of fear over courage, and of ignorance over knowledge.
The acting is fine, especially Holm as the too-wise-for-his-own-good cleric and Pleasence as the too-corrupt-to-change-now attorney.
The images are graphic, the sex raw, and the ideas need chewing over to be digested cleanly. But if you are seeking a cinematic challenge, look no further. “The Advocate” makes Perry Mason look downright . . . human.
”THE ADVOCATE”
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Written and directed by Leslie Megahey; photographed by John Hooper; edited by Isabelle Dedieu; produced by David Thompson. A Miramax release; opens Friday at the Pipers Alley Theatre. Running time: 1:42. MPAA rating: R. Graphic sex and some violence.
THE CAST
Richard Courtois…………………Colin Firth
Samira…………………………Amina Annabi
Mathieu………………………….Jim Carter
Filette……………………..Lysette Anthony
Pincheon……………………Donald Pleasence
Albertus…………………………..Ian Holm
