Downtown Abbey – Textual Analysis
The clip shown from Downtown Abbey is a representation of class and authority. This is most prominently seen through the dialogue taking place in the dining room where it is mentioned that high class ladies aboard the Titanic were saved to which the rich man says, ‘God help the poor’. This interaction conveys the lack of importance and invisibility that poor people hold in society even in situations of life and death. It is obvious that the lives of upper class are of more value whereas working class can be written off as collateral damage.
During the same shot, regarding the mise en scene, we see a magnificent painting of an elegantly suited man riding a horse which connotes power and aspects of privilege that upper class have. It also suggests the kind of money that they have to own luxurious items that only they can afford just to decorate their home.
Class difference between the bourgeoisie and proletariat can also be seen through binary opposition of the crowded breakfast table of the servants and the much more spacious and grand dining room of the rich. The higher class have much more space available to them while the servants are crammed. This conveys how the poor have to adjust to their surroundings while the rich live in comfort.
The diegetic sound of the bells ringing in the dining room of the servants lays out a sense of urgency for them to attend to their daily chores and chaos of people rushing out. Very fast cuts and lack of focus on the servants’ faces exaggerates the tension. This shows the working class as hardworking almost to the point of being afraid of the consequences of neglecting their duty. The upper class in comparison are shown to be privileged as they are allowed to wake on their own accord and served breakfast in bed. The tracking shot of one of the rich men walking patiently and slowly down a red carpeted stairway with a non-diegetic melancholic soundtrack playing, connotes power and a relaxed lifestyle of the rich as compared to the poor.
Unsaturated, monochromatic color scheme is used for the scenes where working class are shown as compared to the bright, red and gold and warm lighting, colors often associated with richness, suggest difference in importance and power. The costumes of the poor being lackluster, simple, grey gowns and the rich’s being expensive suits and vibrant clothing, make the poor appear as invisible and unnoticeable.
Neo Marxists believe that representations of social class in media tend to celebrate hierarchy and wealth and over focuses on consumer items. An example of this would be establishing shot, which shows a grand manor highlighting the wealth of the owners. The scene cuts to one of the rich woman looking down at news boy from a high angle, showcasing the rich as in command of the poor. There is a presence of hierarchy even between the lower class as we see the Butler sitting at the top of the table and also the young news boy being dismissed by a young working-class man. This suggests media portrayal of ‘unreasonable’ workers as making trouble for ‘reasonable’ employers.
During the same shot, regarding the mise en scene, we see a magnificent painting of an elegantly suited man riding a horse which connotes power and aspects of privilege that upper class have. It also suggests the kind of money that they have to own luxurious items that only they can afford just to decorate their home.
Class difference between the bourgeoisie and proletariat can also be seen through binary opposition of the crowded breakfast table of the servants and the much more spacious and grand dining room of the rich. The higher class have much more space available to them while the servants are crammed. This conveys how the poor have to adjust to their surroundings while the rich live in comfort.
The diegetic sound of the bells ringing in the dining room of the servants lays out a sense of urgency for them to attend to their daily chores and chaos of people rushing out. Very fast cuts and lack of focus on the servants’ faces exaggerates the tension. This shows the working class as hardworking almost to the point of being afraid of the consequences of neglecting their duty. The upper class in comparison are shown to be privileged as they are allowed to wake on their own accord and served breakfast in bed. The tracking shot of one of the rich men walking patiently and slowly down a red carpeted stairway with a non-diegetic melancholic soundtrack playing, connotes power and a relaxed lifestyle of the rich as compared to the poor.
Unsaturated, monochromatic color scheme is used for the scenes where working class are shown as compared to the bright, red and gold and warm lighting, colors often associated with richness, suggest difference in importance and power. The costumes of the poor being lackluster, simple, grey gowns and the rich’s being expensive suits and vibrant clothing, make the poor appear as invisible and unnoticeable.
Neo Marxists believe that representations of social class in media tend to celebrate hierarchy and wealth and over focuses on consumer items. An example of this would be establishing shot, which shows a grand manor highlighting the wealth of the owners. The scene cuts to one of the rich woman looking down at news boy from a high angle, showcasing the rich as in command of the poor. There is a presence of hierarchy even between the lower class as we see the Butler sitting at the top of the table and also the young news boy being dismissed by a young working-class man. This suggests media portrayal of ‘unreasonable’ workers as making trouble for ‘reasonable’ employers.
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