The success of such pictures as "My Friend Flicka," "Lassie Come Home," "Home in Indiana," and "Thunderhead" makes it apparent that Hollywood has rediscovered a gold mine in the old theme of a child's love for an animal. "National Velvet" is the latest in this pleasing series, and it pretty largely lives up to the high standards set by its predecessors.

It is not too easy to believe that a twelve-year-old girl can train her own horse and then ride him to victory in the famed Grand National, the most difficult racing event of them all. Once the basic plot is accepted, however, "National Velvet" appears as a colorful and heart-warming narrative of a child's devotion and will to win.

The star of the film is young Elizabeth Taylor, who won her first laurels in "Lassie Come Home." As a starry-eyed less with a passionate love for horses, she turns in a thoroughly captivating performance, and almost by herself prevents this picture from being merely a prosaic repetition of earlier films in this series.

A comparison with "Lassie Come Home" is inevitable, since the two pictures are so similar. Though on a more thrilling and exciting scale than its predecessor, "National Velvet" occasionally suffers from poor directing, with the result that continuity tends to suffer somewhat, especially in the last reel. Otherwise it is a creditable and enjoyable production. mss