National Velvet (1944)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Enid Bagnold (novel)
Theodore Reeves (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 January 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Sport

Tagline:

Simple Story Of A Boy . . . A Girl . . . And A Horse! Set to the thunder of the Grand National Steeplechase!

Plot:

A jaded former jockey helps a young girl prepare a wild but gifted horse for England's Grand National Sweepstakes.

Plot Keywords:

Horse | England | Jockey | Raffle | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Mickey Rooney	...	Mi Taylor
Donald Crisp	...	Mr. Brown
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Velvet Brown
Anne Revere	...	Mrs. Brown
Angela Lansbury	...	Edwina Brown
Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins	...	Donald Brown (as Jackie Jenkins)
Juanita Quigley	...	Malvolia Brown
Arthur Treacher	...	Race Patron
Reginald Owen	...	Farmer Ede
Norma Varden	...	Miss Sims
Terry Kilburn	...	Ted
Arthur Shields	...	Mr. Hallam
Aubrey Mather	...	Entry Official
Alec Craig	...	Tim
Eugene Loring	...	I. Taski

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | USA:Approved (certificate #10321) | Australia:G | Canada:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Producer Pandro S. Berman originally did not think that Elizabeth Taylor was right for the role due to the young actress' lack of physical development. In addition to riding lessons, she began eating more and doing "chest enlargement exercises". By the time the casting decisions were made, nature had given young Miss Taylor the necessary inches.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Mr. Brown, a butcher who should know better, authoritatively announces that one small-to-medium-sized lobster will provide a family dinner for six: A claw apiece for he and his wife, the entire tail (the meatiest part of the crustacean) for his picky young son who's a finicky eater and what's "in-between" (basically all of it’s inedible entrails) for his three teenage daughters--with some left over for the dog! In reality, a lobster of that size would hardly feed one hungry person.

Quotes:

Velvet Brown: I want it all quickly 'cause I don't want God to stop and think and wonder if I'm getting more than my share.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: The Fundamental Things Apply (#4.5)" (2003)

Soundtrack:

The Teddy Bears' Picnic

A marvelous family film

A sentimental, heart-tugging family film set in England of the 1920s. A young Elizabeth Taylor wins a horse in a raffle and decides to enter him in the Grand National; fortunately, ex-jockey Mickey Rooney is around to give Liz some help. Director Clarence Brown displays some remarkable control with material that could've been excessively maudlin in someone else's hands. He and screenwriters Helen Deutsch and Theodore Reeves take great care in establishing genuine characterizations and developing the story naturally. True, there are one or two scenes that seem a bit forced, but overall it's quite affecting, and gorgeously filmed in Technicolor. The race itself is quite thrilling, and like so many great classics, there's a marvelous, three-hankie fade-out at the end. Liz proves that she was a real trooper right from the start, and Rooney--who I usually find rather annoying--is surprisingly subdued and really very good. Donald Crisp is terrif as Liz's gruff father and Angela Lansbury is a delight as her older, boy-crazy sister. Most of the acting kudos, however, belong to Anne Revere, who won a richly deserved Supporting Actress Oscar playing Liz's wise and caring mother.