The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
{{short description|Irish documentary film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
| image =Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid poster.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Feargal Ward
| producer = Luke McManus
| screenplay = Feargal Ward
Tadhg O'Sullivan
| story =
| starring =
| music =
| cinematography = Feargal Ward
| editing = Tadhg O'Sullivan
| production_companies = FSE Films
| distributor =FSE Films
Torch Films
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2017|11|18|IDFA Amsterdam|2018|10|19|Ireland}}
| runtime = 76–86 minutes (depending on cut)
| country = Ireland
| language = English
| gross =
}}
The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid is a 2017 Irish documentary film directed by Feargal Ward, concerning the legal struggle between a small farmer and the power of international corporations and government institutions.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ikqgDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Battle+of+Thomas+Reid%22&pg=PA155|title=Historical Dictionary of Irish Cinema|first1=Roddy|last1=Flynn|first2=Tony|last2=Tracy|date=9 August 2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781538119587|via=Google Books}}
Premise
Thomas Reid (born 1962) owns a {{Convert|72|acre|adj=on}} cattle farm in Blakestown townland, west of Leixlip in County Kildare, and right next to Intel Ireland's main campus.{{Cite web |last=Keena |first=Colm |date= November 6, 2015 |title=Farmer worried despite land case victory over IDA |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/farmer-worried-despite-land-case-victory-over-ida-1.2418951 |website=The Irish Times}}
In 2011, IDA Ireland filed for a compulsory purchase order on his farm, with the intention of selling the land to Intel. Reid disputed this in court, saying that CPOs were not intended to be made with the intention of selling property to a specific private company. The case goes to the High Court and Supreme Court, with Reid winning in the end.
Interspersed with reconstructions of the court cases are interviews with Reid, who lives alone in Hedsor, an 18th-century farmhouse that has been in the family for over 100 years, and depictions of his life on the farm.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/culture/2018/1015/1003311-the-lonely-battle-of-thomas-reid-one-mans-struggle-to-fight-th/|title=The Lonely Battle Of Thomas Reid - one man against the system|date=17 October 2018|website=rte.ie}}{{Cite web |date=1 July 2019 |title=The compelling David and Goliath tale behind Irish film The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/the-compelling-david-and-goliath-tale-behind-irish-film-the-lonely-battle-of-thomas-reid-38269332.html |website=independent}}
{{Location map|Dublin
|width =
|float =
|border =
|caption = Reid farmhouse marked on a map of Greater Dublin.
|alt =
|relief =
|AlternativeMap=
|overlay_image =
|label = Hedsor House
|label_size =
|position =
|background =
|mark =
|marksize =
|link =
|lat_deg = 53.376244
|lon_deg = -6.537008
}}
Release
The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid received its world premiere at the 2017 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
It went on release in Ireland on 18 October 2018, and aired on Irish television on 1 July 2019.
Reception
The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lonely_battle_of_thomas_reid|title=The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid (2018)|via=www.rottentomatoes.com}}
Irish Independent film reviewer Paul Whitington included the documentary among his 20 best films of 2018, while in The Herald, Chris Wasser described it as "one of the most unique and, perhaps, indefinable pieces of cinema this year" and "occasionally, quite wonderful".
The film won the George Morrison Feature Documentary Award at the 2018/19 Irish Film and Television Awards, and also won Best Documentary at the 2018 Irish Film Festival London.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/1018/1172368-winners-accept-awards-virtually-at-iftas-2020/|title=Winners accept awards virtually at IFTAs 2020|date=18 October 2020|website=rte.ie}}{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2018 |title=Irish Film London Awards 2018 |url=https://www.irishfilmfestivallondon.com/blog/2018/11/17/irish-film-london-awards-2018 |website=Irish Film London}} It was voted Best Irish Film at the 2018 Dublin International Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.screenireland.ie/news/adiff-2018-award-winners-announced|title=ADIFF 2018 Discovery Awards, Shorts Awards, the Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards and the Fantastic Flix Children's Jury Awards Announced|website=www.screenireland.ie}}
References
{{Reflist|1}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://lonelybattle.com/}}
- {{IMDb title|7670458}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes|m/the_lonely_battle_of_thomas_reid}}
{{Dublin Film Critics Circle Award for Best Irish Film}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid}}
Category:2017 documentary films
Category:Documentary films about agriculture
Category:Documentary films about law
Category:Films shot in County Kildare
Category:Films shot in Dublin (city)
Category:Irish documentary films
Category:Films shot in Ireland