Captain Boycott *** (1947, Stewart Granger, Kathleen Ryan, Cecil Parker) – Classic Movie Review 9467

Irish farmers break off the yoke of the wicked English landlords, in co-writer/ co-producer/ director Frank Launder’s fair Victorian historical drama, Captain Boycott (1947), set in 1880.

It is strongly cast, though Stewart Granger (as the villagers’ leader, farmer Hugh Davin), Alastair Sim (as Father McKeogh) and Cecil Parker (as extortionate landlord Captain Charles Boycott) could have had more fun with the material, but an earnest Launder seems to want to take it all deadly seriously. Launder’s screenplay, with Wolfgang Wilhelm, is based on the novel by Philip Rooney.

The interesting result is very useful as a history lesson and no one can deny Launder’s talent, conviction or sincerity. The classy production, with much atmospheric Eire location filming, helps to offset the slight air of dullness, and the story is an intriguing one.

Robert Donat has a star cameo as Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell, president of the Irish Land League representing tenants’ rights. Davin advocates the use of force as opposed to the passive resistance proposed by Parnell.

Also in the cast are Kathleen Ryan, Mervyn Johns, Noel Purcell, Niall MacGinnis, Maureen Delaney, Eddie Byrne, Liam Redmond, Liam Gaffney, Edward Lexey, Maurice Denham, Bernadette O’Farrell, Ian Fleming, Reginald Purdell, Eddie Golden, Michael Ripper, Bill Shine, James Hayter, Edward Mulhare and Pete [Peter] Murray, with James Hayter, Desmond Llewelyn, Norma Moore, Edward Mulhare, Bill Shine, Thorley Walters, Johnnie Schofield and Michael Brennan.

Captain Boycott is directed by Frank Launder, runs 92 minutes, is made by Individual, is released by General Film Distributors, is written by Wolfgang Wilhelm, Frank Launder, Paul Vincent Carroll (additional dialogue) and Patrick Campbell (additional dialogue), based on the novel by Philip Rooney, is shot in black and white by Wilkie Cooper, is produced by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and is scored by William Alwyn, with Art Direction by Edward Carrick.

The ostracism of English land agent Charles Cunningham Boycott (12 March 1832 – 19 June 1897) by his community in Ireland has given the English language the verb to boycott.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9467

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com