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Vera Drake (2004)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
22 October 2004 (Canada) moreTagline:
Wife. Mother. Criminal.Plot:
Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain--a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 28 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(66 articles)
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User Comments:
a gem of a movie more (150 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Imelda Staunton | ... | Vera | |
| Richard Graham | ... | George | |
| Eddie Marsan | ... | Reg | |
| Anna Keaveney | ... | Nellie | |
| Alex Kelly | ... | Ethel | |
| Daniel Mays | ... | Sid | |
| Philip Davis | ... | Stan (as Phil Davis) | |
| Lesley Manville | ... | Mrs. Wells | |
| Sally Hawkins | ... | Susan | |
| Simon Chandler | ... | Mr. Wells | |
| Sam Troughton | ... | David | |
| Marion Bailey | ... | Mrs. Fowler | |
| Sandra Voe | ... | Vera's Mother | |
| Chris O'Dowd | ... | Sid's Customer | |
| Adrian Scarborough | ... | Frank |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Untitled Mike Leigh Project (UK) (working title)Vera Drake (France)
El secreto de Vera Drake (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Dve tváre Very Drake (Slovakia) [sk]
Hemsire (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Il segreto di Vera Drake (Italy) [it]
O Segredo de Vera Drake (Brazil) [pt]
Vera Drake (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Vera Drake (Poland) [pl]
Vera Drake - Zena dvou tvárí (Czech Republic) [cs]
Vera Drakes hemmelighed (Denmark) [da]
more
MPAA:
Rated R for depiction of strong thematic material.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
125 minLanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (original rating) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Czech Republic:15 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Germany:12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Submitted for the 2004 Cannes Film Festival but was denied. moreGoofs:
Anachronisms: Vera's sister-in-law Joyce says she wants a washing machine which costs "twenty five pounds". Until decimalization in 1971, most luxury goods (such as washing machines and men's suits) were priced in guineas not pounds. Interestingly, in the film the cost of the abortion is expressed as two guineas. (One guinea = one pound one shilling, equivalent to one pound five pence in decimal.) This was true for some outlets, particularly those wishing to appeal to the middle class or those aspiring to a degree of 'poshness'. Throughout the 1960s most domestic items were priced in £.s.d or Pounds, shillings and pence. Services and professions continued to charge in guineas as an affectation until much later. moreQuotes:
Vera: I know why you're here.Det. Inspector Webster: I beg your pardon?
Vera: I know why you're here.
[pause]
Det. Inspector Webster: Why are we here?
Vera: Because of what I do.
Det. Inspector Webster: Because of what you do?
Vera: Yes.
Det. Inspector Webster: What is it that you do, Mrs Drake?
[long pause]
[...]
more
Soundtrack:
Salut D'Amour (Liebesgruss), Op.12 moreFAQ
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Imelda Staunton is superb and is my bet for the Oscar unless some Hollywood Diva does another "out of character" performance. But she only shines because of the company she keeps.This is ensemble acting at it's finest. No melodramatics, no attempt to steal scenes,and the result is as honest as life itself. This is the way the British talked, almost always indirectly, hedging around issues rather than hitting them head on, and a slave to mannered behavior. Understate, understate, understate.
Having lived in England from 1952 to 1959, and having married someone who was British who grew up during the war and it's aftermath this movie was like "a bit of old home." My mother employed "char ladies" like Vera, although we were "upper middle class" rather than "upper." The class differences were quite distinct in those days, and often determined by accent. What this movie shows is not only the average life of a "lower class" family but the options forced on them that were different from those in the higher brackets of society.
As anyone should know by know the movie is about illegal abortion in a rigid
puritanical society. Illegal, that is, for those without means, but quite available to those who could grease the wheels of the medical establishment who had "legal" ways around the law. In other words if Roe v. Wade goes then Vera's will pop up again.
There is no attempt to make a statement for or against abortion. As Mike Leigh has said: abortion has been in every society for thousands of years. The Vera Drake's who have lived could populate a small city. What this movie does do is emphasize that the Vera's were/are common average people not quasi criminals lurking behind the curtains of some seedy back alley shack, and that legislating morality never addresses the often harsh reality of human society.