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Underground

Name: Underground
Director: Anthony Asquith
Released: 1928
Duration: 93 min

Representation Score

1.9/10

Minimal

1928

Director

Anthony Asquith

Runtime

93 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Underground is a period drama that accurately reflects the demographics of 1920s Britain. It gives the female protagonist a significant role in a high-stakes smuggling plot, moving her beyond a passive position. However, the film lacks depth in representing diverse identities. Its narrative is rooted in traditional gender hierarchies and a homogeneous racial landscape, offering minimal representation for underrepresented groups or non-straight relationships. Overall, while the film offers a sophisticated look at class conflicts, it remains a typical crime melodrama without the progressive complexity found in more diverse modern works.

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Category Breakdown

Does Underground have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows traditional romantic structures of the 1920s, focusing on a heterosexual conflict between two men and one woman, with no queer undertones.

How does Underground portray gender?

Fair

The female protagonist actively navigates a male-dominated criminal environment, but the main narrative revolves around a traditional rivalry between male characters.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Underground?

Minimal

The cast and setting reflect a homogeneous, predominantly white, Anglo-Saxon London. There is no effort to blend races or cast actors from diverse backgrounds.

How does Underground represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story delves into socioeconomic tensions between the working class and the criminal underworld, emphasizing individual morality rather than systemic issues.

Does Underground include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities. Disability is not used as a narrative device in this film.

Present on Screen

The female protagonist actively navigates a dangerous criminal underworld.
The film provides a nuanced look at the socioeconomic tensions between different social classes in London.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks racial and ethnic diversity, reflecting a homogeneous Anglo-Saxon setting.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
The narrative does not include characters with physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A working-class love story set in and around the London Underground of the 1920s. Two men – gentle Bill and brash Bert – meet and are attracted to the same woman on the same day at the same Underground station. But the lady chooses Bill, and Bert isn't the type to take rejection lightly...

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