Life On Mars

Life on mars is a British TV series set in Manchester. We follow a present day officer as he is transported back to 1973, and has to carry out his duty a DCI but with the adverse conditions and differences of 1973.

We start off in modern day, 2006, Manchester where we see Sam hunt down and arrest a suspect in a murder case. He does this clinically and effectively. He then takes the suspect down to the station and we see an interrogation scene. The scene is quick and snappy. The lighting is also cold and harsh yet bright. In comparison when we see the methods of the police officers back in the 70's as harsh and unorthodox. We see Gene interview a woman in a broom closet. He abuses her and also use violence to get answers. This varies massively to the modern methods and highlight the differences between the two eras.

When sam walks into the office back in the 70's we can see his almost shocked expressions from the environment. They are all white men who are smoking and drinking. In comparison the new office seems professional and like a standard work place. The 70's police department isn't very diverse and consists of mainly white men and hardly any women. When women are brought up in conversation they are only represented as sex objects, an example of this is ' as white as a ginger birds ass'.  In some ways this differs massively from the present day but there are still similarities in the sense that men were still leading the work force its just there seems to be more diverse in modern time.

Colour is used to great effect in the series. The modern day seems to be light yet cold. This indicates a sense of a harsh brutal police force. whereas the 70's station is very brown and feels very warm. This represents the relaxed style of policing back in the 70s and that it was almost an extension of the home. Also this reflects the differences in style and decor from the 70s as much of the scenery is brown and yellow which indicates a strong relationship to the 70s and 80s.