Filmmaker Barbet Schroeder transcends the borders of the political and judiciary arenas to explore the mystery of a man who stands up for some of society's most deplorable figures. Enigmatic lawyer Jacques Vergès began his career by defending Djamila Bouhired -- an activist who became the manifestation of the people's hunger for freedom -- during the Algerian War of Independence. Later, after marrying his client and adopting an anti-colonialist stance, Vergès disappeared from the public eye for
nearly a decade. Upon his return Vergès shocked the world by defending the rights of terrorists ranging from Magdalena Kopp to Anis Naccache, and even standing up for notorious Gestapo butcher Klaus Barbie. In addition to exploring the career of a man who has dedicated his life to defending the undefendable, director Schroeder also reveals the uncanny connections between the world's increasingly expansive blind terrorist networks. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
For just a moment, ignore politics. Consider Jacques Vergès simply as star. The radical French lawyer is an absolutely compelling figure onscreen: exotic, resolute, beguilingly smug.
Jacques Vergès makes for compelling documentary film fodder: He is arrogant, cosmopolitan, politically unpredictable and enmeshed in the roots of modern international terrorism.
Ainda que falhe em decifrar seu complexo protagonista, o documentário estabelece um intrigante retrato de um homem cujos princípios morais e ideológicos eventualmente se tornam tão flexíveis quanto o espectro alcançado por sua clientela.
At its best, the documentary shows us an unsavory character answering a bunch of softball questions and whose best logic is to play the Third World race card.
As riveting as it is dizzying, Schroeder's documentary thriller takes a mesmerising ad hominem approach to twentieth century terror, offering up for our judgement an advocate whose views ought to be indefensible.
A documentary built on guilt by association. . . . no more interested in questioning the loaded word "terrorist" than Verges is in making distinctions between his clients. . . . leads us on a tour full of dark, mysterious purpose and not much of a payoff.
Though the film comes with a warning that it expresses only the point of view of its director, in reality, what Schroeder seems to offer is a portrait of a glib man who simply defies any conclusive description.
Schroeder's film, which combines interviews with many of the key figures in Vergès' career with grainy historical footage, lets its subject speak for itself but leaves little doubt of where the filmmaker stands.
Once upon a time, Barbet Schroeder directed a movie called "Reversal of Fortune" starring Jeremy Irons, Ron Silver and Glenn Close about lawyer Alan Dershowitz appealing the attempted murder conviction of Claus von Bulow. At one point in the movie, Dershowitz remarks that the one thing they have going for them is that
everbody hates von Bulow. The point that all accused of a crime require someone to defend them no matter how despised they may be is also at the heart of Schroeder's latest film, "Terror's Advocate," a fascinating documentary about lawyer Jacques Verges who has defended a wide range of controversial people from Algerian terrorists to Klaus Barbie.(But he said he would only defend George Bush if he plead guilty.) Another question posed is how far a lawyer can go in defending his client and does Verges in fact cross that line by passing messages and materials between clients in prison, along with providing extralegal advice? Verges has always been a supporter of anti-colonial and indepedence movements since Algeria in the 1950's but he is too fond of the high life to get his hands dirty. While some of these conflicts may be viewed as heroic conflicts, some rebels use methods that are simply reprehensible. Or in other words: the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. And I would like to take this space to point out that violence never solves anything. And how did they ever get Pol Pot to speak on camera?
October 13, 2007
Walter M.
Super Reviewer
This is as close to amazing as a life can get. Mind blowing documentary on a controverted character and the relationship with his unorthodox clients, as well as that white line that a lawyer must not pass in order to keep him or herself neutral about specific cases. It depicts the relation and divorce of a character
with the dogmas he believed in and lost faith in on all levels of life.I would've liked to see this in a series for the amount of information gathered in such a short lapse of time.You think you live in a perfect world, think again and watch this film.
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