One of the scenes from the movie ‘The Butler‘ directed by Lee Daniels takes place in the late 1960s in the house of Cecil Gaines (played by Forest Whitaker), butler at the White House and his wife (played by Oprah Winfrey), whose guests at dinner are their rebellious son Louis (played by David Oyelowo), who is involved in the political activities for civil rights together with his girlfriend. The talk gets to Sydney Poitier and his films, which for the father are a matter of pride, an example of an African-American actor who made a career in Hollywood and won an Academy Award. The son’s reply is unexpected and sharp – for him Poitier is far from a model, his success is based on compromise, in the son’s words, he ‘acts like a white’. The artistic compromise may also be one of the problems of the film made in 2013, which addresses an interesting and actual theme of contemporary America – the struggle for equality of African-Americans from the 1950s until Barack Obama’s election as president and the political changes in America during this half of century of history – but it does so using many of the mainstream cinema stereotypes.
In another dialogue in the film, a younger Cecil Gaines learns about the two faces that those of his generation and his origin must present to the world: one is that of the devoted servant who knows his place in a hierarchical social order and fulfills his the role with devotion, guessing the thoughts of his white patrons; the other of the human being who can express his feelings, loves and frustrations, but only between friends and family members. The hero of the film plays both roles – he is the devoted butler who for three decades serves seven American presidents and their families at the White House, and the family man who is facing crises in his own home and family, and first and foremost the rebellion of his son who becomes an active militant in the civil rights movement, assuming all the risks of what such political engagement meant in the 1960s – violence, abusive arrests, prison sentences. Cecil Gaines was born as a victim of history in an unequal and unfair world. Through hard work and obeying the rules of the system he manages to climb on the social and economic scale up to the ceiling allowed by the system, becoming also a witness to history. But his son is no longer satisfied with the roles of victim or wittness, he becomes a changer, part of the generation that no longer accepted inequality and discrimination. The price paid by the two is a family break-out that lasts for several decades. Similar conflicts are likely to have occurred in millions of African-American families in the second half of the 20th century.
From a cinematic point of view, the combination of the two stories that build the biography of Cecil Gaines doesn’t work perfectly. The main and most important story would be that of the conflict between generations in the family, but this part, completely fictional, is dealt with in a conventional way, containing many predictable and melodramatic elements. The other story should rather be the background, but it is gaining weight for viewers, especially since it is based on the memories of the historical character who inspired the film, and all events from different historical periods – the authors claim – are based on real situations. I liked this part, even if it is not very original, the influence of ‘Forest Gump‘ being visible. I also liked the creations of Robin Williams, Liev Schreiber (especially) and John Cusack in the roles of Presidents Eisenhower, Johnson and Nixon, as well as the creation of Jane Fonda in the role of Nancy Reagan. Forest Whitaker is given the opportunity to play a dream role, complex and interesting, which he fills in in an impressive way, with an interior flame and with dignity. He largely carries the movue, but this is not enough. I mostly off-screen voices telling the story, and I think this is useless here too, adding unnecessary didactic and rhetorical explanation to what should be conveyed visualy. ‘The Butler’ brings to screen a few interesting and emotional moments, but also too much conventional melodrama and cinema. I am sure that many other films will be made in the future on this important theme of the American contemporary history and actuality, because history is far from over. ‘The Butler‘ was made in 2013. Viewed in 2020, it seems to belong to another era, also offering an opportunity to appreciate how much the world has changed since then.