Critical Approaches - Critical Analysis of Downton Abbey

Discuss the ways in which the extract constructs the representation of class and status

The clip, from ITV's Downton Abbey, is a period drama set in the early 1900s, this episode starts in 1912 after the tragic incident of the Titanic sinking. The storyline of the show is linear, it progresses with history highlighting how major events affected the family and running of the house. The  start of episode focuses and follows a telegram being received and then delivered to the Grantham Estate, it also shows a new valet coming to the house and his journey by train, this shows that the upper class get everything brought to them. 

The genre is period drama and the clip seems to fit the genre very appropriately; the costumes are very accurate with the lower class staff wearing black and white, these colours were used because they were cheap fabrics and not fancy, the black hid any dirt and white aprons could be replaced easily when dirty to be washed. The colours helped them blend in and not stand out or draw attention to themselves. The upper class wore elegant clothing of colours to show their status, Lord Grantham wore a suit which commands respect and shows he is the highest in the house. 

An obvious difference that shows the representation of classes is the word choice and dialect of the characters, the lower class working characters have a common accent that is not received pronunciation which is what the upper class family have, this suggests that the staff are less educated; from my own knowledge I know that in this time period lower class will have gone to school until age 11 therefore are limited in the opportunities and educated they have. Daisy, the youngest staff member, proved her lack of education by saying "I dare'n't". 

Not only is there the difference of upper and lower class but there is also a hierarchy amongst the lower class; Daisy is the youngest and therefore at the bottom, she is expected to respect everyone higher - this is clear as when she is accepting her orders from the chef she responds "yes Mrs Pattmore" very time, she knows her place is below everyone and accepts the duties given to her. Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson are at the top of the hierarchy both being in charge of the staff, Mrs Hughes in charge of the housemaids and Mr Carson in charge of the footmen and valet, they are treated with respect from the staff with camera angles supporting this as a shot was looking up at Carson as another staff member ironed newspapers, thereby proving that Carson is of a higher status whilst still being of the same class. 

The camera movement is very obvious in showing the representation of class and status; the clip features long tracking shots starting with Daisy, the scullery maid, as she conducts her work in the kitchen and then into the main house; the camera tracks her as she scurries around the house completely her duties. She moves very quickly as she knows her role and position is to not be seen or heard and to work as quickly as possible. The camera movement continues to be tracking and fast as it focusses on different staff conducting their duties however when it cuts to Lady Mary looking out the window, everything slows down and becomes more peaceful and tranquil, this is the same for when Lord Grantham is walking down the stairs. The quick paced camera movement and tracking shots represent the fast paced working lives of the staff, knowing they  have lots to do and always on the go whereas the upper class have a much more relaxed life with fewer responsibilities. 

The tracking shots also allowed for a tour of the house showing the heavily decorated rooms which suggests that the family take pride in the appearance of their house hence the many lower class staff they have working for them. It shows they are a wealthy upperclass family who have had money for generations, as the huge paintings in the rooms suggests to be those from an older time period than 1912, it is also set in a time where a family member would inherit the estate and the contents of the house therefore paintings and decorations would be kept and passed on through years. 

The camera angles are used very cleverly in the house, when the scenes are downstairs they are narrow showing how cramped the area is, this is the opposite when upstairs in the house where angles are wide and show the large rooms and space. 

The lighting in the start of the clip is grey and dark as it focusses on the working class waking up and starting their day preparing the house for the upper class. The clip starts off in the working class quarters and downstairs, the lighting choice reflects their life and that they are living a less than happy, fulfilling and bright life and that they do not have a future ahead of them that consists of moving on to something better and brighter. As the clip progresses the lighting and colours get brighter as the staff enter the main house and start preparing it for the day but lighting fires and opening curtains, by the time Lord Grantham is coming down for breakfast it is very light and bright reflecting on how his life has more prosperity, optimism and opportunity. 

The use of sound in this text is very important in showing the difference in class, the use of non diegetic classical music supports the upper class as it is seen as pretentious. When the camera is focussed on the lower class the classical music is louder and competes with the diegetic sound of clattering and people working whereas the juxtaposition of when it is focussed on the upper class the music reduces in volume to support the peace and tranquility.