The movie does not show what happened to Lily, the character that helped set up the girls with Vera. I don't know about the laws of the time, but I imagine that Lily having profited from Vera's illegal activities, would also be implicated and stand accussed of some crime.
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I wouldn't call Lily stuck-up. She was unkind and judgemental and always looking for a profit, but not necessarily stuck-up.
shareWhen the police came to Lilly's home they found loose tea on her dining table. I didn't understand the significance of this or why she would sell Vera tea almost as if it were an illegal drug.
shareIn England food and luxury goods were rationed after the war, so the tea you see on Lily's table is probably black market stuff.
shareExactly...that's why they always showed her hustling sugar and whatnot. The cops caught her with measured out bags of tea- ready for distribution- and knew she probably had a little illegal business going in addition to procuring abortion appointments. I felt so horrible for Vera when she said that she had known her since they were kids- her longtime friend was a nasty user and Vera was so sweet all those years that she never noticed or never cared to notice.
shareYes your absolutely right she did profit and got no punishment which is unfair to vera,she also kept the money for herself and gave vera,sugar and such for herself.
shareIt seems though that she didn't get off scott-free, it's just that we don't see what her punishment is as the film focuses on Vera. I thought the cops seemed quite intrigued by her black market consumer goods racket.
sharelily ...lol. she was a great buisnesswoman (plain and simple) but sad that she was a criminal
shareI thought it was more sad that she screwed over her long time friend, Vera, than the fact that she was a criminal. I think she was only a criminal because that was the only way for her to make an adequate living for herself as a middle aged single woman in post-war England. But to screw her friend like that- someone she's known since childhood- that was unconscionable.
shareYes, it was horrible that Lily screwed Vera over. I would guess that Lily probably received no punishment at all -- maybe the cops made a deal with her, something like you tell us where we can find Vera Drake and we'll forget about your black-market business. Vera, in their eyes, was the real criminal.
shareThis is not exactly on topic - but I wonder if Lily was one of Vera's "girls" back when they were young?
We know that Vera had an abortion based on her response to questions after her arrest. I can imagine a scenario where sometime shortly after Vera's abortion, Lily came to Vera to confide her own "problem". Vera remembers what was done to her and helps Lily out. And Lily has been referring girls to Vera ever since.
Vera thinks that they are just doing a good deed for girls like was done for them. Lily's motives are purely mercenary.
As for what happened to Lily - I imagine she didn't give up Vera's address for free. It's not her way. She probably made some kind of deal for her info.
I had wondered if Lily was paying Vera back in a way by giving her "deals" on the sugar, tea, etc., or if she also used her to make a profit on those items as well.
shareI'm sorry but what is this about the police finding tea on Lilys table? That scene has never been in any version I've seen.
Was that a scene included in the British cinematic versions and excluded when it was shown in the rest of Europe? Because that scene was not there when I saw it on the cinema, neither is it on my DVD-version.
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- Who's the lady with the log?
- We call her the Log Lady.
Lily should also have been arrested for procuring abortions for money (even though she wasn't performing them) and also her black market activities. She was a thoroughly nasty and mercenary woman.
I am actually watching the film at the moment on British TV and the scene with the tea and other rationed items that Lily was dealing was shown. I can't think why it would be cut.
It is a brilliant film and Imelda Staunton was astonishing - and she had great supporting actors too.
I am assuming Lily got into some trouble. I am almost sure. The police did not take lightly people involved in the black market. But the movie is called Vera Drake so we have to make assumptions about the the side characters.
shareThe police come to Lily's door and she lets them in. Something on her kitchen table is covered with a towel. The policeman removes the towel to reveal bowls of loose tea, sugar, and little packets wrapped in brown paper. Lily says it is Christmas gifts for the old people, and the cop remarks "Got yourself a nice little business here." The camera then moves to a well-stocked cupboard. I would imagine all the tea, sugar, etc. was bought on the black market and Lily resells it.
shareDon't forget she still made Vera pay for the "sweets" - which cost tuppence, and also sold her the sugar although no amount was stated on that. She was using the girls AND Vera to make her illicit money - scary!
Being happy is like peeing yourself, everyone sees it - but only you feel the warmth!
whilst abortion was illegal abortionists could only be charged with 'offense against the person'...there was no charge in law for the procurers lily could only be charged for black market dealing...rationing was still in place on many items...
shareI honestly think that not showing us what has happened to Lily is a huge minus with the film.
The director was quite balanced throughout the whole movie: He always presented the abortion issue from two points of view (there are women who get pregnant and for many different reasons cannot keep the baby, and others who would love to become mothers but for many different reasons cannot). We see Vera's behaviour at home and at work. We see the situation of working class and upper class people. We have the female pole as opposite to the male pole (rape scene, communication breakdown, alienation, tension between Vera and her son), but also male and female characters loving or at least respecting each other (Vera and her husband, Ethel and her fiancé). There is even an understanding good cop and a bad cop. Finally, we have a main character wanting to help desperate people and her oldest friend taking advantage of them all.
Without Lily, no Vera's downfall. Why not show us what happened to Lily, then? I would have been satisfied with a few lines on screen before the closing credits.
- Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues -