How is social class represented in Shallow Grave?

Boyle uses different techniques to present the social classes of Shallow Grave. Boyle uses mise-en-scene to demonstrate the social classes of the three main protagonists Alex, David and Juliet. The flat that they live in is spacious and is kept in good condition. This shows that though they are young, they are also professionals.  They are all dressed appropriately to their jobs too. David is portrayed in this instance stereotypically as a “boring chartered accountant”. Alex is dressed to suit his profession as a journalist. This also seems indicative of his nature, as through the film he is far more curious than David who until the final stage of the film tries to be far more cautious than Alex. Juliet is a doctor, which shows the audience that she’s an intelligent character. Boyle is showing the audience that the mise-en-scene in the film shows that the characters are middle classed professionals, There flat being tidy contrasts with the view of what a typical shared flat would look like. We see Alexs' office and as the camera pans we see his associates dressed in suits emphasizing this lifestyle that they live. Yet, there is a contrast between the ‘normal’ lives they lead and the life where they conceal a dead body in a room of their flat. When David says, “You think I’m boring”, we see an irony with this because of what he has had to do in previous scenes. As David walks into the flat we see Juliet sipping red wine. This is also indicative of their social class as she is drinking a luxury product in the evening. The money found in Hugo’s room appears to have affected their social class.

 

The editing that is used to portray the character’s social class contrasts the two lives that they are living in the scene.  The scene is edited as a montage. This separates the dead body from their lives and shows how the knowledge of the body is affecting their respective jobs. The montage that Boyle uses also serves as a constant reminder that the three have a dead body in their home. The editing is also used to link together the professional lifestyles of the three to the body at home. When the shot cuts to Juliet’s colleague asking “What happened to that guy?” It brings back that secret activity going on behind her profession.  There isn’t a great use fast cut editing, but this shows how calm both Juliet and Alex in mixing their professional lifestyle with the idea of committing serious crime.

 

There is also a large use of Cinematography to create much of the focus on the character’s social class and how well they can combine the lifestyle of their profession with the secret that they now have with each other.  Boyle uses a close up on Alex when he is talking to someone with a story, this shows that he thinks his social standing is still high and through this close up we can see that he doesn’t find it hard to focus on his profession.  “You see that’s a pity, no pets no human angle”, the camera pans to the right whilst Alex speaks to show that his mind is on other things. Whilst in this shot he demonstrates that he is fairly high up in class as he decides to hang up on the client. The shot of David climbing the stairs is an extreme-high angle view of him. This shows the audience how difficult he is finding the secret and how detached he feels from his profession too, it is giving the impression that he is vulnerable. The shot composition shows Juliet with the wine glass showing that she is perhaps more well off than someone like Alex, who is seen with a cigarette. This shows Alex perhaps to the audience as someone with a more working class background, explaining why he wants the money.

 

The soundtrack used is up-tempo, representing a class of people that are living life happily. Whilst filming in the house the non-diegetic sound is the only thing we can hear, this is ironic because the stereotypical thriller would have a minor soundtrack for a shot like this, but Boyle uses a major soundtrack to show the audience how the three friend’s social class has heightened because of the money found. Yet. When it shifts to the perspectives of Juliet and Alex then we can hear the diegetic sounds of their colleagues in the background, showing a busy working environment. The music is playful and represents three people that are currently thriving in their jobs and social class. However, this is ironic because Boyle foreshadows the problems that will come later in the film through the light-heartedness of the scene and the soundtrack.

 

These factors all affect the way Boyle has presented the three protagonist’s social classes in the scene. Overall the producer of the film has shown us people that are climbing a social ladder, and it is as though they feel the money that Hugo has ‘left behind’ raises their social standing. They idea that they are three professionals living together also combines with the theme that they have to trust one-another, as they are all intelligent individuals Boyle shows the audience how the temptation put in front of them can effect even the highest of classes.