National Velvet (film)
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| National Velvet | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
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| Directed by | Clarence Brown |
| Produced by | Pandro S. Berman |
| Written by | Helen Deutsch Enid Bagnold (book) |
| Starring | Elizabeth Taylor Mickey Rooney Donald Crisp Anne Revere Angela Lansbury Reginald Owen Terry Kilburn |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Running time | 123 min. |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | International Velvet. |
| IMDb profile | |
National Velvet is a 1944 film based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, first published in 1935. It stars a very young Elizabeth Taylor (who had appeared previously in the first film about a collie dog, titled Lassie Come Home, which was released in 1943).
In 1978, a sequel entitled International Velvet was made, starring Tatum O'Neal.
In 2003, National Velvet was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
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[edit] Plot
National Velvet is the story of a girl, Velvet Brown, played by Elizabeth Taylor, who saves a horse from the knacker's yard and trains it for the Grand National steeplechase, aided by her father's hired hand, a young drifter played by Mickey Rooney. The fictional horse which Velvet Brown trained and rode in the National is called "The Pie". However, when she discovers that the Latvian jockey hired to ride the Pie doesn't believe he can win, she disguises herself as a male jockey and rides the horse to victory herself.
[edit] Production notes
The following are some aspects about the film production:
- The film rights for the novel were originally bought by RKO Radio Pictures in 1937 but the intended star, Katharine Hepburn, became "box-office poison" after Bringing Up Baby flopped.
- An eighteen year old Gene Tierney was appearing on broadway and was offered the role by MGM, but when production was delayed, Tierney signed with 20th Century Fox.
- After filming, Elizabeth Taylor intended to keep the horse.
- While the film takes place in 1930s Britain, the Grand National race was filmed at a Los Angeles racetrack. This can be evidenced by the power poles visible in the background during the race, which are of a design typical of Los Angeles, not Britain.
[edit] Cast
- Elizabeth Taylor as Velvet Brown
- Mickey Rooney as Mi Taylor
- Donald Crisp as Mr. Herbert Brown
- Anne Revere as Mrs. Araminty Brown
- Angela Lansbury as Edwina Brown
- Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins as Donald Brown
- Juanita Quigley as Malvolia "Mally" Brown
- Arthur Treacher as Race Patron
- Reginald Owen as Farmer Ede
- Norma Varden as Miss Sims
- Terry Kilburn as Ted
- Arthur Shields as Mr. Hallam
- Aubrey Mather as Entry Official
- Alec Craig as Tim
- Eugene Loring as Ivan Taski
[edit] Academy Awards
National Velvet won two Oscars in 1945:
Wins:
- Best Supporting Actress - Anne Revere
- Best Film Editing - Robert J. Kern
Nominations:
- Best Director - Clarence Brown
- Best Art Direction (color) - (Art Direction) Cedric Gibbons and Urie McCleary; (Interior Decoration) Edwin B. Willis and Mildred Griffiths
- Best Cinematography - Leonard Smith
[edit] Other adaptations
- From 1960 to 1962 there was a television series based on the book which aired on NBC.
- In 2003 a film version was made for television.
[edit] External links
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