social class in peaky blinders

1. The power of social class
in Peaky Blinders
How power of social class is shown in the 1920’s period
drama Peaky Blinders.

2. Watch this video

3. Physical representation
The characters possess very distinctive clothing items
and grooming choices more in line with the stereotypes of
the social standings.
Working class Upper class
The hat Tommy wears is
synonymous with the
working class look an its
distraught look reflects his
conditions
The hat Campbell wears is
cleaner and more well kept
and crafted which reflects
his monetary superiority
Like the hat, his suit
possesses a lot of wear
and tear and also shows
the circumstances of his
social status
The suit Campbell owns
possesses no damage and
also has a silk collar to
show the luxury his social
status brings him
Tommy’s hair has little
grooming and is simply
shaven to show the lack of
time, resources and leisure
time he possesses for
such an intricate style of
hair
Campbells moustache is
bold and heavily crafted to
show the boisterous
mannerism of the upper
class and the luxuries he
is able to have
The lack of tie further
emphasizes points above
The possession of a tie
further emphasizes points
above

4. Campbell enters the scene with a question regarding the information that Tommy
claims to have, Tommy then confirms this and in doing so proves that it is he who
has the knowledge and therefore also has the power in the situation despite what
his working class background would have you to believe.
Campbell ends up rejecting the information until Tommy takes control of the
conversation by bombarding Campbell with the information that he possesses that
would be useful to him and through this asserts just how more relevant and
powerful he is to the task at hand regardless of the social class he possesses.
This point is emphasized further by the fact that throughout the conversation the
camera maintains a constant level where we look neither up or down at either of the
characters in the scene because despite the power Tommy has in the situation,
Campbell is just clever meaning they are just as powerful as their counterpart
because they both have information key to the other and thus both have dominance
over the opposition.
Furthermore the divide they share towards one another is shown through the lack of
two shots to emphasise the physical divide as well as the social divide between the
characters as well as implying both characters deserve as much attention as each
other due to the power they both possess

5. Before Tommy hands over the information Campbell
requires, he starts to make demands that he knows
Campbell is in no position to deny which is shown by
the way Tommy talks when demanding these conditions
as he is clear and to the point letting Campbell know
that his demands can never be altered as it would result
in lack of the knowledge that he so desperately wants.
As both character begin to talk the camera begins to
zoom on a two shot of them looking of into the distance
emphasizing the common ground they both share and
the shortening the divide of between the classes which
is reflected by Tommy remarking on their work being a
success due to the partnership they both have, as he
says this his voice is not bold and demanding but
instead calm and playful as he is speaking in jest.

6. As Tommy leaves the two shot of them together we understand that a new divide
has been created as Tommy possesses the power over Campbell and causes his
opponent to except defeat and become subservient to Tommy’s commands
which is shown through Campbells gradual progression down to his seat and
through Tommy's expression when we see him looking down on his counterpart.
While this is happening Campbell begins to talk to Tommy with concern and
openly admits to being in Tommy’s hands completely and that Tommy holds all
the cards while he says this Campbell changes his voice and begins to possess
a tired slouching demeanour while Tommy always maintains a tall, bold
shouldered posture while having a purely professional attitude and talking about
the task at hand, rejecting the stereotypes of unprofessionalism in the working
class.

7. But Campbells civility begins to fade away as he speaks of the
power he has over others, causing his voice to become more
assertive and for him to regain his strong posture while producing
accusatory body language as he points a Tommy, demanding his
undivided attention.
As he continues to speak of the power he possesses over Tommy
due to his status he begins to regain height as he leaves his chair
and is no longer looked down on and is now at level with Tommy.
As he talks about his malicious capabilities we begin to see
Tommy's concern about the situation at hand and the calm and
professional character he once was vanish from him allowing us to
understand that Campbells threats hold serious weight

8. The scene then cuts to an over shoulder shot behind Tommy as Campbell
begins to come closer, invading Tommy personal space with no disregard as he
possesses the power and dominance in the situation due to the status he has
ascertained. As he get closer, he begins to stand over Tommy in a foreboding
manner to emphasize the strength he possesses other his working class
counterpart.
There is then a shot of Tommy looking upwards to Campbell with no retaliation
to what he is saying, this shot is interrupt by a medium long shot of Campbell
leaving with no regret or fear of how he acted, Tommy then pulls out his gun and
threatens to shoot Campbell causing him to pause until he keeps walking
resulting in Tommy not being able to shoot him despite how clever and powerful
he may be because thanks to Campbells position in upper class society he is
able to reign without consequence and Tommy being of an inferior class cannot
retaliate but instead contemplate the circumstances of his situation.

9. Overall the scene very much contradicts stereotypes
of working people as Tommy is shown to be a clever,
calculating individual capable off achieving power by
his own means and even suggesting similarities
between the working class (that is shown in Tommy)
and the upper class (that is shown in Campbell) but
ultimately regardless of the knowledge and power he
may possess, Campbell will always be in control due
to his status in the society as part of upper class
meaning that he possesses less boundaries than his
working class counterpart, but even so he still has to
cater to the whim of those higher in the social
hierarchy (Winston Churchill mentioned in the clip)
and do as they say to maintain his position in society
as societal standing is synonymous with the power
and control an individual possesses.