A FAITHFUL adaptation of Enid Bagnold's novel, National Velvet is the story of a little girl with big dreams.

An 11-year-old Elizabeth Taylor gives an impassioned performance as the heroine who wins a horse in a raffle and then persuades hired hand Mickey Rooney to help her enter the animal in the Grand National.

Solid Rooney is the pro but he doesn't have to babysit Taylor through this 1944 production - it's her fervent portrayal that makes this film memorable.

The plot trots along rather than plods and then achieves full gallop as Velvet's belief in what can be achieved if you dare to hope takes hold. However, it's a dead cert this story will appeal to a small audience only.