NATIONAL VELVET
US 1944, 125 minutes, Colour.
Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp, Elizabeth Taylor, Anne Revere, Angela Lansbury.
Directed by Clarence Brown.
National Velvet has become something of a classic over the decades. Produced by M.G.M. during the war, using the lovely young Elizabeth Taylor in the central role and capitalising on audience response to films about horses and young girls, the film was very popular indeed and has remained so for a long time. Mickey Rooney is at home in the role of the trainer of the famous Pi who won the Grand National with young Velvet Brown riding him. Anne Revere won an Oscar for her sympathetic performance as the strong mother. Donald Crisp repeats his amiable father role and Angela Lansbury is the elder sister. Very attractive, in the fairytale world of Old England, Hollywood style, and directed by Clarence Brown, Greta Garbo's favourite director, who was to make another film about horses soon after, The Yearling. The plot was taken over and updated for a kind of sequel, International Velvet, written and directed by Bryan Forbes and starring Tatum O'Neal. Elizabeth Taylor refused the role of the middle aged Velvet and the role went to Forbes' actress wife, Nanette Newman.
1. The status of this film as a classic, a classic for the family? Its impact in its time, over the decades? The perennial qualities and appeal?
2. The basic appeal for children, for parents? Identification of children, identification of parents? Fantasy and reality and dreams? The atmosphere of the 40s, the war? Nostalgia for a story of the 20s? A way of life, family, manners, dreams? The old world and the modern world? The particular appeals of Mickey Rooney, Elizabeth Taylor, Donald Crisp, Anne Revere, Angela Lansbury, Butch Jenkins? In their time, now? The use of colour, music, American re-creation of English settings? The atmosphere of the English countryside and village? Of London? Of the Grand National and its atmosphere? The audience identifying with Mi as he entered this world? As he experienced the family, the challenge of the horse, moved out? An ordinary young man with his difficulties, wandering? His regrets, his resentments, his hopes? The temptations, being welcomed, security? His being tested, his achievement? His disappointment at not being the jockey? His joy at the achievement of Velvet? Mickey Rooney's style? The sequences with Velvet, in the home, the buying of the tickets and being reprimanded by Mr. Brown, going to London, drinking in London, the encounters with Mrs. Brown and his honesty, the crisis of the race and his dealing with it? The hero for this film? Elizabeth Taylor's Velvet and her charm, girlishness? Her robustness and her dreams? At school, the holidays, within her family and their love of her, her way with horses, with The Pie? Her bond with her parents and their wisdom in bringing her up, especially her mother? Her capacity for winning, rescuing The Pie? The importance of winning The Pie in the raffle? Training The Pie, the money and her mother's goodness in giving it? Her courage in writing the letter and enrolling the horse? The build-up to going to London, the support of her father, of the towns people? Her hopes for the race, the clashes with the jockey, the brilliance of her riding and achievement? The aftermath and her collapse? The importance of her return home, the decision about Hollywood and fame but her refusing it? The fibre of her character, the heroine for this film? Young audiences being able to identify with her?
8. The characters of her sisters, especially the older sister in love etc.? The contrast with Velvet?
9. The portrait of parents in Mr. and Mrs. Brown: their formality, their love? Mr. Brown and his work and his being tested by Mrs. Brown and guided by her? Mrs. Brown as stern and yet able to temper her sternness with tenderness. Mr. Brown and his change, his bet, his being tempted by the offers of Hollywood? Mrs. Brown and her past, her memories, her achievement? Her strictness with the children even allowing Velvet to go to school on Saturdays? Her vision, her helping velvet, her training Velvet's spirit?
10. The humour of Donald as the younger brother?
11. The portrait of the people in the village, school, the schoolmistress, the raffle and the attack on Velvet and its being rigged, the people giving her the horse?
12. The change of pace with London and the people offering Mi the drinks and trying to swindle him?
13. The jockey and his disdain, the decisions. Mi and Velvet eluding detection?
14. The visualising of the race: the long shots. the authentic footage. the backdrop with Velvet riding? Did the artificiality matter when people were absorbed in the race?
15. Vision of life. fantasy and reality, dreams and choices? A moral fable for the family?
