Vera Drake (2004) - IMDb IMDb 29 December 2016 2:33 AM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error From $3.99 (HD) on Amazon Video ON DISC Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain--a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family. Director: a list of 25 titles created 13 Mar 2014 a list of 41 titles created 16 Jan 2015 a list of 30 titles created 01 Aug 2015 a list of 25 titles created 11 months ago a list of 28 titles created 2 months ago Search for " Vera Drake " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Another 40 wins & 39 nominations. See more awards » Videos A look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple and their relationships with their family and friends. Director: Mike Leigh A successful black woman discovers that her birth mother is a underprivileged white woman, but the woman denies it. As emotions run high, everyone's secrets are exposed. Director: Mike Leigh A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her. Director: Mike Leigh Penny's love for her partner, taxi-driver Phil, has run dry. He is a gentle, philosophical guy, and she works on the checkout at a supermarket. Their daughter Rachel cleans in a home for ... See full summary » Director: Mike Leigh 2 young women reunite and rekindle their friendship after having said goodbye at their college graduation, six years earlier. Director: Mike Leigh A waitress, her cook husband, & their twin daughters ponder their lives over a few weeks in a working-class suburb north of London.

Director: Mike Leigh Slice-of-life look at a sweet working-class couple in London, Shirley and Cyril, his mother, who's aging quickly and becoming forgetful, mum's ghastly upper-middle-class neighbors, and ... See full summary » Director: Mike Leigh After Gilbert and Sullivan's latest play is critically panned, the frustrated team threatens to disband until it is inspired to write the masterpiece "The Mikado". Director: Mike Leigh Parallel tales of two sexually obsessed men, one hurting and annoying women physically and mentally, one wandering around the city talking to strangers and experiencing dimensions of life. Director: Mike Leigh Moments from the uncompromisingly bleak existence of a secretary, her intellectually disabled sister, aloof and uneasy teacher boyfriend, bizarre neighbor and irritating workmate. Director: Mike Leigh An exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner's life. Director: Mike Leigh Edit Storyline Vera Drake is a selfless woman who is completely devoted to, and loved by, her working class family. She spends her days doting on them and caring for her sick neighbor and elderly mother. However, she also secretly visits women and helps them induce miscarriages for unwanted pregnancies.

While the practice itself was illegal in 1950s England, Vera sees herself as simply helping women in need, and always does so with a smile and kind words of encouragement. When the authorities finally find her out, Vera's world and family life rapidly unravel. Written by Sujit R. Varma Rated R for depiction of strong thematic material | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 4 February 2005 (USA) See more » Also Known As: El secreto de Vera Drake See more » Filming Locations: $13,207 (USA) (8 October 2004) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia During filming, all actors were forbidden to even tell their families what the film was about. See more » Goofs Vera's sister-in-law Joyce says she wants a washing machine which costs "25 pounds." Until decimalization in 1971, most luxury goods, like washing machines and men's suits, were priced in guineas, not pounds (one guinea = one pound one shilling, or one pound five pence in decimal).

Some stores, particularly those wishing to appeal to the middle class or aspiring to a degree of 'poshness', priced items in pounds. Throughout the 1960s most domestic items were priced in pounds, shillings, and pence. Services and professions continued to charge in guineas until much later. In the film, an abortion costs two guineas. See more » Quotes See more » Crazy Credits After the end credits it says: "In loving memory of my parents, a doctor and a midwife." See more » Connections (p) 1940 Chappell Recorded Music Library (c) 1940 Chappell Recorded Music Library A BMG Zomba Company (Canada) – See all my reviews Along with Abbas Kiarostami, Mike Leigh must be the finest film artist now living. He sets up the story here very smartly; it's Altmanesque the way that the lives intertwine. And like Altman, the film has an observational style (the camera sits still as people walk about the house), though without his cynical humor.

(There is one comic relief character, however, who Vera's son measures for tailoring.) The story is craftily put-together -- Leigh, for all his realism, isn't above cinema: he's not against creating a scene. His entire movie is a build-up to individual looks and faces; one especially fine scene is laid out incredibly well: we see a car pull up outside; inside, we get the news that someone is going to have a baby; then a knock at the door... What sets him apart from many so-called realists is that he's not an inept moviemaker. Even though a number of the scenes are complete of themselves and incredibly well-wrought, none of them are "scenes"; the only hint of cinematic flair that Leigh indulges in are the recurring motifs of heavenly music. The film is not traditional realism in terms of acting, either -- the actors all have a very distinct look that has to do with the way they're shot, but each character, each actor, seems alive in such a way that isn't theatrical or exaggerated or false, but still animated.

There is an unflinching dedication to emotional consistency and detail (such as the mechanics of the abortions), but it always remains humane (without ever turning sentimental); when one woman is raped, Leigh doesn't linger on the scene, he doesn't really even show anything. Leigh makes few political points in the film. (No doubt conservatives would see the film as a horror story, this woman creeping around from house to house.) It is not an "issue" movie. It is much more about families and people, and how they support one of their own; it could just as easily about someone accused of child molestation, or who assisted suicides. The miracle of the film is that the catalyst for the emotional breakdown, the abortions, aren't just a device, they're a whole, complete film in their own right. It's what gives certain images such immediate, painful power. His film, planned as it is, consists of events that are completely random and unforeseeable to the characters, even though we, the audience expect them (it only serves to make them more devastating that we see it coming). We see an abortion; we see a couple get engaged; we see a rape; we see that someone is expecting a baby.

Leigh has empathy for everyone in the film, and with the exception of three women -- Vera's sister in law, the woman who procures Vera's "patients," and the mother of one of the girls who she performs an abortion for -- he doesn't turn anyone into a villain. Even one horrific psychiatrist interview grows into something where we realize, haughty as he is, he's not exactly "out to get" this girl who wants help (although the scene hits home the difference involved in getting abortions performed by doctors and on the street). Sometimes the film is a little too obvious, as when Vera's son can't deal with what she's done, effectively sticking the knife in her (and us). And you could complain that Staunton, in the second half, is ordered to put on a blank face, as if she's had a stroke. But it's a simple view to see her as a smiling happy person in the first part and then a wrecked creature in the second -- there is always something interesting in her performance, completely aside from the looks on her face (one such, when the police ask to see her, is the best image of the human face in years).

In the beginning she uses her teeth in a very interesting way, and though she's referred to as a woman with a heart of gold (and while I'm not saying she isn't) there's something more in her performance, something indescribable -- it's why she never stops to comfort the women she "helps out." What prevents the film from being a display of the miserable, like Lars von Trier at his worst, is Leigh's innate connection to the legacy of the great humanists, that of hope -- not false, optimistic hope, but hope in something bigger (and more intimate): the human soul. 10/10 129 of 146 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Audience Reviews for Vera Drake ½ A captivating, impromptu film, directed by Mike Leigh, who takes chances and weaves together a narrative about the lives of the downtrodden working Irish families of the fifties, in this film headed by a woman with a plethora of secrets. Mike Leigh did not write a screenplay for this film, but had most of the actors find their own characters, and then wrote everything around that.

The scenes were improvised, and the emotions onscreen, however searing and real, were that of the moment, of the actual characters in their element. Therefore, this is an actor's film, one that is always bursting with the presence of Vera Drake (Staunton). There is a slow, deep resonance of the character of Vera Drake, who though is the main focus of the film isn't always the main priority. There is a whole subset of characters, including the daughter and son, their in-laws, and friends, besides these girls who are actually in trouble. There is also a slight undertone about the history of Ireland, including a women's right to choose, and the illegal means to which women took care of it at the time. More importantly are the implications to Vera's actions, the way it reflects on her family and her role in the community. Though at first I didn't understand the role of the plot in the last hour, it flowed that way to build tension between the family members. When the family hears about Vera's crimes it was the first time for the actors too, and it was genuine and gritty and hopeless all at the same time.

Imelda Staunton, who has mostly been pigeonholed into the supporting character actor category so many times before, inexplicably shines. Vera Drake is an amazing character, so filled with a depth and personal tension that comes off her in waves, so much a martyr in many respects and yet she does unspeakable things in her religion and society. She is the epitome of pious maternal instincts and mousy womanhood. It's even hard to watch in certain places, and that all comes from Staunton's grace and serenity in the face of adversity. Beautiful, contextual film that is also a great period piece. Spencer S. Vera Drake | Film | The Guardian The Guardian Opening night film: Vera Drake 5 / 5 stars Tuesday 7 September 2004 11.24 EDT First published on Tuesday 7 September 2004 11.24 EDT Close This article is 12 years old Mike Leigh's new film is a stunningly acted and heart-wrenchingly powerful drama about postwar working-class life in London.

Imelda Staunton must surely be in contention for major awards for her performance as Vera Drake, the modest, hard-working cleaning lady in 1950 who has a hidden life. For decades, Vera has been cheerfully getting on with things: popping in to help neighbours, nursing her elderly mother, looking after her family. But that life has co-existed with (to paraphrase another Leigh title) a secret and a lie. With a hidden kit-bag of syringe and carbolic soap she also quietly "helps out" wretched girls who've "got themselves into trouble". With a chirpy smile, Vera arrives in their flats, puts the kettle on - for all the world as if she was making a nice cup of tea - and tells them briskly to pop themselves on the bed and take their underwear off. Vera doesn't see anything wrong with it, and conceals this business from everyone as naturally and unworriedly as a midwife might conceal the moment of childbirth from the expectant father. When the police finally confront her, her face has the stricken look of someone finally forced to identify the elephant in the living room.

Even before we realise Vera's secret vocation as an abortionist, her simple daily life is as gripping and fascinating as any thriller. I have seen nothing as compelling since Dennis Potter's Pennies From Heaven. Leigh pitilessly captures the shame and fear to which working women were subject - and which those with money and contacts could avoid - and with a tragedian's ruthlessness he etches that shame and fear on Drake's face, when nemesis arrives in the form of the police. It's a devastating reminder of the hypocrisy of Britain before the Abortion Act. Clarity of dramatic language and superb, humane performances are the bedrock of this outstanding film. Mike Leigh's Vera Drake opens London film festival | Film | The Guardian Vera Drake Mike Leigh's Vera Drake opens London film festival Opening night film is Mike Leigh's abortion drama.

Closing night is I Heart Huckabees, by David O Russell Jude Law in I Heart Huckabees, which closes the festival Friday 27 August 2004 12.31 EDT First published on Friday 27 August 2004 12.31 EDT Close This article is 12 years old Vera Drake, the latest work from Mike Leigh, has been picked as the opening night movie at this year's London film festival . The decision at least suggests that the festival organisers are not scared of potential controversy. Vera Drake stars Imelda Staunton as a kindly back-street abortionist in 1950s London. The 48th Times BFI London film festival opens with Leigh's film on October 20, an earlier date than in past years. It closes with the British premiere of I Heart Huckabees. Written and directed by David O Russell (Three Kings, Flirtiing With Disaster), the film is an offbeat philosophical comedy about a pair of married detectives who motor around America solving existential mysteries. I Heart Huckabees stars Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Mark Wahlberg and Dustin Hoffman, and opens in the US on October 1.

"I'm delighted at the quality of both our opening and closing night films, and with how they chime with the rest of the festival's programme," said festival director Sandra Hebron. "On the surface Vera Drake and I Heart Huckabees couldn't be less alike. But what Mike Leigh and David O Russell share, apart from their complete understanding of the art and craft of film-making, is humanism, clarity of vision and a desire to make films which make us think about the way we live." The 48th London film festival runs from October 20 - November 4. Full details of this year's schedule will be announced on September 15. Vera Drake Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb Reviews from users who have written at least 100 reviews, most prolific authors first. Reviews from users who have written at least 100 reviews, most prolific authors first.

Page 1 of 8: 71 matching reviews (168 reviews in total) 0 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Great Vera Drake (2004) **** (out of 4) Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a happy and hard working woman who spends her evenings cleaning the house's of rich people while at night taking care of her own home, which includes a husband and two children. Vera is the type of person that always has a smile on her face and this smile often comes from helping others out. Vera has made it a personal goal to help out whoever she can no matter the effect it might have on her. Not only does she cook and clean for people but when young girls get in trouble, trouble meaning pregnant and can't keep the kid for whatever reason, Vera is there to help with the abortion. She keeps this a secret from her family but when one of the girls she helped nearly dies the police get involved and soon Vera's worst fears of her family finding out comes true.

British director Mike Leigh is one of the most fascinating people making films today because he goes to no extremes in trying to make his film commercial and he usually uses unknown actors who can portray an actual human and not something we'd expect to see on a reality television show. There's no question Leigh is an acquired taste and even the most harden film fans might find themselves very disturbed or haunted by Leigh's honest and quite brutal storytelling. Vera Drake received the best reviews since Secrets and Lies and mopped up awards from around the world with Imelda Staunton winning Best Actress from critics in Chicago, Toronto, San Diego, New York and Los Angeles, only to name a few. Vera Drake isn't a film about abortion nor should it be looked at as being pro-abortion or anti-abortion. I'm sure people from both sides will try and pull the film into their corner but director Leigh never makes the mistake of trying to place innocence or guilt on Vera. This is one of the key factors to the film's success because each viewer out their will have different opinions on Vera and the crimes she's charged with just as her family in the film shares different views.

A lesser writer and director, especially one working in Hollywood, would have turned this film into some rights movement and this here would have killed the heart of the story. The film is very simply a character study where our character, out of the goodness of her heart, breaks the law, which some would say is a criminal no matter what her intentions were. Not once does Vera think of herself while doing the abortions and even when she's arrested her thoughts are with the young victim and her family who she fears will suffer the most from these crimes. In the final forty minutes the director, for the first time in the film, really takes the spotlight off of Vera and shines it on her family and their reactions to the events going on. From the opening scene we see Vera as a woman with a smile on her face even though she's living in near poverty. We see her helping cripples feel comfortable, fixing tea for the elderly and taking in people for supper who have no other place to go. Vera does these things out of the goodness of her heart and the same is true for her abortions.

Not only does this make her feel good about herself but it makes those around her feel good and Leigh even goes a step further by showing how Vera's kindness makes her own family feel better about themselves. The director spends the first seventy minutes introducing us to Vera, her surroundings and her family. These minutes are full of touching scenes but for the most part there's a bitter sadness hiding behind all of it. When Vera is finally arrested the film goes from somber to downright depressing and haunting all at the same time. The interrogation scenes are some of the rawest, emotional scenes of recent memory and any actor should really take a look at Staunton to see what it means to really become a character. The sadness and heartache she displays without saying a word is something to truly behold. I'm a firm believer that a great actor doesn't need dialogue to show their feelings to an audience and the performance here proves that at every level. Staunton got most of the acting credit but the entire cast really shines and makes this film what it is. Fans of silent films will often tell people that silent segments are the most powerful scenes even in a sound film and that too can be proved here.

The best scenes in the movie happen with no dialogue but we can just see the look on the faces of the actors and that's tells us everything we need to know. One example is when the family first learns what Vera has been arrested for. You can tell all three are shocked but one of them is outright angered that his mother could help something be killed. No words are spoken but this two minute silent segment says more than fifty lines of dialogue could. Another example is after the interrogation when Vera has to finally break down and tell her husband why she's been arrested. The humiliation and fear in her eyes once again tells us everything we need to know. Was the above review useful to you? Imelda Staunton brilliant Author: SnoopyStyle 16 August 2016 Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a kind helpful mother and wife to a working-class family. She invites Reg (Eddie Marsan) for dinner and sets him up with daughter Ethel (Alex Kelly). Reg served in the war as well as her husband (Phil Davis) and son (Daniel Mays). She helps the local women with abortions. Unbeknownst to her, black marketeer Lily (Ruth Sheen) charges those women.

In a parallel story, Vera also cleans the house of a government minister. The shy daughter Susan (Sally Hawkins) is raped during a date. She is desperate to get rid of her pregnancy and her friend directs her to a higher cost abortion where a psychiatrist uses her aunt's suicide as grounds to terminate. Mike Leigh delivers a movie full of humanity. Imelda Staunton is simply brilliant. I would have liked Susan's story to be more connected with Vera. Obviously, Leigh is making a point about the state of abortion for the different classes but it's not quite clear enough. Overall, Staunton overwhelms this movie with her humanity and kindness. Was the above review useful to you? 33 out of 34 people found the following review useful: Wonderfully acting, developed and written even if the slow pace may put some off from United Kingdom 13 February 2005 In the early 1950's, Britain is still very much recovering from the war years and the working classes are very much held together by salt-of-the-earth types supporting their families and others. One such woman is Vera Drake; mother, wife, carer, cleaner and part-time back-street abortionist.

Vera takes no money for her work and simply wishes to give them the help that they cannot afford to get through legitimate channels. However not everyone shares her view of abortion and it is only a matter of time before Vera's work comes to the attention of the authorities. Bearing in mind that this film being mentioned in the Oscars, Baftas and general glowing support of critics, it is easy to forget that it raced through the UK's multiplexes so quickly that I had to wedge myself into a sold-out art-house cinema just to see it (sold out, that is, on an afternoon screening). It is even easier to forget that fewer than 1000 people have even voted for this title as I write this review. Certainly watching it yesterday it is easy to understand why it is feted by critics but not the choice of thousands of teenagers for a Saturday night at the movies, because it is a very slow, difficult film that is far from being a bundle of laughs. However it is still a fascinating film throughout even if it is not as strong as could have been expected.

The story is basic and it can't quite fill the time, maybe down to the way it was written  that is, it was written as a frame and the dialogue was improvised and workshopped rather than scripted in the traditional fashion (hence Leigh's surprise at one of his Oscar nominations!). While this weakens the story a little, it seems to have produced great performances from the cast that do more than cover for the slow pace. Staunton is superb and she stands out in the best actress category. She is a complex character that the film never easily pigeonholes and it shows how balanced the film is in the way we are not swayed in her favour by her character whenever her morals come under fire. The film is very much hers and she is totally convincing in her character. She is well supported by natural performances from Graham, Davis, Marsan and Mays among others. Leigh's direction is very intimate and, with sets and costumes, he has painted a convincingly downbeat view of post-war Britain that looks good and adds to the realistic feel of the film.

The film had a lot less debate than I had expected and it doesn't really come down on either side of the abortion issue; I guess that it is better that it leaves it to us to think over rather than preaching to us  how nice (and unusual) to be treated like adults by a film. Overall though, it is the story and Vera herself that make the film so involving, the story is well framed and the workshop approach has produced some very good performances, particularly from Staunton, who outshines all others nominated alongside her in the Oscars. Deserves to be seen by larger audiences than it has had thus far, but just don't expect it to be fast-paced, fun or gripping  it is much more than that. Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Touching and Heartbreaking Story, With Awesome Performance of Imelda Staunton from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 23 January 2006 In 1950, in London, Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a simple woman of a low-class but happy family.

She works cleaning the upper-class houses; her beloved husband is a mechanic and works with his brother in a repair shop; her son is a tailor; and her daughter tests and packs electric lamps. The helpful Vera is a very good and cooperative woman, helping her sick mother, a handicapped neighbor and whoever needs her. She also induces the miscarriage to women that do not want to have baby just to help them and without any remuneration. When a teenager single mother has some complication with her intervention and goes to the hospital, the police investigates the occurrence, and the world and the family of Vera fall apart with this tragedy. "Vera Drake" is a touching and heartbreaking story, with awesome performance of Imelda Staunton. This convincing story is very real, using poor locations, deglamorized actors and actresses (none of them is beautiful or handsome), therefore totally out of the standards of Hollywood. Last year, when I saw "Million Dollar Baby", I was impressed with Hilary Swank and I thought she undoubtedly deserved the Oscar of Actress in a Leading Role. After watching "Vera Drake", I am really divided between the awesome performances of Hilary Swank and Imelda Staunton.

Unfortunately the Oscar can not be shared by them two, since both deserved it. The stunning and powerful performance of Imelda Staunton is certainly one of the best I have ever seen, and it seems that Mike Leigh wrote the screenplay tailored for her. Her human and naive expressive character touches in the bottom of the heart of the viewer, and it is impossible to avoid the tears with her dramatic situation. The theme of abort is showed as a common practice in London of the 50's: in the upper classes, the doctor charges an elevated fee and uses a psychologist to support the girl; in the lower classes, the abortionists use inappropriate instruments "to save the girls" for their family and from the hypocrite judgment of the society. The position of the characters with regard to this polemical theme is divided, and once I personally am favorable to abort, I liked the character Reg, magnificently performed by Eddie Marsan, a good man with a very strong and solid personality and that does not judge Vera. The Christmas scene is probably my favorite one. The direction of Mike Leigh is outstanding and the cast has perfect and convincing performance in this sad family drama. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "O Segredo de Vera Drake" ("The Secret of Vera Drake") Was the above review useful to you? Vera Drake 12 March 2007 *** This review may contain spoilers *** I saw the advert for it advertised, then I heard it was one of the most controversial films, particularly from director Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies). Basically it is all about a person in 1950s London who to most people is a normal nice low-class woman devoted to her family, Vera Drake (BAFTA winning, and Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Imelda Staunton). I am not completely interested in everything that is going on before the arrest, but the point is that everything is all happy and not too important, well, apart from the reason she is arrested. She is performing abortions using soapy water and a syringe, and one of her patients is taken to hospital after nearly dying. She realises the seriousness of her crime, not just almost killing someone, but performing these illegal treatments. She says she was only helping with no payment, and no past consequences. Also starring BAFTA nominated Philip Davis as Stan Drake, Peter Wight as Det.

Inspector Webster, Adrian Scarborough as Frank, BAFTA nominated Heather Craney as Joyce, Daniel Mays as Sid Drake, Alex Kelly as Ethel Drake, Sally Hawkins as Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan as Reg, Ruth Sheen as Lily and Jim Broadbent as Judge. I think it is more the falling apart of the family that is sadder, but it is controversial to have the abortion scenes, and there is no resolution. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Achievement in Directing and Best Writing, Original Screenplay, and it won the BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and the David Lean Award for Direction, and it was nominated the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Make Up/Hair, Best Production Design and Best Original Screenplay. Good! Was the above review useful to you? thank you, Mike Leigh, for showing the world what it needs to remember from Portland, Oregon, USA 6 June 2005 With reproductive rights always threatened, it's important to remember the struggles that people went through to establish those rights. "Vera Drake" is a prime example. The title character (Imelda Staunton) is a working-class woman in 1950 London.

She mainly works as a housekeeper for the rich people, but she secretly helps disadvantaged women have abortions. Abortions were illegal in England back then, and when the authorities find out, they arrest Vera, try her, convict her, and send her to jail. Some people consider Mike Leigh's movies slow, but that's an unfair analysis. What people should realize is that his movies deal with real issues. "Vera Drake" shows how she was acting out of her conscience, helping those who had no one to turn to, and was arrested for it. This was definitely one of the best movies of 2004. Splendid. Was the above review useful to you? stripped away of melodrama, you see nothing but human beings in the scope of a cruel law from United States 25 December 2015 Mike Leigh's way of tackling the issue of abortion in a dramatic film is to take everything down to his level and worldview. In short, there are people who did such things like 'helping out women in a family way' (and still do, if it's somewhere illegal), and they are at heart still people.

As Leigh's metee is the working class/middle class in England, he takes it back to 1950, casts the wonderful Imelda Staunton (some of you may know her from a role in Harry Potter that is the complete 180 of this, though no less worthy of her abilities as an actress), and makes her the hero of this story. It's not that she's exactly lying to her husband and kids about what she does - this may also, just as with what being pro-choice or pro-life means to someone depends on a point of view, if not telling someone is the same as lying - but she does what she does on her own time, and when she is home she's home as a wonderful mother to her kids and attentive wife and carer of the home. She's more shocked than anyone when she is finally arrested when one of her procedures goes wrong. It's key that she doesn't take money for it (as she says in the movie, Vera never would), but aside from that is the factor of how morality is looked at across the board in the film, and what class has to do with it is significant too.

It may seem like a sub-plot with Sally Hawkins, a young woman who has a little more money than the young girls who go to Vera in need (one of them a black girl immigrant), doesn't really wrap up entirely. It actually doesn't need to, and everything is right there in plain sight and a brilliant juxtaposition: she is raped by a guy, knocked up, and can't go to the cops about the rape. Would they believe her if she told them? At any rate, she can go to the doctor, say some things about a psychologically troubled family history, and get an abortion that way. Oddly enough (in the one moment almost, kind of, a wink from Leigh), she lives in one of the homes that Vera takes care of as a house cleaner. But while this may seem like something that takes up time away from the main narrative, what it says in the story matters. The same cops who likely wouldn't listen to Hawkins will go after someone for performing their own procedure (albeit it's because of the mother's life that becomes at stake, seemingly her first one, possibly, who knows).

What it boils down to though is what we see before us; it would be very easy for a dramatist, even one such as Leigh, to go for some easy emotions. We know Vera is a decent hearted person deep down, or at least some of us may know that while others may not. But it's a tricky thing to say it's not about a message or it being about a message definitively. It's like abortion is the backdrop for what is an extremely sad story of a family coming undone and a woman losing her entire life. Vera's not a hardened criminal and certainly not prepared to go to jail. Far and away from it. The heart of the movie is actually Imelda Staunton's face, in the first half as she is mostly smiling and going about her family or going to these women and helping them out in their 'family way', and it's genuine and compassionate, and then the second half when she just looks like she's been hit by an atom bomb many times over.

Leigh doesn't rush things in the narrative of her being arrested and questioned, and it's interesting to see how the cops are, as much as cops can be, sympathetic but have their own job to do, put in the system to follow what the law dictates, so after all this time getting to know and like Vera, without any false notes of emotion, it gets to be a punch in the gut to see her in tears, repeatedly. When I say that Leigh is being provocative but not being over-bearing with a film like Vera Drake, I mean to say that he takes it down to a level of naturalism that makes it unmistakable who we are seeing. He never judges this character, and even when other characters in her family are angry the sense of forgiveness that the husband says to Vera's son is equally powerful. The movie isn't about forcing any agenda but about understanding what these people go through, went through, when these situations did happen. We are practically included in with this family from the start, for all the moments of small talk and moments of real joy (announced engagements and pregnancies) so that when the gut punch of the other reality comes, we're there with them.

The point isn't about connecting with the issue but about connecting with the characters, and in that sense the film is just about perfect. Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Vera, Not Nice Dearie, **1/2 from United States 13 December 2005 Just caught Vera Drake on television as it was shown at 4 o'clock in the morning on Starz. To me, the standout performance is that of Vera's daughter, Ethel, who is either severely retarded or dumbfounded by what is going on in this film. Vera is made to come off as a victim. Her stupidity is unmatched. She knew very well what she was doing. She refused to label it abortion, but would say that she is "helping" girls. Too kind to accept remuneration, did she really believe what she was doing, or is she just plain stupid? Could our heroine, Vera, rival James Dean as the rebel with a cause? The real victims here are the family who will have to live through all this. The first hour of this film is tiresome. We can really learn to become performing abortion experts.

Suddenly, when caught, British actress Imelda Staunton pulls out crying, wining and a sense of innocence not seen since the crocodile tears of a not-so-innocent Katharine Hepburn, in a plethora of films. The judge will not give Vera the least severe sentence for her misdeeds. An example must be set. At least, he admitted that. Was the above review useful to you? gut-wrenching film set in post-WW II London from United States 10 September 2013 Imelda Staunton is "Vera Drake" in this 2004 film by Mike Leigh, a real master of storytelling and character studies. The film is set in 1950, and times are still tough in England. Vera lives with her husband and two children in a tiny apartment and cleans houses for a living. She is there to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs one, besides caring for her mother. Vera also has a sideline no one in her family knows anything about. She performs illegal abortions. To Vera, this is just another way to help people. She doesn't take money, though the woman who refers her is taking plenty, without Vera's knowledge.

Unfortunately, one of the young women becomes terribly ill and the doctor, realizing what happened, insists that the police are called. During the celebration of her daughter's engagement, Vera is arrested. In a subplot, we're shown how the rich deal with unwanted pregnancies - as long as you have the money and a psychiatrist will say you'll commit suicide if forced to give birth, it can be done in a clean hospital by a doctor. Vera's patients can't afford this. There's not much else to say about the story except that Imelda Staunton gives a sensational performance as Vera - the shock, the crying, the inability to speak up in court, the terror, it all rings true. Though something like 48 when she made this film, Staunton is every bit an older lady who has had a hard life, a gentle soul who loves people, loves her family, and is always there for everyone. Staunton is believable in every aspect, totally inhabiting Vera. She was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. It was a tough year; she lost to the Song of Bernadette performance of Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby. Very hard to beat that type of role.

Highly recommended - Mike Leigh is a fabulous director and he always has a top-notch cast. Was the above review useful to you? 153 out of 170 people found the following review useful: Being kind, no matter how. from New York 6 November 2004 The key for understanding the character of Vera Drake is "dear". Vera is one of the kindest souls one will ever see in pictures in a long, long time. Vera Drake is a woman who will go out of her way to be of use to anyone that needs her. In fact, one's initial reaction to Mrs. Drake's activities is one of complete disbelief. Mike Leigh has created a film that, although not easy to sit through, is one of the finest movies that have come out of the English cinema in a long time. This director keeps getting better with every new film. The subject of the film is something that has been at the heart of the recent elections in the USA. With the new climate in this country it's easy to see that situations like the ones we see in the story, could well be the norm here in a not too distant future.

The main, and perhaps the only, reason for watching this extraordinary film is the portrayal of Vera by that wonderful actress, Imelda Staunton. Her Vera is an example a person who can't say no to anyone in need. There is a scene when Vera is first confronted by the police during a dinner at her house where we see her face as charges are hurled at her, then little by little, Ms. Staunton breaks down in what is one of the great moments in acting by any actress in living memory. One can see her eyes fill with tears because it suddenly dawns on Vera the immensity of what she has done. The action takes place in 1950 in a London still ravaged by the effect of WWII. The film recreates the era with great details. Vera's flat is so tiny, one wonders how can four grown up people live in such cramped quarters. Even though they are poor, the Drake household is happy, as they all live together without apparently getting on each other's nerves. Both children, Ethel and Sid are well behaved; they both love their parents. Stan and Vera love one another in a subdued, but caring way.

Is it possible that Vera could be the monster she is accused of being? The film also makes a point of the contrast between the humble way in which the Drakes live and the rich houses where Vera goes to work every day. Vera's home is tiny and the others are so well appointed, it is only natural to assume that Vera will bear a resentment toward her employers, but on the contrary, she is a dignified woman who makes do with her meager wages. There is also the irony about how Susan Wells, the daughter of one of Vera's employers, goes through the same thing that the other girls that Vera "helps", and everything is done in a civilized way. Mr. Leigh shows us in this case how things are different because Susan is able to buy a solution to her problem and deal with it safely. The ensemble cast is marvelous. Imelda Staunton dominates the movie. We can't take our eyes away from the dowdy and plain woman we see on the screen. Phil Davis as Stan, Vera's husband, is excellent. Alex Kelly plays the mousy daughter Ethel, who never utters a word; this actress makes her real.

Daniel Mays is Sid, the son who can't understand what his mother has done. Eddie Marsan as Reg, makes his character believable. The film is a triumph for Mike Leigh. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 8: A coup in midcareer - latimes Movies A coup in midcareer Seasoned British stage actress Imelda Staunton may have the role of a lifetime as a back-street abortionist in Mike Leigh's 'Vera Drake.' October 24, 2004 |Matt Wolf | Special to The Times London — Tell Imelda Staunton she is fast becoming a front-runner for this year's best actress Academy Award on the strength of her performance in "Vera Drake," and the British theater veteran immediately turns the compliment toward the movie itself. "People say, 'You might have an Oscar nomination,' and I say, 'Well, look, OK, if it happens, it happens,' " says the diminutive actress, who is as animated and voluble a real-life presence as her screen character, Vera, is movingly indrawn and quiet. "The point is, I've had my prize; I've got it: I've got the film.

I've had that year of extraordinary work." Seated in the London office of the movie's publicist, Staunton, age 48 and a far cheekier, even sexier presence than Vera might suggest, takes a refreshingly brisk, no-nonsense approach to the sort of trophy prognostications that often leaves Hollywood sounding breathy. "That isn't serious, the serious work has been done; the film has been done," she says of Mike Leigh's latest film, opening Friday in Los Angeles. "It would be stupid of me to invest a lot of energy and angst into the possibility of getting a prize." Or, in the case of the movie, multiple prizes: "Vera Drake" was named best film and Staunton best actress at last month's Venice Film Festival. Indeed, one sympathizes with Staunton when she speaks of "the deep decline" she almost went into this year after finishing "Vera Drake," in which she plays the sweet-natured, working-class Londoner of the title, a cleaner who doubles as a back-street abortionist.

Vera, her kindly countenance locked into a smile gone all too grim-faced by the end of the movie, is one of those roles that virtually guarantees a leap into prominence for the performer lucky enough to play her -- and talented enough to do her justice. By way of comparison, one could point to Charlize Theron's breakout portrayal of Aileen Wuornos last year in "Monster." Or, perhaps more to the point, Cynthia, the beleaguered mother in "Secrets & Lies," Leigh's 1996 film that gave an enormous career boost to another English theater actress, Brenda Blethyn, who was all but unknown on screen before then. As it happens, Staunton and Blethyn were rehearsing the Alan Bennett play "Habeas Corpus" at London's Donmar Warehouse theater when Blethyn was called away to the Cannes Film Festival, where she went on to take that year's prize for best actress; an Oscar nomination followed. Now, one could argue that writer-director Leigh is doing eight years later for Staunton what he did for Blethyn.

"In a way, it is similar," Leigh acknowledges, "but this feels different, as well; we've moved on in lots of ways." What remains, he says, is an interest in the sort of unvarnished integrity that Staunton's classical training cannot buy. "The whole point about the kind of quality of performance you get from Imelda is that it means the audience has got a totally real person with the unexplained complexities of a real person." A craft well honed And what kind of a person is Staunton? "She's great," Leigh says without hesitation. "Imelda is a tough cookie but also a hugely open and accessible and caring person." Perhaps best of all, Staunton never coarsens the largely unspoken feelings of a character whose fate could be played for cheap pathos. "One of the great strengths she brings to it," says her director, "apart from her acting and great humanity, is that Imelda's totally unsentimental; there's no wallowing in emotion." Just as there isn't in conversation with a performer who understands that the best way to embody compassion -- which Vera unmistakably does -- is by refusing to go all gooey.

To that extent, this kindly woman is a piece of a family that, explains Staunton, isn't full of "goody-goody people; they're just working-class people who get on with their lives and who don't happen to have an attitude or an agenda." That explains the seismic jolt that occurs when Vera's secret "occupation" -- helping terminate the pregnancies of women who would be unable to otherwise -- is laid bare to her family. "Everything crushes in," Staunton says. "Vera knows she is in the eyes of the law guilty, and she's destroyed for her family; she's distraught about what this has done to them." Besides Staunton, the Drake clan includes Phil Davis as her supportive if not always comprehending husband, Stan, and Daniel Mays and Alex Kelly as their grown children, Sid and Ethel. Oscar winner Jim Broadbent ("Iris"), a friend of Staunton's and a veteran of such Leigh movies as "Topsy-Turvy," appears in a cameo as a judge. "Vera Drake" is clearly the film role of Staunton's career, but she is no newcomer.

She may be best known for her role as Hugh Laurie's wife over a decade ago in "Peter's Friends." In "Shakespeare in Love," she plays the nurse. "I was just standing next to Gwyneth [Paltrow]," Staunton recalls with a smile, "so that was hardly transforming." British stars in line for Golden Globe awards - Manchester Evening News What's On British stars in line for Golden Globe awards JOELY Richardson, Imelda Staunton and Kate Winslet are among the British stars nominated for the Golden Globe awards. Share GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER?: Kate Winslet Share Get What's On updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email JOELY Richardson, Imelda Staunton and Kate Winslet are among the British stars nominated for the Golden Globe awards. Staunton, 48, is up for the best actress title for her performance as a back-street abortionist in the Mike Leigh film Vera Drake. Kate Winslet has been nominated for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, while Joely Richardson has a best actress nomination in the TV category for her role in US drama Nip/Tuck.

Other British names include a supporting role nomination for Clive Owen for his part in the romantic drama Closer. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera is up for best musical or comedy film. In the TV category, British star Ian McShane is also up for Deadwood. The Lost Prince Miranda Richardson is up for BBC drama The Lost Prince, Patrick Stewart for The Lion in the Winter and Emily Watson for the Life and Death of Peter Sellers. Staunton's role as the backstreet abortionist in 1950's England has already bagged her a clutch of gongs at the European Film Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics' Association and Venice Film Festival. Today she also received a New York Film Critics' Circle Award. The actress said: "The awards are a bonus. But this isn't a time in my life when my head is going to spin. I can stay level headed." Mick Jagger and ex-Eurythmics star Dave Stewart are up for best song for Alfie. Other nominees include Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman and Renee Zellweger.

The awards, which last year brought a surprise victory for comedian and writer Ricky Gervais, take place on January 16. Click here to a list of all the nominees. Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent

Question: What is the title of the 2004 film which stars Imelda Staunton as a back-street abortionist?
Answer: Vera Drake