National Velvet
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National Velvet |
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1944 MGM 125m Perhaps the only time Elizabeth Taylor's costar matched her visual scene stealing. He's a horse, albeit a gelding. One of MGM's most loved films, NATIONAL VELVET was the picture that made a star out of Elizabeth Taylor. The place is Sussex, England, where radiant Velvet Brown (Taylor) win a horse that she names Pie and plans to enter him in the Grand National. With the help of Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney) she begins to rigorously train the animal, though she hasn't the money to enter the National. But Velvet's mother (Anne Revere) has been saving money she won as a young girl by swimming the English Channel, and she parts with it so Velvet can race. The movie features one of the best horse racing sequences ever filmed, as well as a host of winning performances. Although Taylor had already made her mark in four films, this was the one that really thrust her into the spotlight. Surprisingly she was not the first choice for the role, as Katharine Hepburn, Shirley Temple, and Margaret Sullavan were all canidates to play it. Look for Angela Lansbury, here she's dreamy and romantic, English peaches and cream. And Jackie "Butch" Jenkins is an outstanding little brother, so ugly his cuteness makes you smile even hours after the movie. |
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