The defence The Prestige Tourist
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
National Velvet
Drama · Family · 1945
Mi Taylor is a young wanderer and opportunist who finds himself in the quiet English countryside home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train the horse.
Movie details
National Velvet
“Simple story of a boy... a girl... and a horse! Set to the thunder of the Grand National Steeplechase!”
1945 Drama · Family 2h 3m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.2 / 10
Community rating
Mi Taylor is a young wanderer and opportunist who finds himself in the quiet English countryside home of the Brown family. The youngest daughter, Velvet, has a passion for horses and when she wins the spirited steed Pie in a town lottery, Mi is encouraged to train the horse.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over National Velvet?
For the defence
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story
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Flicka 2
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Flicka: Country Pride
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Flicka and Toby help out a struggling stable owner and her teenage daughter.
Where the Red Fern Grows
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A Sunday Horse
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After a near-fatal accident, on a horse the experts thought was nothing special, a determined rider from the wrong side of the tracks defies all the odds to pursue her dreams of winning a national jumping championship.
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Forgotten Friendship
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The story follows Sunset Shimmer, who (using her powers) finds out that her friends' memories of her have been mysteriously erased, resulting in them getting amnesia. Determined to set things straight, she'll need Princess Twilight's help from Equestria in order to find out the source of what caused her friends' memory loss.
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The story of Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.
Secretariat
Drama · 2010
Housewife and mother Penny Chenery agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. Against all odds, Chenery - with the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin - manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Clarence Brown
Written by
Theodore Reeves · Helen Deutsch
Mickey Rooney
Michael 'Mi' Taylor
Donald Crisp
Mr. Herbert Brown
Elizabeth Taylor
Velvet Brown
Anne Revere
Mrs. Araminty Brown
Angela Lansbury
Edwina Brown
Jackie 'Butch' Jenkins
Donald Brown
Juanita Quigley
Malvolia 'Mally' Brown
Court is in session
Put National Velvet on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.