Hotel Babylon

In this essay I will be exploring how the scene from Hotel Babylon represents ethnicity.

            The scene starts with white men in police uniforms and a white man in a suit having a conversation. The uniforms show their authority and the suit also shows a high profession. There is then a group of men entering a building in suits; which gives the thought of authority and power. They are also in the centre of the camera; which reinforces this idea. They then talk to a woman on the desk that is also dressed in a sophisticated manner. She then turns to speak to a black man who is also dressed in a suit suggesting he is on the same professional level however he is sitting down and the high angle on him suggests he is less powerful than his colleague.

            There is then some fast paced shots to show the urgency and there is talking in a different language which reinforces the focus onto immigration. There are multiple ethnicities present but they all wear uniforms showing they have menial jobs and are not as professional or important as the British people. There is also a woman of a different ethnicity, however she is wearing a suit and panicking about the other workers which helps the viewer distinguish between legal and illegal workers and suggesting the illegal workers are less worthy.

            There is a close up of the door when the foreign, professional woman is trying to unlock it. It shows that she is panicked and rushed and shows to the audience that the emotions of the people on camera are important. It then uses close ups of peoples faces in the room which reinforces this. There is then a knock at the door and the use of a high angle shows their vulnerability and weakness. There is also dark lighting used when they are the room which creates an ominous foreboding and suggests to the viewer that something bad is going to happen to them.

            The sound at the start is quite calm and collected which shows that the people of British ethnicity are able to remain professional even at crucial times. This is contrasted with the panic present in the voices of the people from different ethnicities suggesting once again that they are more emotional than professional. It can also be seen, as the people from Britain are more cold hearted. This can also be reinforced by the way the people of different ethnicities react to the woman having a diabetic attack in contrast to the way in which the men from immigration catch Abraham.

            There is a track shot used when the workers are eating their meals after Abraham was taken. It shows that they are subdivided into their ethnicities; which suggests that they are unable to successfully integrate with other communities.

            In conclusion, this scene shows people of the British ethnicity to be more professional and more able to keep calm under pressure whereas it shows people from other ethnicities are very emotional and less important.