Elizabeth Taylor in "National Velvet" (1944)

Elizabeth Taylor as Velvet in "National Velvet" (image from JSR Pages)

REVIEW:
"National Velvet" is the movie that made Elizabeth Taylor a star! Released in 1944, when the young Elizabeth Taylor was only 12 years old, the film was an immediate box-office success and it stood the test of time as one of the best classic movies. It was her fifth film, after "There's One Born Every Minute" (1942), "Lassie Come Home" (1943), "Jane Eyre" (1944) and "The White Cliffs Of Dover" (1944).

FILM TITLE
"NATIONAL VELVET"/(U.S.A./M.G.M./1944)

PROMO
"After this film, Elizabeth Taylor is destined to become a big name in the film industry" (Hollywood Reporter)
"The tiny face of Taylor is full of youth and spirit, her voice sounds like a sweet song and her whole acting is fresh and full of grace" (The New York Times)

OVERVIEW
Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney) was a young and opportunist wanderer, an ex-jockey whose father had given him "all the roads in the Kingdom" to travel. One of the roads as well as a note in his father's journal, leads him to the quiet English country-side home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet (Elizabeth Taylor), has a passion for horses and when she wins the Pie (a beautiful horse) at a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train the horse for the Grand National - England's greatest racing event. At first, Velvet wanted Mi to ride, but his old wounds wouldn't allow it. Their plan changes and Velvet disguises herself as a jockey to attend the championship. Will Velvet win the race? Will she be discovered and exposed?...

CAST
Mickey Rooney (Mi Taylor), Donald Crisp (Mr. Brown), Elizabeth Taylor (Velvet Brown), Anne Revere (Mrs. Brown) Angela Lansbury (Edwina Brown).
DIRECTED BY
Clarence Brown.
SCREENPLAY
Theodore Reeves and Helen Deutsch, after the novel by Enid Bagnold.
PRODUCED BY
Pandro S. Berman.
COLOR
Technicolor.
DURATION
123 minutes.
GENRE
drama, competition, sports, family, kids.
PRODUCTION DATES
between January and June 1944.
RELEASED
December 1944 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

NOMINATED to
- Oscar for the Best Director (Clarence Brown); Oscar for the Best Color Picture (Leonard Smith), Oscar for the Best Art Direction.
AWARDS
- Oscar for the Best Supporting Actress (Anne Revere); Oscar for the Best Editing (Robert Kern).

TRIVIA
- for her part in the movie, Elizabeth Taylor narrowly missed winning a special Oscar for best juvenile performance, being second after Peggy Ann Garner!;
- producer Pandro S. Berman did not initially agree with Elizabeth Taylor in the role of Velevet Brown, considering her too small in height. In order to play Velvet, Elizabeth Taylor started a special training consisting of eating and little exercises for increasing her height, which eventualy she managed to acomplish!
- after the film production ended, the producers gave the horse to Elizabeth Taylor as a gift;
- Elizabeth Taylor's brother, Howard Taylor, plays a small part as an extra;
- the film ranks on the 9th position among the best sports movies of all time;
- during filming, Elizabeth Taylor fell from her horse and suffered serious wounds to her spine, with painful consequences for her entire life.
- the famous film director Fred Zinnemann tested her for her part as Velvet.
- Mickey Rooney was already 24 years old, twice Elizabeth Taylor's age!
- a sequel was made in 1978 ("International Velvet"), starring Tatum O'Neal, Christopher Plummer and Anthony Hopkins;
- in 1947 Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney resumed their roles from "National Velvet" for a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast.

Watch TRAILER here.