7/30/2019 Hotel Babylon Assessment

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Hotel Babylon Assessment

In this clip from the BBC drama, Hotel Babylon, we see different representations of ethnicity, which

can relate to Claude Levi Strauss theory of binary opposites. These representations are shown

through two different parties; the police, who are all middle-aged, British men, and the immigrant

workers, who are a mix of different ethnicities. These representations can be seen as regressive, andlive up to the cultural hegemony of how society thinks of immigrants.

We see that the policemen are wearing dark, formal clothing. This choice of clothing helps

portray the officers stern and uncompromising personalities, which live up to societys opinion of

how the British look at immigrants. We also only ever see the officers in settings where there is a

clear entrance or exit, such as the front of the corridor and the hotels back entrance. This has been

done to express the immigrant workers sense of entrapment, as all the escape routes are blocked.

Low angle shots are used to show the police officers, in particular the head detective. This

has been done to show them as powerful, fearful figures. Close up shots of the police officers are

also used, which help show their uncompromising expressions and smug smiles. We also see an

over-the-shoulder shot of the two policemen at the start of the clip, which have been used to furthershow the workers sense of entrapment.

We hear soft music at the start of the reception scene, which creates a sense of equilibrium.

The soft music, however, starts to pick up as soon as the detectives enter the reception, before

reaching a climax when the detectives enter in dialogue with the receptionist. The dialogue used by

the detectives in this scene, and all over subsequent scenes, are very formal, stern, and to the point.

An example of this can be found in the last scene, where the lead detective says, We caught him,

rules of the game. This stern proclamation is an example of the stern personalities of the

detectives.

We see that high-key lighting is used in many of the scenes featuring the policemen. This

creates a sense of realism in the scenes, and helps highlight the harsh realities in this scene. Shot,

reverse shots are used in the scene involving the detectives and Ibrahim, the immigrant worker.These are used to show the change of expression in the faces of the two parties as they realise what

is happening. The lead detective is shown to have more screen time than all of the other officers.

This highlights him as a key player in the scene, who can decide the fate of the immigrant workers.

We see that the immigrant workers are shown in a completely different light to the police officers.

The immigrants are wearing bright coloured uniforms. These make them stand out, and show the

audience that they are different to the other workers. The immigrant workers are hid in the small

closet. This objectifies them, making them look like the property of the hotel who can be put away at

their wish. We also see in the canteen scene that the immigrant workers are sat in tables, split up in

different ethnicities. This is a regressive representation of immigrants as it shows the workers to be

unwilling to mix with people of other ethnicities and cultures.High angle shots are used in the closet scene. These are used to show the immigrants as

defenceless and in danger. Eye level shots of the immigrants are used to create an emotional

connection with the audience. Close ups are also used in the closet scene. This is done to show the

emotions of the immigrants.

The music used in the scene where Jackie gathers the immigrants is very fast paced. This is

done to represent the frantic attitude of the immigrant workers as they are running away. The music

tends to slow down as they hide in the closet, but picks up at the end of the scene when they realise

that Ibrahim is still missing. The music is cut off in the final scene, where Ibrahim is being arrested by

the police. This creates a sense of realism to the scene and helps the emotions shown by the

immigrant workers to shine through. The scene ends with orchestral music, which helps to create a

sombre mood as Ibrahims co-workers reflect on the loss.