Portrayal and Treatment of Ethnic Minorities
The roles of ethnic minorities in media texts are often quite discriminatory, only providing a stereotypical and largely false representation. This is particularly noticeable in older texts where racism infiltrated the masses in society. More recent texts provide a wider variety of representations of ethnic minorities, however some prejudices can still be seen.
In the 1942 film, 'Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror', no black, Asian or other ethnic group is seen throughout the entire length of the film. All of the members of the inner council, the police and people on the streets are white. This shows the unwelcome attitude that the majority white people expressed towards other ethnic groups at the time. It is clear that racism was prominent and people didn't wish to see other ethnicities on the cinema screen, particularly since such an activity was for the higher classes which the vast amount of ethnic minorities did not belong to. The lack of ethnic minorities in the film means that modern day viewers, who are separated from the period, are unable to get a complete cinematographic reading of history. There are also no ethnic minorities in 'Murder by Decree' (1979) even though racism was beginning to become less of a problem. This may be because British society as a whole was still partly racist, therefore the inclusion of ethnic minorities may deter the predominant white audience. In addition to this black or Asian actors/actresses may have become the target for abuse. Alternatively it could be completely due to the film being set in 1888, following the abolition of slavery, when there may have been fewer black people remaining in the UK and more segregation between white and black people. Therefore the producer may have intentionally included a lack of ethnic minorities to create verisimilitude. This is the same with the 2009 film 'Sherlock Holmes' that also excludes ethnic minorities from its cast but this is much more likely to be a result of the time period it was set in as racial inequality was far less prominent during this decade.
In the two recent TV adaptations of Sherlock, ethnic minorities have had a greater presence. In the UK TV series 'Sherlock' (2010), there are a number of black and Asian characters with some of them having speaking roles. For example at the press conference there is a black journalist who asks questions to the Detective Inspector. His job as a journalist portrays him as intellectual and an important figure. This is a massive shift from the previous adaptations that don't include characters from other ethnic groups. This is because discrimination based on race had become far less prominent in society with only a small number of people and groups identify as racists. In addition to this laws preventing discrimination in employment based on race would have meant a black person was just as entitled to an important job such as a journalist. Furthermore the Sergeant (Sally) on the case is mixed race. The Sergeant features in lots of the scenes and is portrayed as highly skilled at her job. This is a huge development in the portrayal of ethnic minorities, portraying them as capable and intelligent. The character also influences some of the decisions made by the police, showing that she has authority and plays an important role. Although there are more characters of other ethnicities the majority of the cast is still white, including the main characters and so there isn't completely an equal portrayal. In 'Elementary' (2012) however, the main character Watson is played by an Asian person (Lucy Lui). This is a major development in the portrayal of ethnic minorities as no other adaptation has used an ethnic minority as one of the main characters. Her role as a sober companion suggests she is caring, professional and clearly very skilled, creating a portrayal that is modern and fair. Furthermore Holmes deduces that she used to be a surgeon, an important role with a lot of responsibility. The representation of ethnic minorities such as Asians is a lot more positive than in the past where such ethnic groups didn't even receive a portrayal. This is likely to be because of the improved race relations, particularly in the US where the series was set. In addition to this one of the detectives on the case in mixed race, although he is shown missing things that Holmes picks up on and therefore is portrayed as less smart which could be a damaging representation. His role as a detective does however give him credibility. There is also an overall increase in the amount ethnic minorities cast in the show, highlighting a decrease in discrimination in the US.
In the 1942 film, 'Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror', no black, Asian or other ethnic group is seen throughout the entire length of the film. All of the members of the inner council, the police and people on the streets are white. This shows the unwelcome attitude that the majority white people expressed towards other ethnic groups at the time. It is clear that racism was prominent and people didn't wish to see other ethnicities on the cinema screen, particularly since such an activity was for the higher classes which the vast amount of ethnic minorities did not belong to. The lack of ethnic minorities in the film means that modern day viewers, who are separated from the period, are unable to get a complete cinematographic reading of history. There are also no ethnic minorities in 'Murder by Decree' (1979) even though racism was beginning to become less of a problem. This may be because British society as a whole was still partly racist, therefore the inclusion of ethnic minorities may deter the predominant white audience. In addition to this black or Asian actors/actresses may have become the target for abuse. Alternatively it could be completely due to the film being set in 1888, following the abolition of slavery, when there may have been fewer black people remaining in the UK and more segregation between white and black people. Therefore the producer may have intentionally included a lack of ethnic minorities to create verisimilitude. This is the same with the 2009 film 'Sherlock Holmes' that also excludes ethnic minorities from its cast but this is much more likely to be a result of the time period it was set in as racial inequality was far less prominent during this decade.
In the two recent TV adaptations of Sherlock, ethnic minorities have had a greater presence. In the UK TV series 'Sherlock' (2010), there are a number of black and Asian characters with some of them having speaking roles. For example at the press conference there is a black journalist who asks questions to the Detective Inspector. His job as a journalist portrays him as intellectual and an important figure. This is a massive shift from the previous adaptations that don't include characters from other ethnic groups. This is because discrimination based on race had become far less prominent in society with only a small number of people and groups identify as racists. In addition to this laws preventing discrimination in employment based on race would have meant a black person was just as entitled to an important job such as a journalist. Furthermore the Sergeant (Sally) on the case is mixed race. The Sergeant features in lots of the scenes and is portrayed as highly skilled at her job. This is a huge development in the portrayal of ethnic minorities, portraying them as capable and intelligent. The character also influences some of the decisions made by the police, showing that she has authority and plays an important role. Although there are more characters of other ethnicities the majority of the cast is still white, including the main characters and so there isn't completely an equal portrayal. In 'Elementary' (2012) however, the main character Watson is played by an Asian person (Lucy Lui). This is a major development in the portrayal of ethnic minorities as no other adaptation has used an ethnic minority as one of the main characters. Her role as a sober companion suggests she is caring, professional and clearly very skilled, creating a portrayal that is modern and fair. Furthermore Holmes deduces that she used to be a surgeon, an important role with a lot of responsibility. The representation of ethnic minorities such as Asians is a lot more positive than in the past where such ethnic groups didn't even receive a portrayal. This is likely to be because of the improved race relations, particularly in the US where the series was set. In addition to this one of the detectives on the case in mixed race, although he is shown missing things that Holmes picks up on and therefore is portrayed as less smart which could be a damaging representation. His role as a detective does however give him credibility. There is also an overall increase in the amount ethnic minorities cast in the show, highlighting a decrease in discrimination in the US.
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