The Color of Film Collaborative

Wil Haygood wrote an article about Eugene Allen, a man who had spent his life as a quiet humble servant. A life that spanned nine decades and witnessed more change, transition and turmoil than many of us could not even image. He was a witness to history, a keeper of closely held secrets and a devoted and honorable man. He was a man many people didn’t know until now, and one, now they will never forget. In the film “The Butler”, adapted to the screen from Haygood’s article, Eugene Allen is now Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) and Helene Allen is now Gloria Gaines (Oprah Winfrey) and although his family has been altered to create a richer cinematic tone, the Butler’s story from inside the White House is true to history. Allen served eight presidents, was privy to conversations about Jim Crow, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Freedom Riders and many more issues that impacted the world during his tenure.

The film’s opening scenes are hard to watch and seem closer in history than they should be. We are instantly told that this is a film about injustice, intolerance and basic human morality or should I say immorality. Lee Daniels (Director) wants you to know that there is going to be a point made here and this is just the beginning. At moments the film is a powerful vessel for years of black civil rights history- at others, it falls short of the Oscar caliber grand presentation it seemed to strive for so desperately.

Based on a script written by Danny Strong (Game Change, Recount) The Butler takes on not only one man’s historical journey (albeit unknown to him) but the entire civil rights movement and gives the audience a history lesson that for many has become part of the distant past. How timely this story is in the wake of Trayvon Martin and the film Fruitvale Station, both stories about injustice, fear and intolerance, storylines that run throughout The Butler and all of which begin our wake-up call.

Danny Strong in an interview said that “it was in no way planned; to be part of what I feel could be the beginning of a movement.” It was a story that came to him that he felt he had to do. It was a very hard story for him to write not knowing what the heart of the film was going to be when he read Wil’s article. Then it came to him that this film should be routed in the Civil Rights movement and to use Cecil as the gentle giant, through whose eyes we step back in time. Cecil Gaines never thought what he did had any major significance in the world around him he was simply a proud and honorable man who understood his place in time when it was important to do so.

Forest Whitaker may have put on the performance of his lifetime as Cecil Gains, former cotton field slave turned White House butler. In the film Whitaker successfully relays the steady cadence of a peaceful man who has seen so much in his life time and rose from a childhood in slavery to a well respected White House employee. It is refreshing to see a film of this subject matter that isn’t told from the point of view of a higher authoritative figure but from an ordinary man that built himself from the ground up against all obstacles and indifference.

Winfrey reminds audience members of why her career in front of the camera has been so powerful. Playing a convincing alcoholic adulteress who finds herself tangled around two men who have different ways of dealing with the inequalities of the times; her son, (David Oleyowo) former freedom rider, Black Panther, and Martin Luther King confidant and her husband, former cotton field slave turned White House butler. As she struggles to keep both men in her life without losing the other, her painful journey resonates with the audience, forcing them to sympathize with her situation.

The Butler is a love story as much as it is a history lesson. A love story between Cecil Gaines and his wife Gloria Gaines and a love story between Cecil Gaines and his son (David Oyelowo) His son becomes his alter ego fighting for justice and equal rights. He stood for what his father and mother could not. The film is filled with highly charged scenes and quite intimate moments that work to lull you in and then wake you up when you least expect it. It is peppered with so many amazing stars that do incredible work and justice to the historical characters as well as the fictional supporting roles. There were liberties taken in developing the character of Gloria Gaines in order to create a more dramatic storyline. Liberties that you will need to decide if they were necessary in order to move the movie forward.

Though the film is ultimately brilliant, it may fail in its ability to satisfy audience members of all ages. Where a younger generation may view the film as a history lesson and focus on how it was made those of an older generation may have trouble reliving the horrible brutalities that were present during the Civil Rights Movement. One thing that may hold true for all generations is the passion the writers, producers, directors and actors brought to this project. Coming in at just under 2 hours The Butler is a movie you need to see. It will hopefully help you remember that the fight is never over and complacency is not an option.