Hotel Babylon Essay

How is Ethnicity Presented in the Hotel Babylon Extract?


The first to be introduced are to two black men. One of which is a hotel employee, the other being a guest at the hotel. There is an immediate difference in the presentation  between the two men through their dress — one man is seen in a full suit and the other in Bermuda shorts and braided hair. The black male seen in the suit is clearly proud of his position and of his job. This creates an atypical representation of the black male. A long shot establishes this, as we see him proudly walking and brushing off his suit almost with a sense of smugness. His posh, clean image is then juxtaposed by the introduction of a second black male. However, this person represents the typical stereotype of what Jamaican people are said to be like. Through the diegetic sound (dialogue) we hear that he has a traditional accent and speaks in colloquial language which also connotes his lower status, compared to the first males formal dialect. He also speaks of ‘partying’ ‘smoking the ganja’ which is something Jamaican people are typically known to do. In the scene, there are a number of over the shoulder shots which further contrasts the two men as it emphasises the difference of clothing. This also allows for both of the mens facial expressions to be viewed - showing their reactions to one another. However, the editing connotes that there is no social difference between the two men. They are both given equal screen time and are shot at an eye line match which further emphasises the director is not implying that one is better than the other.
The next characters to be introduced two Eastern European maids. As they are introduced the music turns into a fast paced ‘techno’ beat which connotes that the mades are sleazy and they are about to commit a sordid act. This ties in to the idea that the Eastern European’s are stereotyped to be in menial jobs and end up committing acts of prostitution to earn extra money. However, in this extract one of the maids goes against the typical stereotype. She becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. As this happens, the editing begins to increase in pace, with multiple close up shots being shown of the maid, where it is clear by her facial expressions that she does not want to commit to the act. The older maid, fits the stereotype. She is shown from a long shot looking very confident in her self through the way she is stood and her eagerness to begin stripping for the business man.
      The next character in the extract is an elderly Chinese business man. He is continually shot at a much lower angle than anybody else we see in the extract - connoting that he may be lower down than everyone else; something which may relate to his morals. To also emphasise this, he is not given any dialogue which also connotes that he is not as important as the other characters in the extract. He is being stereotyped due to the fact that he is paying for sex. As the scene moves on, loud, brash music is put on, which begins to build the anticipation, questioning if the business man is going to go ahead with his actions. The music runs parallel with the scene as it increases the intensity of the scene and the riskiness of the whole situation. The camera cuts back to an extreme close up of his face on a number of occasions which highly intensifies the situation and the position that the business man is in - almost degrading him even more.  
In the clip, a small cut of an oriental worker is shown. She has a very posh and formal tone to her voice, which is expected. Also in her scene, she is seen sneaking around the hotel, something which is the Asians are stereotyped of being. Her good morals and expectations are visibly clear.  A number of shot-reverse-shots are used to show her disgust and confusion towards the maid. The parallel music also emphasises her sneakiness as the high tone and fast pace creates a sense of ambiguity about her actions.
The next couple introduced are two British managers. Immediately they are shown to be of a high status, an establishing long shot draws the eye to the fact that they are both dressed in a full suit and are centralised within the frame, which highlights their importance to the scene. Their accents, much like the Oriental worker, are very posh and they speak to one another in formal English, again, connoting that they are of high status. Both of the British workers fit the typical stereotype of a British worker. However, the music is contrapuntal to the scene. The deep, low music radiates the feeling that all is not well, which contrasts the bold and confident image that the two workers display.
The last characters that are in the extract are two chefs. One British and one Eastern European. There is an immediate physical size difference between the two chefs which an establishing long shot visualises. Unlike most of the other characters in this extract, the British chef is given more screen time than the Eastern European chef, connoting that the director is saying that one is better than the other in this situation. During the scene, there is a build up to a potential fight. Yet, the continuing idea that the British chef holds a certain status above the Eastern European chef is further emphasised by the a close up of the Eastern European chef picking up a knife in order to defend himself - whereas the British chef merely stands there and does not promote any forms of physical violence. Emphasising the British stereotype.


    By Reece Garside.