IMBDThose of us with young children may have only vague notions of the importance of Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, or Mickey Rooney in the 1940s. I remember my mother watching Murder She Wrote and I knew Elizabeth Taylor was an older elegant lady who had married a lot of men. Therefore, my first viewing of National Velvet was a revelation! This was the movie that made Elizabeth Taylor a star while Angela Lansbury was a newcomer on the movie scene. Seeing these old guards of Hollywood meant nothing to my two year old, who happily watched Velvet (Taylor) galloping down the road and never tires of the end race scene. This movie is a perfect example of older movies that can be great for kids.
Plot summary: A young girl, Velvet, loves horses. “What does it feel like to be in love with a horse?” asks Edwina, Velvet’s older sister (Lansbury). “I lose my lunch.” Velvet falls in love with a neighbor’s gelding. When she wins the horse that she calls Pie in a raffle, she decides to train him for the most prestigious horse race in England, the Grand National. With the help of her friend Mi (Rooney) who is a former jockey, they map out the race and train Pie through sun wind and rain. The climax of the film is the horse race. The night before the race, when Velvet and Mi meet their hired jockey, Velvet realizes he does not believe in the Pie so she decides to ride. National Velvet is set in the 1920s, and the notion of a girl riding in a horse race would be an anathema. So, Mi cuts Velvet’s hair and she rides the Pie to victory in the race.
Why this movie is great for girls: It seems that some little girls are enamored with horses. Velvet Brown certainly is, so is my daughter. The horse on the cover was my prompt to try the film. Although love of horses may be sufficient to enjoy this movie, it is certainly not necessary. Velvet is excited and determined. She enters Pie into the race because she believes in the horse (it comes across that she believes in herself, too). The movie also depicts a loving and delightfully funny family. Although there e some sibling tiffs, the girls are quite fond of each other as well as their freckled face little brother.
Velvet's mother may not be physically loving to her family, but she is a loving supportive role model. Anne Revere (Mrs. Brown) won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1944 for her role. While many movies that focus on children have absent or subpar parenting, Velvet’s mother is the rock of the family. While often silent, she dishes out wisdom at the most appropriate of times. She was once a famous swimmer and fully supports Velvet's dream. She realizes that Velvet may fail, but knows the importance of the following a dream. "What's wrong with folly?" she asks Mi. Interestingly for a 1940s film, Mrs. Brown talks frankly to Velvet about sexism in sports. She says she was 20 when people said a woman couldn't swim the channel. Mrs. Brown gives Velvet the hundred pounds she received for her historical swim so that Velvet can enter the Grand National.
Possible concerns: When I first started watching this movie I didn't think it would make my list of positive movies for girls. In an early family dinner scene, Mr. Brown tells his three daughters that they "have only their face for their fortunes." Velvet (and therefore the movie) doesn't directly challenge the status quo of girls participating in a national sporting event, but she certainly gets a lot of press when the world discovers she's a girl and people are very supportive and proud of her.
Parental lessons: It is more important to let our children risk failure than to do the work for them to ensure success. "What's wrong with folly?"
Age recommendation: 2 and up
