You are here:

Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills

Name: Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills
Director: Paul Bartel
Released: 1989
Duration: 95 min

Representation Score

6.1/10

Good

1989

Director

Paul Bartel

Runtime

95 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Paul Bartel’s direction uses humor and transgressive elements to challenge conventional sensibilities. The film serves as a satirical critique of the American class system, presenting wealth and social status as sources of predatory behavior. It challenges traditional gender hierarchies by emphasizing female influence. Using the intersection of power and class, it critiques the stability of Western institutions. While the film provides a strong critique of capitalism, its portrayal of racial and ethnic representation is limited by the cinematic conventions of its time.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film explores sexual fluidity and challenges assumptions about sexuality. However, specific non-binary identities do not play a central role in the main storyline.

How does Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills portray gender?

Good

Women play central roles, using strategic manipulation to assert their influence. They navigate their social environment by prioritizing their own goals.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills?

Fair

Class differences mirror racial dynamics, especially through the character of Juan. The film highlights the power imbalances and friction between different social classes.

How does Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film satirizes Western capitalist structures and questions the American Dream. It deconstructs the traditional family and wealth through moral relativism.

Does Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence of characters with visible or invisible disabilities driving the story.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional gender hierarchies through strong female characters.
Provides a sharp critique of Western capitalist structures.
Deconstructs social norms and bourgeois sensibilities.

Limited or Absent

Limited racial representation due to period-specific cinematic conventions.
Specific non-binary identities are not prominently featured.
No characters with disabilities are included in the story.

Official Synopsis

A wealthy Beverly Hills resident who has just become a widow, Clare Lipkin temporarily takes on her friend Lisabeth as a house guest. As the two women deal with their upper-class woes, Clare's driver, Frank, and Lisabeth's servant, Juan, make a wager to see who can be the first to seduce the other's boss.

How are these scores produced? →