Garrow's Law is a period-piece T.V drama recounting the life of the famous barrister who championed the rights of prisoners in the courtroom.Each T.V drama episode is a retelling of a different crime in which William Garrow was the laywer for the defendant.In this specific episode the subject matter is the brutality of the slave trade.
I chose to analyze the opening 3 minutes as there is much introduced in terms of ethnicity very early on
Camera Shots
There were many camera shots in the first three minutes of the program which define at least three different nationalities with huge contrasts between them. 51 seconds into the program we have an extreme close-up of a pair of feet with black skin and manacles clamped on them.This, combined with the knowledge that this is a late 18th century period drama, tells us that the man is a chained slave.By way of contrast the medium close-up of the main character Garrow emerging from a horse-drawn carriage shows the luxury caucasian people were enjoying at this period in history.The long-shot of a man with a powdered face and make-up with lace shows the presence of 18th century French aristocrat in this program.This highlights two things 1.:London's diverse culture even 200 years ago 2.: That the French revolution has happened explaining the presence of France's aristocracy. There is a tracking shot of 4 people (one English aristocrat and three servants) walking through a palatial estate which through its panning encompasses all the opulence the aristocracy enjoyed at the time creating a great sense of injustice when compared to the close-up of the black as white people here clearly enjoy greater riches.however the medium close-up of a woman in rags standing at a defendants stand in court reminds us of the distinct class system white people in Britain did have.
Mise En Scene
In the first scene the slave whose feet are attached to each other by a pair of manacles is lying on a beach. This shows he has been shipwrecked or discarded from a slave galley symbolising once again the disgraceful power white people had over black people in this time period. This is supported by costume of the slave which are mere rags. This clothing really tells us he's a slave as if we had just seen the manacles we could have also made the assumption that he was a prisoner.Additionally the grey sky and colour of this brief scene reflects the grim life enslaved black people found in this time period. To contrast that completely the rich colour of beige stone and green grass which is present in the estates of the aristocrats emphasise a (unjustly
happier life. This itself is contrasted by the dim lighting of the courtrooms signifying the gloom and coldness of the trials in which foreigners and lower-class white people showing the unjust power the wealthy white Englishmen have over other ethnicities at this moment in history.
Editing
In the first scene the cuts from the slave's feet to his still head and hands fully signify the fact that he is dead implying the disregard his "owners" had for his life. This reminds us again of his race and how it was viewed as "cargo" and "disposable".The jump cut from that scene to that of a horse-drawn carriage with Garrow inside it shows how different the two races are in terms of wealth and comfort in this era.While the jump-cut from a weatherbeaten man in plain clothes to a lady in a refined gown being helped by a servant out of a coach shows the different classes within the white English race. Another cut that shows this is the cut from a girl in rags talking to Garrow himself interrupting her. The difference between the girls "cockney" accent and humble clothing to Garrow's "posh" accent and fashionable dress shows again the difference in class of those of the same ethnicity.Also the cuts in the courtroom from jury,judge,prosecutor,defender and barrister's reveals only white people implying a racism to the courtroom law.
Sound
In the start of the first scene Minamalist music is used as part of the soundtrack which lends a feeling of misery and coldness which reinforces the sense of misery and coldness we get when viewing the dead slave and makes us feel pity for him and the injustice commited against his race.The diagetic sound of wine pouring into a cup shows the wealth and prosperity of a British citizen at this time (how they could afford wine in comparison to other cultures who couldn't afford bread).The melodic change in the soundtrack to a major key when the scene changes to the rich people who live in the estate shows how happy they are thanks to the inherited wealth their titles of nobility provide them with showing here again the unjustness of how a minority of white English people never have to work when there are millions of other people, white and black, who do.Tying into this is the diagetic sound of laughter the rich white jury give the working-class girls story of how she is innocent showing an arrogance and ignorance of the wealthy that give other Englishmen a bad name.
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