Life on Mars creates an image of 1970s Britain and represents gender in a variet y of ways.

Firstly, Sam wears a leather jacket which is reflected to be a very m asculine clothing choice. His clothing colour palette remains to be grey and bla ck in tone throughout. This is a modern choice, which reflects his 21st century background. Also it represents his dark mood. Whereas, Gene wears a suit, this r eflects his power in the Police Force and his masculinity. The 1970s is hugely s hown through his fashion choices, as he repeatedly wears muddy brown and orange tones. Even though he wears a suit he looks scruffy, this perceives to the audie nce that he has a doesnt care attitude. His trench coat he wears can also connote t hat he is trying to hide something, this is reflected through no caring about be ing by the book in his policing. In contrast, Annie is represented differently by her gender. She wears a skirt, hat and holds a handbag which is very typical in the 1970s period. This isnt practical for her job, but it is what she is expected to wear as women were traditionally office based. The female characters in the casino are objectified. Theyre treated very sexually by the men and wear hardly a ny clothes, practically treated as servants. Although, Sam is much more respectf ul, this reflects his modern 21st century approach to women. Secondly, the lighting is generally dull and gloomy. This can reflect Sams troubl es and it enhances the old-fashions seventies feel. When around Gene the light i s also considerably dull around him, however backlights are also used to emphasi se his face. This reflects his importance in the scenes and his power as a man. The Police Station is also darkly lit; this could reflect the tense, bad feeling s created inside. Within the actors they all portray very different characters. Sam has more faith in women; he treats them as an equal, especially Annie. This reflects himself a s a modern man; he is still manly, but not arrogant with it, as you could argue Gene is. Sam doesnt leer; he is respectful to both the men and women. He guides A nnie the WPC. Also Sam can handle the press well which shows his modern educatio n. His modern education is shown again as Sam is always politically correct. Gen e is patronizing towards women. He is sexist, which you could say is typical 197 0s. Plus, he used language you typically wouldnt; unlike Sam he is not politicall y correct. Gene is reflected as the typical alpha male. He also cannot handle th e press, which is understandable, as in the 1970s media was a very knew thing. E ven though, Gene is portrayed as quite arrogant and compared badly against Sam, his Police Force and people in the community still look up to him, he always get s results. Women are portrayed in a different way. Annie obviously has a lower s tatus, she is not always acknowledged and you can tell the men think she is unim portant. For example, she was told to count paperclips, her job is not seemed to b e taken as serious as the mens. However she is not a shrinking violet, she speaks sense and is very willing to learn. She is a typical representative of a 1970s woman, even though she is patronized by Gene, he calls her sweetheart, she is un-p hased and doesnt think it to be degrading in the slightest. This is proven when s he still offers to tidy up after the men at work, taking on the traditional hous ewife role. Movement is shown intensely around Sam throughout the scenes. When he becomes il l the movements become increasingly irregular, this reflects the confusion he is feeling. In contrast, the movements are abnormally slow when the car is racing towards him. This increasing suspense and brings you emotionally closer to him a s a character as you dont want him to get hurt. Whereas, the movement around Gene is not quick, he never runs and is always walking. This again connotes his unca ring attitude. Props are used continuously during Life on Mars. Gene constantly has a cigarette and smokes everywhere, this represents the 1970s hugely as smoking is illegal i s most public areas now. He also drinks alcohol a lot, and no other drinks, this again represents the 1970s. In contrast Sam doesnt smoke, which reflects his mod ern approach to smoking. Sam also uses his police badge at every opportunity whe

re Gene does not. Sam is extremely proud of being a police man and isnt afraid to show it. Annies key prop is her handbag; she finds the essential casino chip by using her eyebrow tweezers found in her bag. This also connotes her femininity. She saves Sams life by using the stinger, and again saves the day by using her ba g as evidence. Lastly, the setting throughout Life on Mars hugely represents the 1970s. The med ia is all typical of the 1970s, including the posters, TV presenters, black and white television. Also songs, cars and buses continue to represent this. The old telephones, lack of computers and mobiles, and sparse electrics set the scenes far back in technology, the rubbish forensics add to this and increase the lack of Policing technique. Also there are hardly any cars on the road and the street s are mainly empty of people, this makes the scenes obviously far from the 21st century and quite depressing. The retro foods add to the effect and the cluttere d home furnishings and decorations reflect the fashion of the times. In conclusion, Life on Mars creates an image of the 1970s Britain and represents gender hugely throughout the program. I have highlighted a variety of examples I have found during the scenes.