# 93

93: National Velvet (1944)

Mickey Rooney (Mi Taylor), Elizabeth Taylor (Velvet Brown), Donald Crisp (Mr. Brown), Ann Revere (Mrs. Brown), Angela Lansbury (Edwina Brown), Jackie Jenkins (Donald Brown)

Velvet Brown is a young school girl obsessed with horses. Just outside her town she meets a wanderer: Mi Taylor. Mi has travelled to Velvet’s town looking for Velvet’s mother—her name was in a notebook Mi inherited from his father. As Mi and Velvet are talking, a gorgeous wild steed gallops across the pasture and Velvet is smitten. She calls the horse Pie and the Pie is all she can talk about. That night Mi stays for dinner and Mrs. Brown decides to hire Mi to help around the farm. Velvet likes Mi and is happy that he’s going to stay with them. When the owner of the Pie decides that he can’t control the horse and wants to be rid of him—Pie is raffled off at Mr. Brown’s butcher shop. Mi purchases raffle tickets for all the Brown children and Velvet wins her coveted steed! Mi is impressed with Pie’s natural jumping ability—and we learn that Mi was once a jockey himself. Mi once raced in England’s Grand National Steeplechase but for some reason (revealed later in the film) he quit jockeying. Mi thinks that if properly trained the Pie could be a contender in the Grand National—and Velvet seizes on the idea. She writes to the race officials on her own and asks Mi to help her train the Pie. Mi is reluctant but then agrees to help Velvet train Pie to race in the Grand National.

I am as enchanted by this film today as I was when I first saw it as a young girl Velvet’s age. The plot is simple but the performances and characters in this film are superb. Elizabeth Taylor in her first starring role is delightful. Mickey Rooney gives a wonderful performance as a wanderer who at first thinks he will just rob the Browns and leave—but is truly touched by the kindness of the Brown family. Ann Revere (Mrs. Brown) earned an Oscar for her performance as Velvet’s mom—one of the strongest female characters I have seen in a film. Angela Lansbury is charming as a young teenage girl in love, and Jackie Jenkins as Donald Brown is a true gem. The climatic race scene is extremely well shot and is as fresh and exciting today as I imagine it was when the film debuted. This film is almost 70 years old but it isn’t dated. The dialogue is fresh, the characters are modern, and the performances are all top notch—there’s even a cute family dog. While you may find this film filed under “Kid’s” or “Family Fun” at the Family Video—no matter what your age this film is a delight and by the end of it you will be cheering for Velvet and the Pie!

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

The Secret Garden (1993)

The Muppets (2011)

# 94

94: Shall We Dance (1996)

Koji Yakusho (Shohei Sugiyama), Tamiyo Kusakari (Mai Kishikawa), Naoto Takenaka (Tomio Aoki), Eri Watanabe (Toyoko Takahashi)

Mr. Sugiyama is a middle-aged businessman who was recently promoted and just bought a new home for his family: a wife and teenage daughter. Though he should be content, he feels there’s something missing from his life. As he takes the subway home each night he sees a beautiful young woman in the window of a dance studio. One night he decides to get off the train at that stop and finds himself enrolling in ballroom dancing lessons. I saw this film in the tiny Student Center Theater at college—it was part of the Foreign Film Series at Southern Illinois University. I saw a lot of films in that little theater with the 1960’s era folding upholstered metal seats and sometimes sticky linoleum floor. In that theater, I learned that when I’m watching a truly great film—the primitive sound system and butt-numbing seats don’t matter. When it’s a really good film I forget where I am watching it—and such was the case with Shall We Dance.

At first Sugiyama’s goal is to meet and possibly hook up with the pretty dance teacher—but his plans are thwarted when he’s put in the group class with the middle aged instructor. Like Train Man (#99) it is the cast of colorful supporting characters that make this film. The stand outs are Naoto Takenaka as Mr. Aoki and Eri Watanabe as Toyoko. Mr. Aoki works with Mr. Sugiyama and keeps his dance life a secret from his co-workers. When dancing Aoki dons a ridiculous bowl-cut wig and assumes the alter ego of a famous Latin Ballroom dancer—but he says that it’s only when he’s dancing that he is truly free to be himself. Through the dance lessons Aoki and Sugiyama become friends—they not only go to the weekly lessons but they also attend various dance halls and clubs. The four men in the group dance class and Toyoko (a middle aged woman with aspirations of competing in the dance competition in Japan) are all changed for the better through their friendship found on the dance floor. Meanwhile Sugiyama’s wife thinks he is seeing another woman and hires a private investigator. Sugiyama’s wife and daughter go to see him compete in the dance competition and are shocked to see that he not only seems to be enjoying it—but he’s also really good. Shall We Dance is a charming romantic comedy and a must see for anyone who has either been a dancer or loves dance films. This gem of a movie was remade for American audiences—and I have not and probably will not see that version. The characters and performances in the Japanese version are perfect and I think any attempt at a remake would pale in comparison.

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)