Vera Drake DVD > Reviews > Vera Drake - The Woman with two Lives

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Excellent story, well written and superbly acted
Disadvantages:	Lack of extra features

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I was browsing in Music Zone when I saw this DVD available for £5.99. Never one to miss a bargain, I decided I'd give it a go. I'd read the back of the box and the story sounded interesting, so I went home and put it on. What followed was an emotional rollercoaster of 2 hours viewing. This film is absolutely fantastic and, in my opinion, one the best British films ever to be produced. The film is available from amazon.co.uk for £6.99 now.

Vera Drake (played magnificently by Imelda Staunton) is a cleaner in England in the 1950s. She is a devoted Mother to her now grownup children who still live with her, and offers her time selflessly to help the needy. Her husband, Stan (played by Phil Davis, who does a magnificent job) is a mechanic. Her son, Sid, (Daniel Mays) is a tailor and daughter, Ethel (Alex Kelly) works in a light bulb factory. These low paying jobs mean that, like so many other families living in London in the 50s, they struggled financially. Between cleaning for the rich, looking after her ill Mother and taking care of her family, Vera also helps young women. Namely, those who have fallen pregnant unintentionally. She 'induces miscarriages' swiftly, discreetly and professionally, working efficiently and leaving the patents in as little pain as possible. She does this by injecting a syringe of a toxin into the uterus. More importantly, she refuses to accept money for this service, which she provides to unmarried women who cannot have a child for the shame, married woman who cannot cope with more children and those who simply cannot afford to raise a child. But after one of the 'induced miscarriages,' the patient needs professional help and has to go to hospital. The doctors soon realise what has happened to the young girl and inform the police, who trace the actions back to Vera Drake, turning her world upside down.

This is such a powerful story and it is no surprise that director, Mike Leigh, was nominated for the Oscar for Best Director. What is a surprise, however, is that he did not win it! Same goes for Staunton who was nominated for best Actress. She gives such an amazing performance.

Abortion is a controversial today as it was criminal in 1950 and so this film is bound to set emotions and voices going. Whatever your stance on abortion, the film (which was also written by Mike Leigh) is written in such a way and Vera is acted in such a powerful way, that you will sympathise with Vera whatever your views. The film itself takes a very sympathetic view to abortion and shows just how dramatic the effects of abortion being categorically criminal were. Although this story is entirely fictional, the theme on which it is based is completely real. It is estimated that one in every 14 young women in London alone had a 'backstreet abortion' during the 17 years from 1950 until abortion was legalised. Some of the men and women performing such abortions were also unsavoury characters and it was not completely uncommon for women to die as a result of the procedure.

In a review such as this, it is difficult to convey the level of emotion stirred up by both excellent writing and wonderful acting.

What was disappointing, however, was the lack of extras on the DVD, though I cannot complain at this given the price. I just feel that with a film of this nature there were so many possibilities to explore the themes and perhaps even educate using extra features. This topic is still taboo today and perhaps a short documentary about the issues raised would have been suitable.

However, the extras that are included are;

• Trailer. The advertising trailer used to promote the film. It is worth mentioning though that it can give certain parts of the film away so I would advise not watching it until after you have watched the film.

• Cast and Crew documentary. This documentary is 11 minutes and 22 seconds in length, so more of a featurette than a feature. This is quite interesting, however and features Mike Leigh talking about how he approached such a difficult topic. It also features some of the cast, including Staunton, talking about how they took on their roles.

In terms of the technical side, this film is 125 minutes in length and is certificate 12. I think this 12 certificate is perfectly appropriate given the nature of the content. I don't feel we should be hiding the topic from children at all, but I think this film is a little too complex and perhaps too disturbing for children younger than 12.

The audio on this region 2 DVD is Dolby Digital 5.1 and the picture is widescreen 1:85.1 anamorphic. I really don't know what that means to be honest, but both the picture and sound quality was excellent. This film transferred very well onto DVD.

The only language available is English and the only subtitles are English for the hearing impaired.

All in all, I really rate this DVD. It isn't one to purchase if you like to collect DVDs for their extra features. If that's the case you'd be better renting it. But the story alone makes it worth the £5.99 price I paid for it. Staunton is amazing throughout and really made the film for me. It is arguably the best performance I have seen in a British film since "Trainspotting." The story is a 10/10 for me, the acting is an 11!