MORE THAN THE HELPING BUTLER
HERE LIES THE THOUGHTS OF AN AP LITERATURE STUDENT IN REGARDS TO THE Film THE Butler directed by
lee daniels.
The butler
Synopsis:
"Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of 20th century America, Academy Award® nominated director Lee Daniels’ (PRECIOUS) epic drama LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER tells the story of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African American butler who serves at the White House during seven presidential administrations between 1957 and 1986.
Opening in the fiercely segregated South in 1926, young Cecil Gaines works with his family in the cotton fields of Macon, GA. The tragic death of his father at the hands of his employer opens up unexpected opportunities for a young and impressionable Cecil, who is then taught the duties of a house servant under the critical eye of the plantation's white matriarch. Armed with these new skills and concerned for his own life, Cecil sets out for a better life as a young man.
Struggling outside of the confines of the plantation, an act of desperation introduces Cecil to a much-needed father figure, who provides guidance and a job at a local hotel. Thriving under his tutelage, Cecil is encouraged to move to Washington, DC, to take a position at an elite hotel. Excelling there, Cecil is noticed by a White House administrator, who gives him the chance of a lifetime: a job as a butler at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, insuring a comfortable middle-class life for Cecil's wife Gloria (Oscar® nominee Oprah Winfrey) and sons Louis (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Elijah Kelley), far from the cotton fields of the South.
While Presidents come and go, from Eisenhower through Reagan, Cecil and the rest of the butler staff remain, serving in the background as firsthand but silent witnesses to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office while the civil rights movement unfolds. Regardless of his personal opinions, Cecil remains fiercely committed to his duties at the White House, but tensions grow at home as his sons become affected by the social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s and 70s. Louis chooses to attend college in the South so that he may become an active part of the burgeoning civil rights movement, participating in department store sit-ins and freedom rides - putting him in physical danger and widening his rift with Cecil. Charlie instead elects to work for change from within, enlisting to fight for his country in Vietnam. Facing these disruptions to her family, as well as Cecil's neglect as he tends to his First Family, Gloria turns to alcohol and the embrace of a neighbor. As he grapples with his family's actions and his own conscience, Cecil finds himself at the crossroads of previously unimaginable social change.
Through the eyes and emotions of the Gaines family, Daniels’ film follows the changing tides of American politics and race relations; from the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, to the Freedom Riders and Black Panther movements, to the war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal, Cecil experiences the effects of these events as both an insider and a family man. Drawn into conflict with his headstrong sons, eager to forge their own paths in a rapidly transforming world, Cecil's story is as universal as it is extraordinary, speaking to the way each generation attempts to define the American Dream."
Citation:
"Lee Daniels’ The Butler Production Notes". The Weinstein Company. © 2013, Butler Films, LLC.
Web. 07 June, 2015.
http://www.twcpublicity.com/downloads/production/lee_daniels'_the_butler_production_
notes_final.pdf
"Set against the tumultuous political backdrop of 20th century America, Academy Award® nominated director Lee Daniels’ (PRECIOUS) epic drama LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER tells the story of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African American butler who serves at the White House during seven presidential administrations between 1957 and 1986.
Opening in the fiercely segregated South in 1926, young Cecil Gaines works with his family in the cotton fields of Macon, GA. The tragic death of his father at the hands of his employer opens up unexpected opportunities for a young and impressionable Cecil, who is then taught the duties of a house servant under the critical eye of the plantation's white matriarch. Armed with these new skills and concerned for his own life, Cecil sets out for a better life as a young man.
Struggling outside of the confines of the plantation, an act of desperation introduces Cecil to a much-needed father figure, who provides guidance and a job at a local hotel. Thriving under his tutelage, Cecil is encouraged to move to Washington, DC, to take a position at an elite hotel. Excelling there, Cecil is noticed by a White House administrator, who gives him the chance of a lifetime: a job as a butler at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, insuring a comfortable middle-class life for Cecil's wife Gloria (Oscar® nominee Oprah Winfrey) and sons Louis (David Oyelowo) and Charlie (Elijah Kelley), far from the cotton fields of the South.
While Presidents come and go, from Eisenhower through Reagan, Cecil and the rest of the butler staff remain, serving in the background as firsthand but silent witnesses to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office while the civil rights movement unfolds. Regardless of his personal opinions, Cecil remains fiercely committed to his duties at the White House, but tensions grow at home as his sons become affected by the social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s and 70s. Louis chooses to attend college in the South so that he may become an active part of the burgeoning civil rights movement, participating in department store sit-ins and freedom rides - putting him in physical danger and widening his rift with Cecil. Charlie instead elects to work for change from within, enlisting to fight for his country in Vietnam. Facing these disruptions to her family, as well as Cecil's neglect as he tends to his First Family, Gloria turns to alcohol and the embrace of a neighbor. As he grapples with his family's actions and his own conscience, Cecil finds himself at the crossroads of previously unimaginable social change.
Through the eyes and emotions of the Gaines family, Daniels’ film follows the changing tides of American politics and race relations; from the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, to the Freedom Riders and Black Panther movements, to the war in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal, Cecil experiences the effects of these events as both an insider and a family man. Drawn into conflict with his headstrong sons, eager to forge their own paths in a rapidly transforming world, Cecil's story is as universal as it is extraordinary, speaking to the way each generation attempts to define the American Dream."
Citation:
"Lee Daniels’ The Butler Production Notes". The Weinstein Company. © 2013, Butler Films, LLC.
Web. 07 June, 2015.
http://www.twcpublicity.com/downloads/production/lee_daniels'_the_butler_production_
notes_final.pdf
Director Lee Daniels made use of several cinematic techniques in the filming of The Butler that enhanced the movie as a whole.
1: Long Shot- the first scene featured a long shot of Cecil sitting in the White House. This served as an establishing shot where the audience was first introduced to the main character. The long shot made Cecil appear small in comparison the grand room he was in. This is statement about how he is one man, occupying a seemingly small role, but is a key asset of a greater picture.
4: Fade Transition- Daniels' usage of fade transitioning is typically used to portray a duration of time. For example, this type of transition was employed when Cecil left the farm when he was younger and then suddenly the scene faded to an aged Cecil who was hungry and lost. 7: Close Up Shot- at the dinner party celebrating Cecil's new position as the President's butler, a series of close up shots were focused on Cecil's son Louis. These shots were used to show the skepticism and uneasiness in Louis' eyes, suggesting that he was unsupportive of his father's work and possibly embarrassed. 10: Side Lighting- after being sentenced to time in the county jail, Louis was pressed against the wall being scolded by Cecil. In this shot, half of Louis' face was in light and half of it was in shadow. This demonstrated the conflicting emotions Louis was experiencing as he was torn between light and darkness. 13: General Transitions- I don't quite know how to characterize this example because it employs many techniques and is very complex. There exists a transition from Kennedy's monumental speech to a CBS news bulletin where 3 gunshots and a scream were heard in the background. The scene then transitioned to a grieving Cecil. It was then revealed that the President was assassinated. The gunshots were heard during the speech suggesting that it was the speech and his proposal which got him murdered. Also, the scream was of importance. This is the second scream of the movie. Cecil's mother screamed when she was raped, and his father stood up for her. That got him killed. Kennedy stood up for the rights of the African American population. That got him killed, and the first lady screamed. |
2: Diegetic Sound- the sound of Cecil's mother screaming is heard in the distance when the farm owner's sons takes her to the shed. The sound of the scream was one heard by the people in the scene as well as the audience. The purpose here was by hearing the sound of screams, to infer that the mother was raped, or worse, by the boy, rather than seeing it to increase the affect on the viewer.
5: Cross Cutting- the camera cuts between different stages of Cecil's butler training, to suggest the simultaneity of these actions such as shoe shining, bar tending, and waitering. These cross cuts help characterize this overwhelming, busy, and important period of development of Cecil's life. 8: Non-Diegetic Sound- during the course of the movie, voice overs were used to provide historical context to the audience as scenes and footage of actual events appeared on the screen. This aided in providing the audience with the correct mindset for scenes to follow. 11: Low Key Lighting- the darkness of low key lighting was used during the scene when the Klu Klux Klan attacked the Freedom Riders. The darkness of the night and the shadowy faces provided the intense mood for the scene. In addition the darkness provided the contrast that made the burning cross of the mob to stand out and burn even brighter, making it seem that their light which glowed the brightest was "correct" light to follow. (I do not agree with this, but many people of that timer period did.) 14: High Key Lighting- Louis was shone in bright lighting as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught him the importance of the domestic black man, such as his father, and their role in breaking the racial stereotype of the black man in society. The bright lighting was meant to indicate that this was an enlightening experience and pivotal moment in Louis' life as his outlook on his father's occupation was shifting. |
3: Canted Angle- when Cecil's father was shot dead, he was shown laying on the ground with a tilted, or canted, camera angle. The angle represents the disarray of the scene and is indicative of his son Cecil's life that would soon be mixed up.
6: Symbolism- Daniel's made use of rain as a symbol in the filming of a scene in the movie. When Cecil discovered he was recommended for an honorable job as a butler at ritzy hotel in Washington DC, he was sitting outside in the rain with his boss. Rain, in literature, film, and performance, is symbolic for baptism or rebirth. As Cecil gains this information, he sees this opportunity for rebirth and accepts the offer. 9: Cutting/Cross Cutting- Cuts and cross cuts were used to flash and transition between Louis' life and the resistance in Tennessee and at Fisk University and Cecil's conformity at the White House. This provided the interesting juxtaposition of liberation and conformity; both taking two different approaches to break racial barriers. 12: Fade Transition- this example of a fade transition does not display a duration of time, but rather bridges the movie to reality. When the KKK member threw the flaming torch bomb at the bus, a fade transition was used to fade to the actual famous photograph of a scorched Freedom Riders bus that I recognized as it had appeared in my history textbook. This allowed to audience to infer the Riders' fate and grimace at the fact that this was an actual occurrence in history. 15: Parallel Storylines- Cecil got "shot down" by his boss at the White House after proposing that the African American employees get raises and provided equal opportunity for promotion. This event was mirrored after a transition immediately to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. getting shot at his apartment. These were both examples of wounds to black advancement in society during the fight for civil rights. |