Detailed Analysis of Downton Abbey
In the opening/title sequence of Downton Abbey there are short clips which show the apparatus you would expect to find in an upper class house around the 1910’s- and this particular episode I am analysing in this essay is set in May, 1914 at the time which the show is set; the apparatus shown are things such as servants bells, expensive cutlery being laid on the table, a chandelier being cleaned which all represent that the setting is a very upper class house with a rich family but also shows the lower class servants working there; it perhaps relates to the significance of what the servants do compared with what the upper class family do and how they would be considered at the time. The camera moves slowly across each scene, going from left to right and then back and it is very subtle and smooth which could perhaps be done to suggest to the viewer that at least on the surface the house is kept running smoothly.
The first scene is set in Lady Mary’s bedroom where you see some servants cleaning and making the bed, the room is decorated ornately and the bed looks large and solid as though it is made out of an expensive type of wood. The wallpaper is also red and very decorative, red being a colour which symbolises power and wealth and this setting contrasts with the sight of the servants who are dressed plainly and simply in their uniforms and look out of place in their room- this shows the difference in class because it’s clear that the servants don’t belong somewhere as extravagant in Lady Mary’s bedroom. The camera shots used are generally medium close ups and show the servants when they are talking from their head to around their waist so this scene is relaxed in atmosphere as the servants are alone with no one above them watching over so they can converse and behave in an easy manner rather than working uncomfortably in silence.
There is then an establishing long shot of the house to show where the next scene is located, it is taken from a low angle and shows the size and power of the house which clearly represents the wealth and the power of the family living there. There is a lot of greenery around the house which suggests an urban setting, the family don’t live right in a city so clearly they are there at their leisure and there is not a great amount to be done work wise particularly for the women who wouldn’t have been considered for many job roles at the time- as they living somewhere rural and not in a large and massively high populated area it would also suggest that they are one of the wealthier and more important families where they are living.
From the establishing shot of the house it goes to a scene in the dining room, where the Lord of the manor is sat with three younger women- presumably all of them are his daughters. A shot from the end of the dining table shows that he is sat alone at the head of the table whereas any of the girls or the woman sit at another edge of the table to side of him rather than beside him which shows how women at the time were not considered equal to the men. At the start of this scene the father is talking about a letter or some news he has received and when his daughter Lady Mary asks if he has heard anything interesting to which he replies “nothing to worry you with” which is a clear representation of how women were viewed at the time when the show is set, as if he can’t tell her what was in the letter because her mind can’t cope with it- and it also a secretive nature for him to use around his own daughters which shows how women would often be left in the dark to what was going on around them. Later in the conversation Lady Mary makes a comment something along the lines of how she can’t think of anything better than to live alone in a house with lots of money and her father says “there will come a time when people think you mean what you say” to which she says “can’t come soon enough for me” which is another representation of women at the time and how they were fighting for their voices to be heard in the suffragette movement and have equal respect that men had, i.e. fighting for the right to vote in elections which was what the suffragette movement was all about. The father then passes a letter that is for his other daughter, Lady Sybil and the camera shot is close up on the letter and follows it as it is passed from hand to hand until it reaches Sybil, but then there is no more sign of the letter as the scene finishes. This shows the significance of the letter and lets the viewer know that it is relevant to something that will happen later on. The Lord of the manor then leaves the room and there is a shot from the end of the dining room table showing the room and everyone in it, as mentioned before he is at the head of the table while the women are sat to the side of him rather than beside him as equals, you also see the wall full of pictures in heavy gilt frames behind them including a very large and imposing painting which clearly represents the power and wealth of the Lord of the manor as head of the household. Around the room but stood at a respectable distance there are some servants stood in their uniforms, they are stood straight and not looking at the family or with any expression on their face which shows how the classes kept their distance at the time from those who were deemed above them- however the fact that servants are often present during interactions such as these which could be quite personal as there are sometimes arguments and personal information shared shows how little influence the lower classes were seen as having as they could be privy to quite confidential information about the family however the family seems to take no notice that anyone else is even there.
Then the camera is following Lady Sybil walking down a corridor of her house, with a close up of the letter in her hands which lets the viewer know that the next scene is going to be centred around what is written in the letter, this then cuts to a scene in one of the bedrooms where Lady Sybil has given one of the servants the letter to read it for herself. At first the camera is only showing them from top to their knees but as the conversation gets more exciting and more personal, it becomes a medium shot where we can see the two women from head to waist- the fact that the viewer seems closer to them now makes the conversation seem more personal. This seems to be the only open relationship between one of the servants and a member of the family that there is, it seems to be more of a friendship than the relationship between an employee and employer- this would have definitely been breaking the conventions at the time and the relationship although innocent would have had to be kept secret so that the servant wouldn’t be at risk of losing her job. What the letter and conversation the two women are having entails was also breaking conventions at the time as it relates to the suffragette movement which was going on- women fighting for equal respect and the right to vote. Clearly the struggle for working class and upper class women is being represented here as they both strongly believe in the cause, this scene breaks down the barrier between the two classes a little by showing them interacting comfortably with each other and treating each other as equals rather than as if the wealth the upper class possess entitles them to more respect.
After this scene ends there is an establishing shot of another building in the countryside which is still quite big and well maintained, clearly belonging to another wealthy person, but is clearly separate from the previous location and not quite as expensive or important looking- this establishing shot shows the viewer noticeably that there has been a change in location. The first thing we see in this scene is a close up of some keys being put back into a box, the close up of this action shows the significance of it- and then a servant holding a bottle of wine behind his back whilst talking to one of the other servants of this household- the implication here is that the servant holding the wine has been helping himself to the belongings of his employer and shows that some of the servants don’t have quite a respectful disposition towards the upper classes and not quite as strong a work ethic or good attitude when it comes to serving them. When a conversation is taking place in this scene between one of the ladies and one of the servants who is asking permission to take some leave so that he might help his father with the flower show (which also becomes increasingly significant in only the first few scenes) there are medium close ups on the person who is talking, there is no subtle change in focus but generally only shows the face of the person who is speaking which perhaps shows the separation of the two classes.
There is then another establishing showing then another change in location, this time we see some servants bells which tells the viewer that they are now watching the servants interactions in their quarters below the other rooms of the house. The decoration of the servants quarters is far more plain and dull than that of where the family of the house live, the walls are quite dark and dull, the furniture is wooden but paler and looks cheaper, there are also some small pictures on the walls in thin frames which are all clearly far cheaper than the ones upstairs. It shows the clear gap in the wealth of the servants and the family that they are working for. Even when it is just the servants in the quarters they refer to the family by “Lady Mary” etc. which shows the level of respect most of them have for their employers, however there is pone servant who looks as if he has a worse attitude than the rest as he is sat smoking and reading the newspaper.
-Sorry this isn't quite finished.
