1. Race and Ethnicity in Luther
Races and Ethnic Backgrounds
British
Irish
African
Muslim
White
Black
Mexican
Australian
Indian
Spanish
Polish
Jewish
American
Mixed Races
Asian
In Luther, the white-British people are represented in this episode to be in a higher paying job, as
policemen/women. One of the white-British men is running away from a black man, who seems to
be chasing him. From the camerawork there are many long shots on the black man to connote that
he is possibly the antagonist here. There are many extreme close ups of the black man’s eyes to
show to the audience how he is chasing the man, and wants to catch him. As you find out that the
black man is actually the protagonist here, they seem to show a lot of low angles to show his power
over the white man whom he was chasing.
The editing seems fast paced at the beginning on the man in the suit as he’s running away, but
nearer the end there is a jump cut on the black guy which shows his different sides. One of his sides
is being good and saving the white man, and the other side shows his being bad and letting him go.
The two men are in a big building so no one would know if they were there. The black man is
wearing baggy clothes which show he is a bit different compared to the other police officers who are
wearing suits, or in uniform.
The sound in this extract builds tension for both the characters. It builds to a crescendo before the
white man slipped and this builds tension and anticipation to what the black man is going to do to
either save him or let him fall. The black man’s accent is common and calm, but it is also angry which
shows his power.