National Velvet (1944) User Reviews

Revisiting a film after 50 years

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 23 April 2007]

During the 13 years of schooling I had from Kindergarten through high school, there was only one day that my class took a field trip. When I went to school, you went to school, from 8:30 until 3:30 and filed trips were not taken. But, for some reason I could not recall at this advanced age, we went to see a movie - National Velvet. I do not recall the movie, so, on the eve of my 57th year, I decided to revisit it.

It is a movie about a time that no longer exists. A time when people trusted others and didn't lock their houses. A time when people were given the benefit of the doubt. It was a time when family was the most important thing. This film shows all of that and more. It shows love and trust and caring and the goodness of people.

It would not be a bad thing for every family to view this film once in a while and discuss its message.

It was a treat to see the young Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney at his best, the Academy Award-winning performance of Anne Revere, Angela Lansbury before Murder, She Wrote, and Donald Crisp, who performed for almost sixty years.

What a movie!

The product of a bygone era in movie-making

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 4 June 2005]

In "Lassie Come Home," "National Velvet," and "The Courage of Lassie," Elizabeth Taylor was eleven years old … Nevertheless, her charm and beauty were extraordinary, and what she lacked in talent and experience was well hidden in a fine production that was nominated for five Academy Awards…

As horse-trainer or dog-owner, as spurned wife or mistress, Liz is a female who is absorbed in the giving and receiving of love: devotion to the object of passion is the center of her life… Little Liz lavishes love on horses and dogs with remarkable intensity… Ecstatic; a dreamer with a turbulent emotional life, persistent, the young Liz dedicates herself to the prize-winning horse the way she later devotes herself to men…

Anticipating her later images of young sex goddess, Liz as Velvet is both saintly and mature… Howard Barnes, in the New York Herald Tribune, called her a child who 'lights up with the integrity of a great passion.'

Directed by Clarence Brown with loving attention to detail, the movie that made her a star is a big bestseller from another era set in Sussex, England, where Velvet Brown, a butcher's daughter, teams with a vagabond teenager named Mi Taylo (Mickey Rooney) to train for competition a horse she's won in a raffle…

From the coastal plains with its beaches, to the rolling hills, thatched cottages, and miles of country walks, "National Velvet" is the product of a bygone era in movie-making…

Following closely the structure of the popular Enid Bagnold novel, the movie is part horse story, part family portrait: scenes of training and riding are balanced by cozy family scenes, vignettes about young love and sermons from Mom on the virtues of courage and endurance…

The Browns are a noble version of Hollywood rustic… Dedicated to a sober work ethic, they live quiet, exemplary lives… Mrs. Brown (Anne Revere) is the very spirit of plain-folk wisdom; the spokeswoman for common sense and fair play, she knows well enough not to silence the semi-hysterical energy of her horse-crazy daughter, and she lets the girl have her dream…

Anne Revere won an Oscar as Velvet's mother, as did editor Robert J. Kern

fun sentimental family movie

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 27 May 2015]

Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor) lives in the small town of Sewels in Sussex, England with her parents, two sisters and a little brother. She's horse obsessed. She befriends poor drifter Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney) who has come to town after finding Mrs. Brown's address among his late father's belongings. They run across an escaped horse and Velvet names him Pie. Mrs. Brown takes Mi in and gets him a job. His father coached Mrs. Brown for her English Channel swim but she doesn't tell him at first. Mi was once a jockey but he hates horses now after an incident. He notices the height that Pie can jump. After yet another escape attempt, Mr. Edes is forced to pay and puts up Pie for raffle. Velvet wins and ends up riding him. This is a fun sentimental family movie. Liz Taylor is wide-eyed, plucky and adorable. Mickey Rooney is compelling. The horse race is exciting and action-packed even though it is an obvious double on the horse. It's such an old-fashioned heart-warming thrilling underdog movie.

"--- a 12-year old's single mindedness of commitment and trust ---"

[shokenjii · 30 October 2004]

If you last saw National Velvet with a Saturday matinée serial, for a ticket price of twenty-five cents (including popcorn) -- and you purchased the video to see it again with family -- be prepared to re-experience primal feelings from the early dawn of your history. Warm, wet tears will run down your cheeks. Warm, happy feelings will make you stand up and cheer, as if the posse were galloping to the rescue; but most of all, you will feel good -- it will happen often while viewing National Velvet. See the video many times -- cry and use a handkerchief (remember that piece of cloth mom tucked into your shirt pocket) -- jump up from the sofa and cheer; and FEEL GOOD again -- and again.

National Velvet was initially released in 1944; but I must have seen a re-release soon thereafter -- because I know that I was in grade school at the time. I did not see it again until I bought the DVD for my mother recently. And if asked what the movie was about, during that interim period of more than fifty years, I would have answered -- "it's about a horse." That's a boy's initial and lasting impression.

Animal lovers, (I'm sorry, but) National Velvet is not a horsey movie (and never has been)-- the film is really about the pre-teen innocence and enthusiasm of Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor). No animal -- not the film's sorrel gelding, nor Charlie, my yellow labrador -- can compete with the budding beauty of Elizabeth Taylor for the camera's attention. But, stay focused on Velvet's three interwoven relationships -- with Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney), with her mother (Anne Revere, best supporting actress Academy Award), and the horse, Pirate ("Pi"). What characterizes winsome Velvet, in these attachments, is a 12-year old's single mindedness of commitment and trust, together with her unwaivering loyalty -- admirable qualities also of Ms. Taylor in real life. Mi, whose father mentored Mrs. Brown, is a young itinerant from less fortunate circumstances, with a working knowledge of jumping horses. Mrs. Brown, ever mindful of her own growing experiences, is especially supportive of both her daughter and Mi. The spirited Pi is difficult handling for its owner, and the horse soon becomes a project for Mi and Velvet.

Angela Lansbury (Velvet's older sister, Edwina, aka TV's Jessica Fletcher fifty years later), Jackie Jenkins (the young brother), and particularly Donald Crisp (Mr. Brown, Velvet's father and village butcher) provide able and entertaining support roles. National Velvet received five Academy nominations, winning two.

Set in the 1920's English coastal village of Sewels and its green pasturelands (on location in Carmel, California), Enid Bagnold's book (1933)and the film (1944) tell us a lot about the moral and social structure of small villages (and our small towns, too). One meaningful scene shows Mrs. Brown stowing money in a kitchen pot on her pantry shelf, while Mi spies from the window -- we are wary of what he might do next. Villagers could be suspicious of strangers but they also extended trust, believing in a person's goodness. Front doors were left open -- grandparents will tell of neighbors regularly walking into an empty house, through the unlatched screen, to borrow a cup of sugar from the same cupboard where family monies were stored (my mother kept petty cash in an unused sugar bowl). Honesty was important, but entrusting friends and neighbors was equally valued. That unlatched screen with open front door was a symbol of our neighborliness and trust, and a more meaningful symbol of the times we lived in -- and yes, maybe it said something about our innocence too.

Meet Beauty and "The Pie"

[strong-122-478885 · 7/10 · 11 July 2015]

Yes. Indeed! - Regardless of National Velvet now being 70 years old, this entertaining, heart-warming tale about trust, personal victory and following one's dream is, without a doubt, an endearing, MGM classic that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

With an excellent cast, headlined by Elizabeth Taylor (12 at the time), Mickey Rooney, and Anne Revere, National Velvet's story is a rather charming "horse tale" that jauntily crosses the finish line as a bona-fide winner.

This lush, Technicolor treat (which was adapted from Enid Bagnold's novel of the same name) was set in the 1920s (in England) in the rural, coastal county of Sussex.

A real stand-out performance in this first-rate picture was that of Anne Revere (who played Velvet's mother, Araminty Brown). Revere won an Oscar for her "Best Supporting Actress" role.

I certainly recommend National Velvet highly to anyone who truly enjoys a big, wholesome slice of vintage, Hollywood movie-making.

The Most Toppy Of The Top Ten Movies About Horses!

[httpmom · 10/10 · 4 March 2004]

I am 13 years old and I am writing this review in my mom's sign in. She will write her own review later.

This is my all time favorite movie.It was filmed in England in 1944. I watched it so many times when I was little that I wore out the video tape. I love this movie and it changed my life! The beautiful landscapes. The mighty pie-bold thoroughbred horse. The plain little Irish village with the young girl who wanted to do what no other girl had ever done, compete in The Grand National Steeplechase in London with her most beloved horse, The Pirate. It all made me want to ride horses (which I have done now for 7 years)and learn everything I could about their breeds so I could also draw and paint them. It's a ground breaking movie about winning against all odds, overcoming your fears, believing in yourself, and reaching difficult goals by working very hard. Also, the horse race scene was one of the best ever made and I have seen many movies with horse races. I never get tired of watching this movie. Everything about it is perfect. Especially if you are a young girl and passionate about horses!

Nearly 80 years later a female jockey finally wins the Grand National

[safenoe · 7/10 · 13 April 2021]

I watched National Velvet ages ago, before Elizabeth Taylor ( who plays the jockey) befriended Michael Jackson. Anyway, I remembered this movie because of Rachael Blackmore's historic achievement in 2021 to be the first woman to win the Grand National. Art and life and all that, well done to everyone.

"By Knowing The Pi Can Win And Telling Him So"

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 16 January 2009]

One of the enduring classics from MGM came out in the closing years of World War II, it's the film that made young Elizabeth Taylor a star. She had done a few films as a child actress before National Velvet, but when it came out her place in the movies was assured. Ironically enough biologically she'd be growing up fast enough after National Velvet was out and her next struggle as an actress was to get substantial adult roles because casting directors only saw her as innocent little Velvet Brown who loved her jumping horse.

I'm not sure of how this would work because steeplechase horses have to have confirmed bloodlines and the Pi's are a subject not dealt with in National Velvet. All we know is that he's a reckless and untrainable horse in the hands of Reginald Owen and after he breaks free and causes considerable damage, Owen gets rid of him for a nominal price to the local butcher Donald Crisp.

At the same time as these things are happening, Mickey Rooney comes wandering into the lives of the Brown family which consists of Crisp, wife Anne Revere, and daughters Angela Lansbury, Juanita Quigley, and Elizabeth Taylor and their little brother Butch Jenkins. Rooney is a former jockey who's now on the open road and heading for the Brown family where his father was once a horse trainer for Anne Revere's family. It's he who sees the potential of the Pi (short for pirate) as a steeplechase jumper and it's Elizabeth who convinces Crisp not to pass up this chance.

Elizabeth Taylor was so sweet and innocent in National Velvet. The Good Book says you have to have faith like a child and she has it to spare. She infuses Rooney with it, to have faith in the heart and ability of the Pi and to leave a little over for himself.

Anne Revere won a Best Supporting Actress Award for National Velvet. She's a very wise mother who has hidden depths to her that the audience doesn't suspect. It turns out that back in her youth she had a taste of fame and glory swimming the English Channel and her prize money, saved all these years, she gives to her daughter. That scene is probably what won her the Oscar. National Velvet also won one other Academy Award, for Film Editing.

Over 60 years after it made its debut National Velvet as a family classic hasn't lost a thing. Its depiction of life between the World Wars in Great Britain is still a standout. And National Velvet launched a movie legend. Can't do much better than that for high regard.

Taylor shines in rousing, sentiment-driven family film

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 3 February 2007]

Gorgeously produced, impeccably mounted adaptation of Enid Bagnold's book about wholesome pre-World War II clan backing their horse-loving daughter when she decides to enter her horse in the Grand National Steeplechase competition. In the lead, young Elizabeth Taylor is immensely appealing, and she gets excellent support from Oscar-winner Anne Revere as her mother, though the film is overlong and just a bit heavy with sentimental treacle. It's also saddled with hammy Mickey Rooney, overdoing the gallant boy routine as Taylor's pal. Although never quite attaining the latter-day cult of, say, "The Wizard of Oz", "Velvet" is still very pretty to look at and has heartfelt and moving sequences. *** from ****

A marvelous family film

[jojofla · 9/10 · 2 November 2002]

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.

A story of a girl racing a horse

[esteban1747 · 7/10 · 1 April 2002]

This was one of the first color films I have seen at the cinema when I was a child. It is good to remember it. The girl, Liz Taylor, who later became a beautiful woman, starred together with the tiny and excellent actor Mickey Rooney. The content of the film plot is good for all ages, good wills and behavior. Good ethics of Velvet's parents, particularly her mother is something to take into account. Our generations should be well educated and this film may help to this purpose. Velvet loves the horses and racing them, and Mi Taylor (Rooney) brought her to an international horse racing competition in England, where at the end the young Velvet won, but was disqualified because of being female.

A standout family film from the golden age of Hollywood

[sme_no_densetsu · 9/10 · 3 February 2010]

"National Velvet" tells the story of Velvet Brown, a young English girl with dreams of entering her beloved horse into competition at the prestigious Grand National horse race. The film follows her as she trains her horse with the aid of a former jockey and the support of her parents.

While "National Velvet" is a family film that fact shouldn't deter anyone who typically views such films with derision. The film is indeed one that will appeal to the entire family, not just attention-addled youngsters. It even managed to land five Oscar nominations, hardly a sign of slacking off for a general audience.

Anne Revere, in the part of Velvet's mother, actually won an Oscar for her performance. She was indeed excellent in the role but it is 12-year old Elizabeth Taylor who steals the show. She is a charming presence and exhibits a talent beyond her years. Also on board is Oscar-winner Donald Crisp as Velvet's father, Mickey Rooney as former jockey Mi Taylor and Angela Lansbury (in one of her earliest film roles) as Velvet's older sister.

The film's lustrous Technicolor makes for an attractive viewing experience while the editing secured the second of the film's two Oscars. Additionally, the film was nominated for its direction (by Clarence Brown), cinematography & art direction. The score by ten-time Oscar nominee Herbert Stothart is also worth mentioning, though it went unnominated.

All in all, "National Velvet" is a wonderful family film that deserves a higher rating. I realize that the prospect of watching a film about a girl and her horse isn't exactly going to thrill some people but this one is worth taking a chance on.

Hooray For Velvet! She's A Media Sensation!

[xyzkozak · 7/10 · 16 July 2015]

Starring an exuberant, fresh-faced Elizabeth Taylor (only 12 years old at the time), National Velvet (which is now 70 years old) is certainly one of the less dated family pictures from that particular era of Hollywood movie-making.

In a small, English, coastal town (in the 1920s) it's summer holidays for the Brown children. And when a beautiful, chestnut-coloured horse (who Velvet christens "The Pie") enters into the story, the scenario immediately transforms into a "dream-come-true" when Mi Taylor convinces the wide-eyed Velvet to enter this magnificent steed into the Grand National race being held at Aintree.

This first-rate production was expertly directed by Clarence Brown.

Here's a film where the rapport and chemistry between the actors was right on the mark. Here's a story where all of the characters were quite likable and the viewer finds themselves cheering Velvet on to victory, as if it were the most natural reaction of all.

So, whether you happen to be a enthusiastic horse-hugger, or not, National Velvet is a vintage, Hollywood gem that you're bound to enjoy, time and again.

WTF: Horses falling over each other on the jumps; jockeys thrown?

[BenHur59 · 3/10 · 22 March 2021]

Just watched it again yesterday.

Been looking for some production notes on the filming of the climactic race at the end of this film, and I cannot find any. There were numerous shots of horses falling over the jumps, some on top of each other, some on top of jockeys, some with jockeys being thrown violently on the turf and clearly injured. Was this an actual race? If it was, how could there be some traveling shots, with the camera on a car moving along with the racing horses? Was it some kind of montage of shots of the real race combined with staged sections filmed on the same track?

However it was done, nobody seems to have wanted to talk or write about it. I don't care how "heartwarming" this film is supposed to be. It depicts injury to animals who were being hurt and injury to the men who were being thrown and crushed under them. These were not staged scenes; they were real. Such things should not be exhibited (for a ticket price) as entertainment.

Most of us are aware that in the golden days of Hollywood they didn't worry too much about this, but the film should have more than a few points off for it and not be celebrated so much.

Magic

[dbdumonteil · 15 April 2003]

A lot of directors have broached childhood:Truffaut,Bunuel,Pialat,Comencini,Loach ,but no one did it as Clarence Brown used to do:his world is a rosy one ,a protected one where any dream can come true if you believe in it.Not realistic?Not that much :take "the yearling" for instance:the young hero's pal's death is not passed over in silence but Jody did tell him and us that somewhere in Heaven there are prairies full of coypus.In "National Velvet" ,the mother ,quoting the Book of Ecclesiastes ,tells her daughter that there's a time for everything,even a time to die.

Colors display something magic,closer to fairy tales than to a realistic story:this small town,with its colorful characters,its school where the teacher loves all of her students whom she's going to miss during the long holiday,its butcher's shop.The heroine's parents own it and their house suffuses with understanding,tenderness and love.The race is ,as far as Velvet is concerned , entirely implausible ,but it's nicely filmed.

A top-notch cast cannot fail to win over the audience:the couple Anne Revere/Donald Crisp are parents every child dreams of;Elizabeth Taylor has always been an underrated actress,to think that about 20 years later,she would be Martha in "who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?"!;Mickey Rooney 's pouty mouth and sullen expression avoid pathos and melodramatic effects.And there's also a young Angela Landsbury,long before "murder she wrote" ,on the threshold of a brilliant career.

It may not appeal to Today's children ,who got used to special effects and action-packed stories.But for the adults who've still got their child's soul,it's a true delight.

A lush version and warm-hearted movie based on the beloved tale of affection between a teen girl and her horse

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 4 May 2020]

The butcher's daughter, 12-year-old Velvet Brown :- Elizabeth Taylor in his first starring character and she did much of her own horse riding-, wins a horse in a village raffle and as she is training a sorrel gelding. She is hardly determined to train it and compete in the famed Grand National Race with the help of her best friend : Mickey Rooney, giving his energetic support.

This marvelous piece of escapism titled National Velvet made a big impression and millions reach for their handkerchieves. One of the greatest tearjerkers in which actors give nice as well as captivating interpretations all around and the sentiment is kept at a trot. Elizabeth Taylor , only 12 at the time, is good but extremely maudlin and sentimental, formerly she played "Lassie come home" that already made a lot of success, later on, she was shot to stardom. During shooting she took one especially bad fall, injuring her back to such an extent that she had suffered pain throughout her career. However, Mickey Rooney is superb as her cynic friend and trainer jockey with a secret past . Furthermore, other prestigious secondaries as the incombustible Angela Lansbury, the parents, Anne Revere who won an Oscar, Donald Crisp, Reginald Owen, among others.

Lushly decorated by the notorious designer Cedric Gibbons and colorfully photographed with special mention for the magnificently shot final race that is frankly spectacular. The Grand National was actually shot on Pasadena goof course. Rousing and adequate musical score by Herbert Stothart. This graceful motion picture was well and fluently directed by Clarence Brown with a loving eye on sensitive scenes. He was a good Hollywood director who made a lot of films, many of them considered classy movies, such as : The eagle, Flesh and devil, The trail of 98, Anna Chistie, Sadie McKee, Anna Karenina , The gorgeous Hussy, Idiot's delight, The rains came, Edison the man, The Yearling, Intruder in the dust. This is a treat for kiddies, a charmer for boys and girls of all ages, adding an outsize dose of nostalgia for movie fans.

Based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, being also adapted : National Velvet 1960 with Ann Doran, Arthur Space and a follow-up titled International Velvet 1978 by Bryan Forbes with Tatum O'Neal, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Hopkins, Nanette Newman.

"The Greatest Horse Race Of Them All"

[httpmom · 10/10 · 5 March 2004]

My daughter already wrote a review of this movie in my sign in...but I want to add a few words.

‘National Velvet' was one of my two favorite movies as a child. (The other being 'The Wizard of Oz‘.) The cinematography, the acting, the script, and the music all came together is such a wonderful little heart felt drama that it can still bring tears to my jaded eyes. Based on a book by Enid Bagnold, the script followed the book quite well. The characters are so thoughtfully created. It's easy to become emotionally involved with the entire family and the quaint little Irish village in which they live. The premise...complete outsider believes in her horse and herself enough to chance a try at the greatest horse race in the world...is awe inspiring to any young person, especially a young girl in the 40's...a time when girls were sometimes ignored as humans beings let alone athletes. You would have to be terribly hard-boiled not to appreciate it's merit.

But the perspective I cherished most about this movie is the unabridged innocence in it's moral message.. It's almost magical how 'mom and apple pie' the movies were back then. I was really taken aback by the IMDB reviewer who asked...'Was the world ever really this trusting?' and then proceeded to chastize the director for his complacency regarding ‘unchaperoned' overnight travel involving the two main characters. My answer to his question is an unequivocal YES!!!! The movie going world was that trusting in the 40's.

My grandparents remember taking my mother to this movie when it was released. Then my mother took me to see it when I was young, and my daughter was lucky enough to be born at a time when she could watch it repeatedly on video tape. Now we have it on DVD. It's been a family favorite for generations, albeit generations of horse lovers. It was never about sex...it's about coming of age! It's about believing in yourself and working hard to reach your goals. Also, so old fashioned it wasn't even about the prize money! It's about the girl child who understood her horse had what it took to ‘be the best'. And yes, the director was indeed concerned with Elizabeth Taylor's lack of physical development because the book made a big deal about Velvet Brown (Liz Taylor's character) having to cut her hair and bind her chest so that she could pass as a male jockey when she went to the Grand National Steeplechase. This was a guys only sport back then...I think there have only been 12 women ever to compete in this race. It's almost insulting that anyone would bother to think the Lolita thing about this particular movie...besides, anyone having had anything at all to do with an adolescent girl and her horse would know that the only thing they ever think about with stars in their eyes have four hooves and a tail.

And now for a great bit of trivia...the stunt riding was performed by the now famous ‘Horse Whisperer', Monty Roberts. I believe he is given mentioned for his riding in the movie credits.

I give this movie a 10 out of 10! I never get tired of watching it again.

Taylor Shines

[kenjha · 7/10 · 29 June 2008]

A teen-aged girl gets the horse of her dreams and is trained by an ex-Jockey to participate in London's Grand National Steeplechase. A fine adaptation of the classic children's book, with an excellent, start-making performance by Taylor as the energetic but polite youngster. Rooney is OK as her trainer, although he has some overly melodramatic moments. Crisp and Revere are quite good as Taylor's loving parents. Filmed in Technicolor, it looks beautiful. The problems are that there are corny elements, nothing very interesting happens, and it drags on a bit too long. The race is exciting but could have been much more so.

Fine family viewing

[Boyo-2 · 10/10 · 11 November 1999]

This movie is ageless and would probably appeal to children today, even if there isn't a Jedi in the entire thing. Of course, Elizabeth Taylor was the most beautiful child in the world and her acting is great too. Even Mickey Rooney is good; so are Anne Revere and Angela Lansbury. The world was a different place when this movie was released, and it certainly is a great place to visit.

Affectations, Dialog Ruin Otherwise-Nice Film

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 1 November 2006]

The actors in here are good and generally fun to watch but I didn't rate this movie that high because Elizabeth Taylor turned me off. There is something about her, probably her voice and her very affected accent, that made her really annoying......and she's the central character in the story. If the dialog in here wasn't so sappy, and they had cast someone like Peggy Ann Garner in Taylor's spot, this could have been far, far better.

As it is, the star of this movie to me is Anne Revere, an actress whom I have discovered to be consistently fascinating. This was my first look at her and she reminded me of Irene Dunne's character in "I Remember Mama." Both women characters - mothers - are strong-willed, loving and seemingly right about everything.

Meanwhile, Mickey Rooney and Donald Crisp both play interesting characters, too, and I like the fact that the movie didn't end with the climactic horse race, which is usually the case in horse racing films. The different ending to this film was very good with a good message about turning fame into greed, egotism and selfishness.

One of the Best Family Films Ever

[GirlwonderReturns · 10/10 · 16 October 2000]

This is the first movie I ever owned on video, and 14 years later, I still have the same copy. Elizabeth Taylor was as radiant at twelve as ever later in life, Mickey Rooney gave real dimension to Mi Taylor, and Donald Crisp was solid as ever as Mr. Brown. The amazing Anne Revere, as Mrs. Brown, seemed to be the wisest woman in the world. After nearly 60 years, the warmth, humor, and excitement of this film still affect the viewer; we still laugh at the jokes, root for The Pie, and love Velvet for the spirit and capacity for love that she displays. I love it as an adult just as I loved it as a child. A must for every family video collection.

"Some day you'll learn that greatness is only the seizing of opportunity"

[ackstasis · 7/10 · 21 June 2008]

Never mind if 'National Velvet (1944)' is a bit hackneyed and occasionally unconvincing, Clarence Brown's equestrian fable is an endearing and very likable story with a good moral. After achieving modest success through her appearance in 'Lassie Come Home (1943),' young Elizabeth Taylor, age 12, landed her first leading role as Velvet Brown, a passionate schoolgirl with an obsession for horses. Though filmed in California, the story - adapted from a novel by Enid Bagnold - is set in a small township on the English countryside, and full advantage is taken of the Technicolor photography to present the vibrant and handsome landscapes of blue skies and green shrubs. Mickey Rooney takes top billing as Mi Taylor, a misguided ex-jockey with devious intentions, whose relationship with young Velvet reawakens his sense of dignity and opens a new, optimistic chapter in his life. Though he noticeably struggles in one sequence, when he must confess the traumatic experience that led to his fear of horses, Rooney is enjoyable as the surly but passionate young man who must prove his worth.

It is perhaps a good thing that Elizabeth Taylor had those entrancing violet eyes, because her acting abilities, at this young age, were rather limited. Her more emotional sequences, in which she displays courage and integrity in the face of adversity, strike one as being rather hollow, and the touchingly-naive notion that simply "believing" will accomplish everything is one that has since been repeated ad nauseam by practically every unmemorable inspirational sporting film ever made. Nevertheless, Taylor is bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and she works well with Mickey Rooney, who was no stranger to being a child-star. Anne Revere plays a very important role as Velvet's mother, once a famous athlete, who not only swam the English Channel but was lovingly-trained by none other than Mi Taylor's own father. I liked that Mi was not told about this until the film's final seconds, with Mrs. Brown correctly deciding that the young man would first need to develop his own sense of decency, rather than exploiting the memory of his late father for financial gain, as he would undoubtedly have done at the film's beginning.

The film reaches its climax at the Grand National Sweepstakes, where Velvet has, at the last moment, decided to ride her own horse, the Pi, in the world-famous competition. Under the guise of a Latvian male, she goes on, as expected, to win the race, but is later disqualified - either because she's a girl, or because she tumbled from the horse before she was allowed to dismount (what a stupid rule!). This extended race sequence is exceedingly well-done, effectively capturing the nervous tension of those nerve-racking pre-race seconds, and the confusion of the event that places us in the same position as Rooney's character, stranded behind tall spectators and waiting anxiously for somebody to provide an accurate update. It doesn't really matter that we know it's a stunt double doing most of the difficult riding - in several scenes, we can clearly see a creepy-looking man in a wig - but the positive message remains the same. I'll wager that 'National Velvet' has nurtured the imaginations of millions of young girls over the last sixty years, and it's power to inspire has decreased little with time.

One of the two great horse films

[Orson-1 · 10/10 · 9 December 2006]

ccmovieman-1 must be, as the reviewer in the New York Times who preferred the Janis Joplin Big Brother and the Holding Company album to the just released Beatles'"White" album was called, either evil or insane. National Velvet is a great film. Elizabeth Taylor's performance is fantastic, and I fail to discern even a trace of accent, much less too much of one. Her performance is very natural, authentic and unbelievably charming. The rest of the cast is superb, especially Rooney and Revere.

As far as the dialog being hokey or sentimental, I suggest cc has dined too long on a diet of irony and has lost the ability to discern genuine straight-forward emotion and human interaction. There was a time when people actually did think and talk in such a manner. Not that this film doesn't have a slight hint of the magical permeating through it. That is the reason to tell the story. One might as well criticize the Wizard of Oz, King Kong, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Black Stallion ( the other great horse film ) or a thousand other films for having action and dialog that seem richer than real life. No my friend, National Velvet endures because of its belief firmly in itself, with tongue firmly not in cheek. Something today's jaded filmmakers find nearly impossible to recreate.

Young Elizabeth Taylor is darling!

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 19 July 2017]

After Elizabeth Taylor showed her beautiful face in 1943's Lassie Come Home, MGM put her in another animal movie, but this time gave her the lead role and let her shine. Usually, when casting children's roles, Hollywood tends to cast older actors, but in National Velvet, young Elizabeth was twelve when she played a twelve-year-old character. It's truly remarkable to see young children with great acting chops.

In the film, Elizabeth plays Velvet, an English girl attached to her horse. Mickey Rooney drifts into town and is hired by Donald Crisp to work in his stables. As the family gets to know the newcomer better, they learn he used to be a jockey. As he bonds with the endearing little girl, she convinces him to train her horse for the races.

National Velvet is so much better than The Story of Seabiscuit, just in case you saw that 1939 flop and assumed all old horse movies were that terrible. Both young leads have an enthusiastic energy that carries the story, and the iconic footage of Elizabeth Taylor on horseback is darling. This is a must-see for fans who want to see her first leading role.

What kind of married couple calls each other mister and missus?

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 23 March 2019]

I had heard of Clarence Brown's Oscar-winning"National Velvet" for many years but have only now gotten around to seeing it. What I conclude is that it's a worthy effort. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece since it tries to be a little too treacly. Elizabeth Taylor's idealistic eleven-year-old was probably intended as a representation of hope. The rest of the cast doesn't quite measure up to her, though. What was particularly weird was that the parents addressed each other not by their first names, but as Mr. and Mrs. Brown. What gives? Must have been one of those stodgy English customs. I will say that the racing scenes are a sight to behold, however.

In the end, it's worth seeing as a historical record, both of interwar England and of WWII-era thought.

So yes, is it better to do the right thing for the wrong reason or the wrong thing for the right reason?