The Hour of the Pig (1993)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Leslie Megahey

Writer:

Leslie Megahey (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | History | Mystery

Tagline:

When murder is the motive, seduction is the last defense.

Plot:

In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However...

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Animal | Courtroom | Feud | France

Cast

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
Emil Wolk	...	Print Seller
Dave Atkins	...	Valliere
François Lalande	...	Builder
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Apothecary
Sami Bouajila	...	Mahmoud
Joanna Dunham	...	Lady Catherine d'Auferre
Michael Cronin	...	Dark Stranger
Peter Hudson	...	Sheriff's Officer
Charles Dale	...	First Witness
Gordon Langford Rowe	...	Second Witness
Judy Pascoe	...	Travelling Player
Roy Evans	...	Travelling Player
Robert Putt	...	Travelling Player
Ralph Nossek	...	Poiccard
Melissa Wilkes	...	Young Girl
David Larkin	...	Young Boy
Patricia Psaliopoulos	...	Peasant Woman
Alain Blazquez	...	Cuckolded Man
Isabelle Marcoz	...	Woman in Coach
Marie-Pierre Cascales	...	Woman in Coach
Jean-Jacques Charliot	...	Roger Landrier

Directed by
Leslie Megahey

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Leslie Megahey		written by

Produced by
Dave Edwards	....	associate producer
Claudine Sainderichin	....	executive producer
David M. Thompson	....	producer
Michael Wearing	....	executive producer
Bob Weinstein	....	executive producer
Harvey Weinstein	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
John Hooper

Film Editing by
Isabelle Dedieu

Casting by
Joyce Nettles

Production Design by
Bruce Macadie

Art Direction by
Jane Broomfield

Costume Design by
Anna Buruma

Makeup Department
Chantal Antoine	....	makeup artist: France
Catherine Bruchon	....	makeup artist: France
Daniel Phillips	....	makeup artist (as Darren Philips)
Jan Sewell	....	makeup designer
Victoria Voller	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jean-Claude Charrat	....	production manager: France
David Mason	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pip Short	....	first assistant director
Debbi Slater	....	second assistant director
Lindsay Trenholme	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Brian Hunt	....	scenic artist
Jacques Mollon	....	art director: France
Peter Nurse	....	scenic artist
Laura Richardson	....	production buyer
Jane Shepherd	....	art director: UK

Sound Department
Julie Ankerson	....	foley artist
Jean-Marie Blondel	....	boom operator
Daniel Brisseau	....	sound recordist
Gérard Chiron	....	recording sound engineer
John Fewell	....	foley artist
Chris Hainstock	....	sound effects editor
Paul Hamblin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andy Kennedy	....	digital sound effects
Louise Leonard	....	assistant sound effects editor
Clive Pendry	....	sound re-recording assistant
Tom Swanscott	....	adr mixer
Tom Swanscott	....	foley mixer
Joe Walker	....	sound editor
Jon Whitson	....	assistant dialogue editor
Stephen Young	....	dialogue editor
Dan Edelstein	....	supervising sound editor: US release (uncredited)
Steve Hancock	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Stuart Brisdon	....	special effects
John Van Der Pool	....	special effects technician

Stunts
Wayne Docksey	....	stunts
Lesley Garanson	....	stunts
Pascal Guégan	....	stunts
Mario Luraschi	....	stunt coordinator
Pascal Madura	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Sophie Baker	....	still photographer
Eddie Burt	....	key grip
Andy Cole	....	electrician
Tristam Cones	....	clapper loader
Dave Cumming	....	electrician
Graham Hazard	....	focus puller
Robert Julian	....	best boy electric
Pat Miller	....	electrician
Laurie Shane	....	gaffer
Nigel Willoughby	....	camera operator
Bernard Wuthrich	....	Steadicam operator: France

Casting Department
Pascale Badard	....	extras casting: France
Cathy Bell	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
George Amet	....	wardrobe assistant: France
Lyn Avery	....	costume supervisor
Lydia Bernadi	....	wardrobe assistant: France
Abigail Hicks	....	wardrobe assistant
Virginia Humphries	....	wardrobe assistant: France
Franca Knight	....	assistant costume designer
Ray Milhuison	....	wardrobe assistant
Florence Parcot	....	wardrobe assistant: France

Editorial Department
Jeremy Gibbs	....	associate editor
Keith Mason	....	second assistant film editor

Music Department
John Timperley	....	music recording engineer

Other crew
Jean-Michel Ardoin	....	location manager: France
Elinor Day	....	script editor
Wayne Docksey	....	animal master
Wayne Docksey	....	horse master
Carol Gardner	....	script supervisor
Jane Gibson	....	choreographer
Rhian Llewellyn	....	finance assistant
Jean-Pierre Morillon	....	unit runner: France
Richard Morrison	....	title designer
Jill Pack	....	production executive
Maggie Phelan	....	production accountant: Hour of the Pig Productions
Deborah Pope	....	choreographer
Bridget Raban	....	finance assistant
Véronique Sartre	....	production assistant: France
John Smithson	....	production consultant
Christophe Trahand	....	unit runner: France
Jane Tranter	....	script editor
Sarah White	....	production secretary

Thanks
Harvey Weinstein	....	thanks

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• British Screen Finance Ltd.
• CiBy 2000
• European Co-production Fund

Distributors

• CiBy Sales (1993) (worldwide) (all media) (international sales)
• Mayfair Entertainment (1994) (UK) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1994) (USA)
• Miramax Home Entertainment
• Top Tape (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• A'Cappella  casting: France
• ARRI Lighting Rental  light equipment
• Bell Lighting Ltd.  lighting equipment
• Centre Européen Cinématographique Rhône-Alpes  thanks
• De Lane Lea Sound Centre  sound re-recording
• Film Finance  completion guarantor
• Kodak  film stock
• Media Film Services  Arriflex 535 camera and Zeiss Lenses
• Plume Partners  titles
• Publilux  lighting equipment
• Rank Film Laboratories  colour
• Rollins Hudig Hall  insurance brokers
• Studio Beaubourg  music recorded at
• The Optical Partnership  opticals
• Westbury Design & Optical Ltd.  opticals

Also Known As:

The Advocate

Runtime:

UK:117 min | USA:102 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In the epilogue crawl, the character name Mathieu is spelled once correctly, and in a subsequent paragraph as Mathiew.

Quotes:

Richard Courtois: There must be priests in Hell.
Albertius: Can't move for them.

Soundtrack:

Quant Voi en la Fin D'este

Solid film that never overcomes quirk factor

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!!!