Captain Boycott

This is quite interesting if only for an etymology lesson in the origins of the word "boycott". Cecil Parker is the eponymous gentleman who stokes the hatred of his Irish Tenant farmers in the late 1800s. Charles Parnell (Robert Donat) preaches a more pacifist approach to protest - and so Stewart Granger ("Hugh") encourages his colleagues to down-tools and stop collecting the crops, stop paying the exorbitant rents - and to shun anyone who is prepared to co-operate with this horrendously arbitrary system. Using his agent "Connell" (Mervyn Jones), the Captain has his farmers evicted and this soon leads to conflict between Granger and his love "Anne" (Kathleen Ryan) who has taken over one of the tenancies from an evicted family and earned the scorn of her neighbours... This story is essentially just a vehicle for Granger - his dashing good looks and on-screen charisma shine, as do Parker as the pompous Captain; Mervyn Johns as his really quite weaselly acolyte and Alastair Sim is engaging as the not-so-neutral priest "McKeogh"; but the dialogue is pretty wooden (the star's accent seems a bit confused) and the story of grit and determination lacks any substantial portrayal of either, really. Certainly, it passes 90 minutes easily enough, but maybe just a bit too light and fluffy for the subject matter...

"Captain Boycott" is a film that caught me by surprise. I thought it would be a nice adventure story starring Stewart Granger...period. However, there was less adventure than I'd expected AND I ended up learning some cool history. As a retired history teacher, this was mega-cool (I cannot believe I just said 'mega-cool'....that is so unlike me). What I didn't realize is that the film is about the origination of the term 'boycott'...and that boycotts are named after someone...a very jerky someone at that!

The story is set in Ireland in the 19th century. Considering the potato blight had decimated the population (many migrating abroad and many simply dying of starvation), it's no wonder that the story is very pro-Irish--the 19th century was certainly bad for them. What made it worse were jerk-face (I cannot believe I just said 'jerk-face') landlords who responded to this poverty by evicting the tenant farmers--thus increasing the misery. Fed up with one particularly nasty landlord, Captain Boycott (that was his real-life name!), the Irish set about stopping these excesses through the use of boycotts! Watch the film to see what all this is about and if you like history lessons, you'll probably enjoy this surprisingly interesting and well made film. Worth a look.

This was the film that caught the eye of Hollywood. The Americans saw a tall, dark and fairly handsome man that could lead their movies.

The best thing that happened to Granger in the 1940's was being teamed up with James Mason as his nemesis. Granger was the protagonist and Mason was the sinister antagonist whom we had sympathy for.

The sight of two directorial chairs with the names Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder on their back amounts to a guarantee - to me - that I am about to watch something worthwhile. CAPTAIN BOYCOTT keeps to that parameter, even if I do not rate it one of that famous duo's finest efforts.

Cecil Parker plays Captain Boycott, a callous and dictatorial British land owner stripping local Irish farmers of their homes and all property with the backing of British police. Parker is convincing enough in his malice until he decides to act as jockey in a race in which he uses the horse he forcibly removed from Stewart Granger, a local lad who does not want to turn violent but can see that the whole situation in Ireland rests on a powder keg. Kathleen Ryan, who would soon have her finest hour in ODD MAN OUT, does not appear very much here, other than playing the part of Granger's love interest.

Parker is just too plump and un-athletic to pass off as jockey - he provides an unintentionally ludicrous image in the process, that somehow detracts from the seriousness of impending rebellion without providing any actual comic relief.

Pretty boy Granger is simply not a good enough actor for his part.

Mervyn Johns credibly plays the part of informant and stirrer for the British, Noel Purcell that of Irish crowd stirrer, Alastais Sim as the Catholic priest with a thick Irish brogue who finds a new meaning for the name Boycott and helps restore social and emotional balance as man of God, but the show really is stolen by the great Robert Donat in a very short part, indeed a brief speech, on how to use shunning to enact passive resistance and isolate perceived offenders.

Solid cinematography by Wilkie Cooper and engaging script by Launder and Wilhelm.

Definitely worth a watch. 7/10.

Cecil Parker makes an effective villain aided and abetted by his agent played by Mervyn Johns.The film effectively brings to life a troubled period in strife torn Irish history.