I have spent my entire life laboring under the impression that International Velvet is very old and stars Elizabeth Taylor in a sequel to her own National Velvet. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it was released in my lifetime, and stars Tatum O’Neal, Christopher Plummer, and Anthony Hopkins. What can I say? The world is full of surprises, and my thorough enjoyment of this movie was one of them.
Nanette Newman replaces Liz Taylor as a grown up Velvet Brown. We catch up with her as she waits to meet her niece at the airport, accompanied by her partner, John (Christopher Plummer). Velvet’s brother and sister-in-law have been killed in an accident, and she has been named guardian of their daughter, Sarah (Tatum O’Neal). Though willing to face the challenge, Velvet is nervous, and Sarah only makes things harder by being contrary and stubborn. In the car, she announces that she doesn’t need another family, and that John is not even her real uncle. It’s true. He and Velvet are not married, but it’s soon apparent that family comes in many forms.
Though Sarah is difficult at first, she immediately takes to Velvet’s champion horse, The Pie. Seeing that The Pie’s colt is the one thing that seems to make Sarah happy, Velvet and John buy him for her. It’s a match made in heaven. Sarah spends almost all of her free time with Arizona Pie, and is allowed to follow her passion for the first time in her life. Her parents never really bothered with her, and she’s surprised by the friendly guidance she receives from Velvet and John. John especially makes an effort to listen without judging, and offers support however he can. He picks up where Velvet’s maternal instincts leave off, and singlehandedly finances Sarah’s riding career by writing pot boiler romances under a pen name. Ironically, the commitment phobic uncle proves himself to be the most committed of all.
We follow Sarah through her teenage years, as she struggles to maintain friendships and remain true to herself. She develops a bit of a reputation as a horse snob, and in a rather shocking scene, she and Arizona Pie are chased by a bunch of rowdy boys in a car. They are relentless in their pursuit, which ends badly, with Sarah falling off the horse, and the car rolling over in flames. Then the boys blow up and die. Seriously. It was so cool I can hardly believe it happened.
Pretty soon, Sarah is at the top of her sport, and studying under renowned trainer Captain Johnson (Anthony Hopkins). After a terrifying flight across the Atlantic, in which one horse is spooked so badly by turbulence it has to be put down, Sarah and Arizona Pie are ready to compete, eventually making their way to the Olympics. There are many hurdles along the way, but Sarah finds herself in the process. There’s nothing more satisfying than watching her return home to John and Velvet with her gold medal. When she introduces them to her new husband, she says simply, “These are my parents,” and everything seems right with the world.
Tatum O’Neal was such a likable young actress that it seems she deserves better than a spot on Dancing With The Stars. I don’t know what went wrong, but it seems like she could have grown up to be a Jodie Foster or a Drew Barrymore if she’d played her cards right. Christopher Plummer is absolutely lovable as John, a role that finally captures him as I imagine him to be in real life: witty, playful, and kind. I’m always saying that he has a lot up his sleeve, because he never plays the same character twice, and you never know what to expect.
Weirdly, I made a random announcement at the breakfast table the other day that Anthony Hopkins does not have very much up his sleeve. International Velvet gave me the opportunity to test my theory. Despite his undeniable talent, he’s forever playing the reserved Englishman, whether that Englishman likes to eat liver and fava beans with a nice Chianti, trains horses, runs a shop, writes books, or works as an efficiency expert. I’d like to see him break out and play someone boisterous and loud. That said, he is still a pleasant addition to a very nice movie.
