Cecil gaines, who was raised in 1920s georgia on a cotton field, worked his way up from the dirt to working in the white house for eight different presidents. The butler distorts race relations hoover institution. Lee daniels the butler tells the story of cecil gaines, the african american. The butler was inspired by the real story of eugene allen, a man who served in the white house even longer than the fictional cecil gaines. The butler tells the story of a white house butler who served eight american presidents over three decades. In lee daniels the butler, cecil gaines and his son want the same thing. As it has already been said, the film is fraught with historical inaccuracies. Throughout his life at the cotton fields he witnesses the death of his father and the beating of his mother.
The butler fictionalises eugene allen as cecil gaines forest whitaker. This movie the butler is based on a true story as an american historic fiction film. Inspired by the true story of eugene allen, one of the first black men to serve in the white house, lee daniels the butler details the life of cecil gaines, who served as a butler for eight. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept american society during this time, from the civil rights movement to vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this mans life and family. Witness to history beyond the intimate moments that he shared with various presidents, eugene allen witnessed a long list of important moments during his time at the white house. Danny strongs screenplay was inspired by the 2008 washington post article. As cecil gaines, the lead in lee daniels the butler, he plays a white house butler who serves seven presidents over four decades, from eisenhower to. Gaines had a front row view to key moments in americas history. Cecil gaines was a sharecroppers son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. The story is told in a chronological order, so that the viewer gets to see the world changing, particularly for african americans through the eyes of this butler. The presidents, as seen through the eyes of the butler. The film is an important reminder that there are many different ways to play a significant part in achieving that dream. The movie is based off a man named cecil gaines who operated from place to place as a butler to support his family, while his oldest son is out protesting for his rights, beliefs, and his culture. Cecil gaines, who has been serving presidents in the white house since the late 1950s, was fired by donald trump yesterday for disobedience.
The butler is a bit more than 2 hours long, spans several decades, and includes multiple storylines. We are introduced to cecil gaines forest whitaker as he sits outside the door of what appears to be a very elaborate and fancy office. Hes soon offered a job as white house butler and is ecstatic at his good fortune. Loosely based on the real life of eugene allen, who worked in the white.
Throughout his tenure at the white house, allen quietly witnessed presidents make a series of monumental decisions impacting his civil rights as. Cecil gets offered a butler job at a high end restaurant in washington dc. Garcia apush 21 may 2018 the butler the butler directed by lee daniels is a raw elucidation of the implications of racially fueled violence and oppression on an individuals human condition as they attempt to navigate their social contemporary. Cecil gaines is a butler that works in the white house, he has two sons and a wife and works hard to provide them with what he never had. The butler serves up a deeply affecting but sometimes farcical biopic. The character of cecil gaines is loosely based off of eugene allen.
Cecil gaines is working as a slave in a cotton field as a young colored boy along with his mother and father. The central character, cecil gaines, is only loosely based on the real allen. The first one is the fictional character of the white house butler cecil gaines. As cecil gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the white. Cecil witnesses eisenhowers reluctance to use troops to enforce school desegregation, then his resolve to uphold the law by racially integrating little rock central high school in arkansas. How lee daniels the butler forces americans to confront civil rights. It is inspired by wil haygoods washington post article a butler well served by this election. Butler books professional book publishing in louisville. He is old and pensive, thinking back on his soon to be. The butler book by wil haygood, lee daniels official publisher.
In telling a simple story of an american family, it becomes more powerful than any screed could have been. Of course, most of the butler the director lee danielss story of the white house servicestaff member cecil gaines liberally reimagined from the life story of ernest allentakes. Cecil gaines from lee daniels the butler charactour. The butler tells the story of cecil gaines forest whitaker, the last king of scotland as he completes the odyssey from the sharecropping fields of georgia to the domestic quarters of the white house, where he serves as head butler under seven american presidents from eisenhower to reagan. As cecil gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the white house, the civil rights movement, vietnam, and other major events affect this mans life, family, and american society. Allens life was the inspiration for the 20 film the butler. Meet the real cecil gaines and gloria gaines, known in reallife as eugene allen. The butler has the same concept but starts off in 2009 where the narrator cecil gaines is re telling his story. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler who worked for the us government at the white house for 34 years until he retired as the head butler in 1986. Starring forest whitaker as longserving white house butler cecil gaines. In the butler, forest whitaker plays cecil gaines, who proudly serves tea at the white house to seven u.
Lee daniels the butler tells the story of cecil gaines, the african american son of a sharecropper who eventually serves as a white house butler to eight different presidents. According to a washington post profile, allen was chummier with the presidents than even cecil talking golf with gerald ford and receiving a personal invitation to a state dinner and to jfks funeral. Take charactours quiz to get recommendations for thousands of characters, movies, tv shows, books, and games that are high matches for your unique personality. We see him proudly relaying a presidential order to close the wage gap for the white houses. Eugene allen july 14, 1919 march 31, 2010 was an american waiter and butler who worked for the us government at the white house for 34 years until he. The butler full title lee daniels the butler is a 20 american historical drama film directed and coproduced by lee daniels and with a screenplay by danny strong. Lee daniels directs forest whitaker and oprah winfrey who portray husband and wife cecil and gloria gaines.
The main narrative begins in 1957 with cecil gaines happily married with two kids and working at a fancy hotel. Cecil gaines forest whitaker grew up on a cotton farm in 1920s georgia. Cecil gaines is a witness to important historical events but a participant in none of them, and at times even daniels seems to wish he were making a film entirely about the freedom riders or. Unpacking the fatherson relationships in the butler and lincoln i dont think that god meant for people to not have a family.
See our topranked characters and read their profiles. Forest whitaker stars as the butler with robin williams as dwight eisenhower, john. Lee daniels the butler follows cecil gaines, a white house butler, during seven united states presidents. Cecil orders louis and his girlfriend to leave his house.
Author wil haygood brings to light the truelife story of eugene allen, an african american man who served as a butler in the white house for 35 years, serving. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. Lee daniels the butler, opening in theaters friday, chronicles the story of eugene allen, who served under eight presidents and rose from pantry man to maitre d, making him the ultimate silent. Lee daniels the butler trailer lee daniels directs forest whitaker and oprah winfrey who portray husband and wife cecil and gloria gaines. Lee daniels the butler 20 and steven spielbergs lincoln 2012 might appear to tackle vastly different themes on the. In the movie, forest whitaker plays the fictional butler cecil gaines, who worked for seven presidential administrations from eisenhower to reagan. The movie, which is called lee daniels the butler in the us after a naming dispute, also turns its lens on the small world of the family, using the relationships between cecil gaines. The movie begins with cecil gaines working on a plantation in 1926 with his father and mother. Lee danielss the butler is a filmashistorytextbook.
Forest whitaker delivers a commanding performance as cecil gaines the fictional character loosely based on the life of eugene allen, who grew up on a plantation and. A scene from the butler depicting cecil gaines, the fictionalized version of eugene allen, and his response to the assassination of john f. After cecil sees his father get shot and killed by the farms owner, he is. During his life in the movie, you see everything he went through was difficult just to make a living for him and family. It is inspired by wil haygoods washington post article a butler well served by this election loosely based on the real life of eugene allen, who worked in the white house for decades, the film stars forest whitaker as cecil. Wil haygood adds eugene allens chronicle to his impressive list of essential works on great figures in black. The butler is a 20 american historical drama film directed and coproduced by lee daniels and with a screenplay by danny strong. A series of shots of the white house staff packing. Lee daniels the butler is the story of an african american man who becomes the white house butler during the eisenhower years and serves through the reagan administration. The audience is treated to the tale of an almost forrest gumplike life in which cecil gaines forest whitaker, the butler, gets a front row seat. The film follows the character of cecil gaines, a black butler at the white house as he interacts with seven.
For three decades, cecil gaines academy award winner forest whitaker served as the chief butler for eight consecutive us presidents, including dwight d. Cecil is then trained to be a houseman, eventually running away and learning how to become a butler. The film focuses on what he witnesses throughout the civil rights movement, and how is son louis. The butler by wil haygood this mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film. The fictionalised story of presidential butler eugene allen is an earnest. Loosely based on the real life of eugene allen who worked in the white house for decades, the film stars forest whitaker as cecil gaines, an africanamerican who is a witness of notable political and social events of the 20th century during his 34year tenure serving as a white house butler. Novel comparison the help and the butler freebooksummary. Daniels film replaces the real eugene allen with the fictional cecil gaines, using the unique perspective of a white house butler as a jumpingoff point to explore questions of race in the. The film tells the story of cecil gaines whitakers 34year career working as head butler at the white house. The movie is based on reallife white house butler eugene allen, who worked in the white house under eight presidents, coming of age during segregation and living to see a black man be elected to the white. How lee daniels the butler forces americans to confront. Deeps contemporary film and the black atlantic familial and community relationships straddling divides. Butler books is a louisville, kentuckybased full service publisher of trade nonfiction, fiction and illustrated books. The complete butler books catalog, including local history, cooking, nature, art, business, politics, selfhelp, memoir, biography, sports, fiction, and childrens books.
The movie was inspired by the life of eugene allen, who did in fact serve in the white house between 1952 and 1986 under eight presidents from harry truman to. Cecil gaines, now 8, sits in the field with his dad, earl. His mother is raped by the white plantation owner and the father is shot dead immediately following. Beginning his tenure under president eisenhower robin williams, cecil would see another seven presidents come and go throughout his career and was present at. The butler offers contemporary look at civil rights. The butler, cecil gaines, is a fictional creation, an africanamerican forrest gump who bears special witness to the civilrights movement while serving on the white house staff under seven. This does sound as though it would be a better miniseries than a film the. Author wil haygood brings to light the truelife story of eugene allen, an africanamerican man who served as a butler in the white house for 35 years, serving. The butler, with its forrest gumplike ambition to touch on every significant moment and movement in the countrys 20th century racial history, begins by showing cecil gaines.
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