Modern Times - Welcome To Mayfair - 2014 - 7/10
Quite an insidious little documentary this, about one of London's poshest neighborhoods.
The village Mayfair.
Rich residents, we only hear from one or two.
Not surprisingly, honest views come from pensioners who live in the old servantâs quarter.
What? Affordable digs in Mayfair? Apparently so.
Most of the chat, and the general drift of the narrative, flows from the tradesmen.
Estate agents, shopkeepers, florists, the couple that run the tiny cafe.
The realtors are doing spectacular business, properties selling for millions of quid - without ever getting listed. Buyers range from nouveau riche to crusty money. Arab princes, footballers, Russian billionaires. Super rich.
Most are shadows who covet an address, yet could not care one jot about knowing neighbors or the neighborhood.
True casualties are the tiny shops. The fabric that weave and nourish any village.
One by one, they are squeezed out. Instead of the umbrella maker, a fashion boutique, custom shoemaker, the Chalet Restaurant, the global chains multiply - Bulgaria, Tiffany, Hermes, Chanel, Prada, Cartier, Armani.
Chains do not sell one of a kind, they peddle expensive bangles, mass produced in faraway factories.
Chain fronts mean sterilization. New arrivals havenât a clue what âexclusivityâ was lost.
Such is the sweep of life, however. Places alter, evolve, crumble.
The poor get displaced, the deluded middle class cannot keep pace once the cost of living soars out of reach.
This particular show pairs well with a couple other docs:
Christmas On Benefits (2013) - the unemployed try to navigate the season without funds.
Disappearing London (2006-2007) - hosted by Suggs (Madness frontman). Ordinary places ... slipping away.