The Butler

With my first day at Ruby Films tomorrow, I thought there would be nothing better to get me in the mood than a trip to the cinema to see 'The Butler'. With Alison Owen's 'The Power of Story' keynote speech, still in recent memory, I felt as though a 'story' (and a true one at that) was exactly what the doctor ordered.

The Butler, vaguely echoes the life of real man Eugene Allen, who served as butler to eight presidents from Truman to Reagan at the White House. In the film, Eugene's echo Cecil Gaines is born and raised in the South where racial hatred was strong. Cecil works collecting cotton with his fellow black workers until one day, when a white man rapes his mother as she screams (Mariah Carey) and shoots his father (David Banner) through the head in front of his very eyes. The lady of the house then tells him she is going to train him to be a 'house nigga' and this, is to shape his future. We follow Cecil as he leaves his injured mother's mind behind, and travels to find work. After breaking into a small hotel for food he finds work by appealing to the butler's kindness, before then being offered a job in Washington DC at a larger hotel, visited by men of greater stature than he could ever have imagined to walk among. That is of course, before he became butler at the White House itself.

This isn't just a story where we want the little man to win. This is a story about pain, about fighting, about over-coming and about justice. It's about hope and love and every other emotion that exists as part of human nature. This is what makes films based on slavery, or the civil war, or on any fight for equality so compelling, so endearing. The fact that only 50yrs ago, black men and women were segregated on buses, in cafes, in education and in the wage that they received for doing the same job as their white equals. A world where it was deemed ok to be violent to blacks because they 'were not equal'. It seems almost impossible that in fifty years (albeit not everywhere) we now live in a world where black and white men and women are free to walk anywhere they wish. It seems completely inconceivable that fifty years ago in the US, myself and Kamal could have been arrested, attacked or even killed for walking hand in hand down the street.

Forest Whitaker, plays the endearing man himself 'Cecil Gaines'. His soulful eyes alone give us the impression of a past filled with unimaginable things. However, Whitaker delivers his lines as though they were flowing directly from his heart, particularly when we watch as his son boasts about the fight for equality and challenges his father's position as butler. We have seen some of the painful past that Cecil overcame to create a future for his children and for that we have a great respect for him. We judge his gentle nature and kindness throughout the entire film, particularly with the arrival of the Kennedy's into the white House when young Caroline drops her doll and Cecil bends to pick it up for her. His relationship with Caroline breaks down a racial divide in a single hit. When he snaps and shouts louder than we have heard the whole film at his (entirely fictional) son to get out, we believe it. We even believe his ability to make the room silent when he's in it. We listen for the politics in the room he finds himself in, forgetting he is there at all. We watch as he bites his tongue for eight presidents, watch as he grieves for John F Kennedy's life after he told him that his son Lewis had changed his heart, watch as he closes the door on the guards that come to tell of his youngest son's death, watch as he finally overcomes the final hurdle in his life - the hurdle to no longer be a butler at the White House and instead, just be a father. His performance is exemplary, supported by a cast, script and indeed truth that only accelerates the rate in which we too feel every emotion that Cecil Gaines feels.

The cast boasts many stars that really makes the film worth a watch. Oprah Winfrey plays a brilliant Gloria Gaines, mother to Lewis and Charlie and wife to the butler himself. Oprah seems to have the alcoholic traits down to a tee, as she prances around rooms dancing, and puts on her make-up even as she goes to bed. We long to see some intimacy or affection between the two parents and when it finally comes, in the form of two ridiculous outfits and a birthday cake, we find ourselves smiling. Until the knock on the door tells of the death of Charlie Gaines, their youngest son. The relationship between the two parents who have witnessed a shift in racial divide, who have fought over the views of their son Lewis and who have lived to see more than eight presidents really hits home when finally, the US elects its first black president, Barrack Obama. Whitaker's shock at hearing the news brings tears to his eyes, and ours, as does the death of his wife and strength, Gloria.

With appearances from Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Isaac White, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr, Robin Williams, John Cusack and the Kidulthood star, Ami Ameen, we see a talented ensemble of British and American actors, set on making this film one of the most memorable of the year. It may not be entirely factual or accurate in reflecting Eugene Allen's life. The family within the film are almost entirely fictional. However, it's accuracy in recreating events and moments of history within the Civil Rights movement is better. For example, the attack on the 'Freedom Riders' bus within the film, acted as a mirror image of old newspaper pictures of the event. Along with demonstrations in cafes, and attacks with water hoses on the street, the film brought to light the unpresidented violence of the Civil Rights movement and what it meant for black families in the US.

'The Butler' has been one of my favourite films so far this year. The 132min production allows time to explore multiple plot-lines and relationships that span the length and breadth of 1960s America. The script is beautifully crafted to reflect Cecil's aptitude at being silent and non-confrontational among a world where violence between races are escalating. As a friend of his son points out, the butlers of the era were the ones fighting the silent battle, breaking down the racial divide by providing an etiquette of hard work and trust among the most powerful institutes of America. 'The Butler' does just that. The film is a credit to its cast, and although it may not be entirely accurate to Eugene Allen and his life, is still a credit to his time at the White House. The script was developed brilliantly with its multiple plot-lines, the score was directed to match the many varying emotions of those onscreen and the cast shine through to hit the home run for this Civil Rights great.

See article 'How true is the Butler?' : http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/08/15/the_butler_movie_true_story_eugene_allen_vs_cecil_gaines_lee_daniels_fictional.html

I give the film a 8/10 - it's only not a 10 as there are holes in my memory and I find it hard to pick out the moments that shone like I do usually with films I love. I always wanted Cecil to have his moment with a president and be the one to fight and change things underhand, and that did not happen. I was left wanting: I wanted to see Cecil find happiness with his wife and sons, but of course that is taken away from him. However, as Cecil walks through the White House that final time, we see a man with more pride and honour than we ever could have imagined from that little cotton boy from the South. That was satisfying enough.