FILMS… International Velvet (1978)

#1970s #AllPosts

 

Telling you why… Oh, why does this girl love this film with horses?

 

May appear to be a horsey film but it’s also an underrated coming of age movie.

 

Nanette Newman and Tatum O’Neal

John Seaton from International Velvet

International Velvet Trailer mp.4, ALIM ASV and photos © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

 

International Velvet (1978) is a girl who loves horses movie from the 1970s. I’m reviewing it as it’s a personal family favourite and has continued to be so more or less since then. It’s also a definite Realweegiemidget weeper and I’m not normally a fan of horsey films. But this is the exception to the rule.

I first watched it with my then (and still) horse obsessed wee – but now considerably taller – sister. I’m glad she was as otherwise, I would have missed out on this British gem. The film’s musical soundtrack is both haunting and mesmerising and was written by Francis Lai.

If you want to see the prequel, the film you are looking for is National Velvet (1944). It stars a very young, Elizabeth Taylor as Velvet and Mickey Rooney. This film tells the story of Velvet Brown, who in the first film was an English adolescent girl and Grand National entrant whose win was invalidated as she was a girl and deemed too young. This character is now an adult and played by Nanette Newman.

International Velvet continues the story a few decades later but can equally be viewed as a stand-alone film. It introduces us to Velvet’s equally horse crazy orphaned niece from Arizona, Sarah (Tatum O’Neal). The story tells of how Sarah first comes to live with her British aunt and her boyfriend and relates events in Sarah’s life from the age of 10 to 18 years.

Sarah is played by Tatum throughout the movie.  It also tells how Pie, Velvet’s winning horse has sired a foal and Sarah wants to buy him. Unfortunately, she is pipped to the post, leading to her aunt buying him. Sarah’s joy in discovering this led to much sobbing, and she screams “It’s the foal. It’s the foal.”

This line is mimicked every time my sister and I watch this as part of the viewing and at one time she was impersonated even more than certain Ewings. But that story and the rest of International Velvet‘s story is for another day. But I will say there’s even little romance for you for the hopeless romantics amongst you.

Tatum – who is actor Ryan O’Neal’s daughter – who plays Sarah was only 14 when she made the film, is excellent in playing the role and is believable throughout proving she wouldn’t be doing The Asylum movies now as a lesser O’Neal. She’s also a bloody good horse rider. She learnt to do all sorts of horsey related things before making the movie.

The film also stars Nanette Newman, who as Velvet still seems to be robotic. She sleepwalks through her role and is just like her Stepford wife role from the original (but best) The Stepford Wives (1975) film. I found her very irritating as she sounded just as wet as she did in her washing-up commercials of the era.

She annoyed me with her insipid way of talking and her casting led to many a Hulk moment.  But, the director Bryan Forbes must have had his reasons, as I’d like to think it wasn’t just because she was married to him. It appears to be so, as several unsurprising and surprising leading ladies were considered for the role.

On reading more about this film, the original Velvet, Elizabeth Taylor was approached about the role and declined it. However, the role was been originally offered to Julie Andrews which would have been really weird when you see who was cast as her boyfriend…

Velvet’s boyfriend is played by Christopher Plummer – Andrews’ co-star in the hit movie musical The Sound of Music (1965) – I told you it was weird. It would feel a bit like some people do after watching Titanic (1997) then Revolutionary Road (2008) and seeing Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet playing lovers in the former and then warring lovers in the latter.

If you saw Andrews and Plummer in both films and watched them chronologically – and the first one you inevitably had to watch at least 3 times, with both sets of grandparents – you would half expect Andrews and Plummer to start singing in the next movie. So we should be thankful Andrews didn’t take the part and Forbes cast his wife instead. All is forgiven, Nanette.

Anyway back to Christopher Plummer.  His character is John Seaton, Velvet’s live-in boyfriend and is such a likeable character you could just hug him as he comes over as such a lovely guy. There is something about Plummer that women and girls of a certain age find attractive.

Even his screen eldest daughter in The Sound of Music, Charmian Carr – who played Liesl – has since then confessed an off-set crush on him. Must have been the way he blew his whistle. There’s also an Oscar winner to look out for in the form of Anthony Hopkins and of course lots and lots of horses.

International Velvet has to be one of the better sequels, right up there with the Star Wars ones ie parts IV, V and VI. So if this is on the Christmas telly this year, I totally recommend the film if you want to see a young, Christopher Plummer or a horsey film whichever floats your boat. But either way those of a sensitive nature – like myself – keep the tissues handy.

 

Weeper Rating: 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 /10

Handsqueeze Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 /10

Hulk Rating: ‎ ‎   ‎ ‎ ‎   ‎/10

 

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The Animals in Film Blogathon 2016, No 4 and The Always a Bridesmaid Blogathon 2019, No 70

This post was added to The Animals in Film Blogathon run by the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood as found HERE. It was also added to Hollywood Genes’ Always A Bridesmaid Film Blogathon. Other posts with this cast include,

• Tatum O’Neal is in a review of Paper Moon and 5 Child Actors.
• More reviews here with Christopher Plummer include Knives Out, his remembrance tribute, Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home and more.
• Nanette Newman starred in Restless Natives, The Raging Moon aka Long Ago, Tomorrow, The Wrong Box and more.
• Anthony Hopkins stars in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Magic, Hitchcock and more.

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