The true story of how English land agent Captain Charles Boycott was ostracised by his desperate tenant farmers in the late 19th Century during the Irish Land wars thus forcing him to flee the country. 

The local farmers in a small County Mayo village are struggling to make ends meet due to several years of failed crops and increased rent demands from land agent Captain Boycott (Cecial Parker) who threatens them all with eviction. The farmers, led by Hugh Davlin (Stewart Granger) and school teacher Daniel McGinty (Noel Purcell) join forces to try and protect their land and homes. When one of the farmers is forcibly evicted from his home and replaced with a newly arrived family, the situation threatens to boil over but the local priest Father McKeogh (Alastair Sim) and Hugh (who has a love interest in the new family) seek more peaceful solutions. The local community go and watch politician Charles Stewart Parnell speak at the local Land League rally and are taken by his advice to shun the Landlords and cut them off from society. The villagers return and persuade all of Captain Boycott's workers to walk out on him leaving him with unharvested crops and he is also refused service by all of the local business owners. Captain Boycott then writes a letter to the Times explaining his predicament which causes a wave of support throughout Britain leading to the army coming to his aid. However, when Boycott evicts Davlin from his home and steals his prized racehorse, things come to a head at the local racetrack.

I'm a big fan of movies based on true stories and this is up where with the best of them - the film stays very close to the original events with just a hint of dramatic license and the obligatory love story. Stewart Granger is excellent as the flamboyant Hugh Davlin and Alastair Sim is top class in his role as the passive Father McKeogh, closing the film with a superb speech. Cecil Parker's portrayal of the arrogant Captain Boycott was very believable and the rousing speech by Robert Donat (Charles Stewart Parnell) was another highlight in the film. Although the film was set in County Mayo the majority of the outside scenes were shot in Westmeath and the scenery is breathtakingly beautiful.

The racing scenes where Captain Boycott rides Davlin's horse Corrib Lad in the Mayo Chase at Curran were filmed at Mullingar racecourse (1852-1967), a course where Arkle made his debut finishing 3rd in a bumper. Many locals took part as film extras in the brilliant racecourse sequences although some of the scenes were subsequently re-shot at Naas racecourse. Mullingar looked like a very quaint country course but sadly it is now the site of an industrial estate.

Captain Boycott is a film that is well worth watching with brilliant acting, a true story line, rousing speeches and some lovely racing action from Mullingar racecourse - a history lesson in both the Irish Land wars and an old Irish racecourse. (Rating 8/10)