Abortion film sweeps British film awards

[Moloch]

LONDON (Reuters) - Mike Leigh's moving portrayal of a back-street abortionist in 1950s London has swept the British Independent Film Awards, taking six awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

"Vera Drake" also snared the Best Actress award for Imelda Staunton and Best Actor for Phil Davis.

The film, which deals with a working class abortionist whose views are at odds with the society around her, found similar success at the Venice Film Festival, where it took the Golden Lion for Best Film and Best Actress for Staunton.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/041201/325/f7o1k.html

[chookie]

1. Have you seen it?

Someone on DU recommended this film to me a week ago -- I thought it was just the topic; she did not say that it was such an extraordinary film in itself as well. Grim subject, but seeing this I may seek to see it....

It's troubling -- stuff like this was FAR more common than anyone imagines these days. Every generation of women seem to have had their ways to end their pregnancies. Some had access to private doctors in private hospitals -- some pretty famous people. Mostly, it was dangerous and awful -- resorting to butchery. Poor people can get pretty desperate....

"Culture of Life" -- my eye! They are a culture of judgement and exclusion; who wants to bring an innocent life into THEIR horrific world? They DON'T respect life; they don't respect HUMANS -- all they want are people just like themselves. If fetuses could express political opinions, they wouldn't care if they were killed either....

[fernsibal]

2. Mike Leigh is brilliant.

I just saw "Career Girls" on IFC. It was an incredible movie. Apparently Leigh has this method of filming a movie where he has the actors interact for hours, weeks, months at a time as their character,and at some point just starts filming. I think he, Robert Altman, and Eric Rohmer are my favorite directors.

My mother had an illegal abortion, and the man molested her. I have read similar testimonials from women who had illegal abortions in the 50's and 60's. Making abortion illegal is declaring war on women. But these are the same people who live by a 2000 year old book advocating stoning a woman to death if she has sex out of wedlock, or a boy if he is willful or disobedient.

I really want to see his new movie.