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The Butler is a historical drama by Lee Daniels about racial discrimination, based on the life of Eugene Allen. The protagonist Cecil Gaines, played by Forest Whitaker, spent most of his childhood on a cotton plantation. After the rape of his mother and his fathers death, the plantation caretaker, Annabeth, teaches Cecil the work of a servant. Becoming an adult, Cecil leaves his home and wanders without a job for a long time, barely making ends meet. Maynard, the owner of a pastry shop, takes Cecil first to work as a butler and then helps to get the same position in Washington DC. The heros life is getting better: he meets a wonderful girl Gloria (Oprah Winfrey), with whom they create a family. In the late 1960s, Cecil starts his job in the White House, where he serves eight presidents. Cecils ability could have allowed him to avoid harassment because of his skin color. Still, his influence in society does not guarantee that he will not be negatively perceived as an African American.
Lee Daniels addresses The Butler to the civil rights movement in the United States. He tries to showcase the role of government and society in achieving equal rights and racial equality. The movie reflects many historical events: the civil rights movement, the M.L. King and J.F. Kennedy assassinations, the Vietnam War. Through the relationship between Cecil and his son Louis (David Oyelowo), Lee shows the challenge of adjusting to racial inequality. The films scenes depict the danger to freedom fighters and remind them that the human rights movements demanded many sacrifices before laws were needed. Racial inequality remains relevant today, taking the form of both a radical movement and a desire for smarter approaches and dialogues between representatives of different races.
In The Butler, Daniels uses literary devices and cinematic techniques such as symbolism, metaphors, character development, as well as side and low-key lighting, fade transition, sounds. For example, we see Cecils character development from a black boy with a very dim future, who, under the influence of historical events, seeks to bring his family out of racial discrimination and poverty. An example of symbolism is Cecils character, which personifies the Good Negro , whose task is to serve the white masters silently. Foreshadowing also takes place in the film, such as the Kennedy murder scene: the use of a high angle shoot during a scene in the Oval Office serves as a prediction of the presidents death (Daniels, 1:03:031:04:10). With the help of sounds and music, the director helps the audience to feel the atmosphere, as well as to enhance the impact of the drama of some scenes: gospel choirs, funerals, race riots. The actors play, sound, and video sequences leave the impression of the integrity of the work.
Historical accuracy is not the strongest part of The Butler movie. Despite the abundance of historical scenes, the film contains many inaccuracies, such as a young black woman with a camera in the 1920s. Although the film is based on the life of Eugene Allen, it contains many discrepancies with real facts. Eugene had only one son, his wife was not an alcoholic or a dissolute woman, like Winfreys heroine, and Allen maintained good relations with all presidents (Lee). Also, some of the scenes involving the presidents seem strained and devoid of historical value. Thus, Eisenhower is shown to be too soft, and Reagan is not convincing enough. It appears that the director invited some actors only because the audience would like them but not to recreate the authenticity of the events. The movie could be interesting for youth, but only as a teaser, prompting them to learn more about those times.
The Butler, the historical melodrama by Lee Daniels, telling the story of the protagonists journey from the cotton fields to the white house, is commendable. Actors, storyline, literary devices, and cinematic techniques used to create the conveying atmosphere are the films strengths. However, the events shown in the film do not always correspond to the real ones, and fictional fiction takes precedence over historical accuracy.
Works Cited
Daniels, Lee. The Butler. Amazon, 2013, Web.
Lee, Stephan. The True Story Behind Lee Daniels The Butler. EW.Com, 2013, Web.
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