Comments on: VERA DRAKE Review d: Mike Leigh http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-reviews/vera-drake-mike-leigh-imelda-staunton/ The Oscars, film awards, new releases, Los Angeles screenings, movie classics, gay movies, film festivals, box office, foreign and independent films Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:29:46 +0000 hourly 1 By: tim wilkeshttp://www.altfg.com/blog/film-reviews/vera-drake-mike-leigh-imelda-staunton/#comment-514708 tim wilkes Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:14:05 +0000 http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-reviews/vera-drake-mike-leigh-imelda-staunton/#comment-514708 The main pulls in the film come down to the political norms of the time. If you wanted an abortion and could afford to have it, you were refered to a specalist to examine your mental state. Easy outcome if you were a rape victim as such. All in all, if abortions were properly legal to all range of class. Vera wouldn't need to do what she does to help these women. As a character clearly said towards the end. 'If you can't afford them, you can't have them.' Easy and done, if you were poor, you were done for. The use of gender attitudes played strongly as well. Her sons reaction to his mothers secret life is clearly understandable, all his life he's known his mother as the good and sensible person she was. To find out she does what she does breaks everythings he knows. 'Why'd you do it mom, it little babies.' This line is split in two, one reflecting his shock, the other reflecting his gender norms. On the other hand you could put this into one and conclude it, in saying that her son simply has no clue on the pain and suffering bringing up a child is on the rubbish heap is. Before, you see him get excited by two girls in the dance hall, he doesn't know them but gets flirty anyway. We know how it goes, guy meets nice girl, few drinks, back to his or her place and there on. You know what can happen then, it's a simple scene, but one that connects the context of the story with the very painful subject of its core. Abortion, if the girl got pregnant and was minimal to her notes, well kiss your life good bye. This is never included or simply hinted, but it's an event that was a truth of the hey day that led onto trouble. Back onto what I was saying, Vera may appear the soft spoke soul that she is, but to perform abortions dangerously. Opens up her personality to reveal her fury at injustice and lack of control her own gender had over their own bodies. The talk scene in the back room when Vera is found out examines her illness on the system. ' I help them out, when they've got no one to turn to.' Examine that quote carefully, when they've got no one to turn to. What does that say. A form of femanisum maybe. It these quotes which brought about the movement, the couldn't help themselves out, your not going to do it, I will. Another quote shortly follows. 'That's what you call it.' It's true to say that vera isn't the most educated person. Thinking she's done nothing wrong by killing an unwanted life. But on the counter and obvious part of that, she's educated enough to know that class and wealth mean a great deal in the face of community politics. Again it all boils down to the femanist attitude, women were taking control of terrafying situation and getting penalised for it. Even is you did adopt it after the birth, you still had 9 months of hell and sickenss. The main pulls in the film come down to the political norms of the time. If you wanted an abortion and could afford to have it, you were refered to a specalist to examine your mental state. Easy outcome if you were a rape victim as such. All in all, if abortions were properly legal to all range of class. Vera wouldn't need to do what she does to help these women. As a character clearly said towards the end.
'If you can't afford them, you can't have them.'
Easy and done, if you were poor, you were done for. The use of gender attitudes played strongly as well. Her sons reaction to his mothers secret life is clearly understandable, all his life he's known his mother as the good and sensible person she was. To find out she does what she does breaks everythings he knows.
'Why'd you do it mom, it little babies.'
This line is split in two, one reflecting his shock, the other reflecting his gender norms. On the other hand you could put this into one and conclude it, in saying that her son simply has no clue on the pain and suffering bringing up a child is on the rubbish heap is. Before, you see him get excited by two girls in the dance hall, he doesn't know them but gets flirty anyway. We know how it goes, guy meets nice girl, few drinks, back to his or her place and there on. You know what can happen then, it's a simple scene, but one that connects the context of the story with the very painful subject of its core. Abortion, if the girl got pregnant and was minimal to her notes, well kiss your life good bye. This is never included or simply hinted, but it's an event that was a truth of the hey day that led onto trouble.

Back onto what I was saying, Vera may appear the soft spoke soul that she is, but to perform abortions dangerously. Opens up her personality to reveal her fury at injustice and lack of control her own gender had over their own bodies. The talk scene in the back room when Vera is found out examines her illness on the system.
' I help them out, when they've got no one to turn to.'
Examine that quote carefully, when they've got no one to turn to. What does that say. A form of femanisum maybe. It these quotes which brought about the movement, the couldn't help themselves out, your not going to do it, I will. Another quote shortly follows.
'That's what you call it.'
It's true to say that vera isn't the most educated person. Thinking she's done nothing wrong by killing an unwanted life. But on the counter and obvious part of that, she's educated enough to know that class and wealth mean a great deal in the face of community politics. Again it all boils down to the femanist attitude, women were taking control of terrafying situation and getting penalised for it. Even is you did adopt it after the birth, you still had 9 months of hell and sickenss.

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