The Butler - A Review

Source: Netflix

On May 14th, 1961, a group of civil rights activists - known as the Freedom Riders - rode an interstate bus into Anniston, Alabama, where segregation was still enforced. There, a mob of KKK members and their supporters attacked the bus, throwing a firebomb into it while slashing the tires to prevent the bus from leaving. I learnt about similar events like these through a film, The Butler, featuring Forest Whitaker and a number of high-profile actors. The film depicts a wide range of racial injustices and the civil rights movement's responses in light of discrimination, starting from 1926 until Obama's election as the 44th President of the United States. Honestly, I don't know why this film isn't that well-known given the amount of well-known actors in it, and given the topic. One would think this would be everywhere considering everyone's about social justice these days.

The film begins in 2009, where an elderly Cecil Gaines is waiting at the entrance of the White House to meet President Obama. The scene cuts to 1926, when Cecil was a seven-year old boy working on a cotton plantation, and witnessed his mother being taken away to be raped and his father being shot for trying to speak up. The estate's caretaker takes pity on Cecil and trains him to be a house servant. I honestly didn't know hard labour on cotton plantations still existed in this time - I thought they were more common in the 19th century. Even though slavery had been abolished in 1863, it took at least another century before the mentality that black people were second-class citizens had been abolished. Skipping to 1937, Cecil leaves the plantation to avoid the same fate as his father, but finds himself lost and hungry. He breaks into a hotel to get some food, but is caught by the head servant; even though the head servant could easily tell the police about Cecil , he is sympathetic and hires Cecil, training him in the ways of service. Soon, he is offered an opportunity to move to work for a hotel in Washington, D.C., where he attracts the attention of the staff working for the White House.

Working for the White House was probably the highest role any staff could have. The role brought a certain prestige, along with connections. It was not uncommon for many decades for visitors to walk through the entrance of the White House and be greeted by butlers immaculately dressed in tuxedoes. This was only changed when the Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President. In a recent Netflix documentary made by and about Michelle Obama, the former First Lady notes that their arrival to the White House saw a change in how staff operated. Michelle speaks of how she wanted her daughters to still have a normal life, which meant making their beds in the morning, and keeping their rooms tidy. She didn't want White House staff treating them like royalty. This meant getting rid of the tuxedo uniform. What do they use now? I honestly don't know.

The Freedom Riders bus in Birmingham, Alabama, featured in the film.

While working for the White House, Cecil's eldest son, Louis, moves to Nashville for university. There, he joins the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), where he attempts to fight the racial injustices perpetrated in the Deep South, taking part in a sit-in at a segregated diner. He gets arrested and put in prison, but it wouldn't be the first time this happens. He ends up being more motivated to take part in other activities, all of which land him in jail. One such activity is riding the interstate bus as a Freedom Rider to Birmingham, Alabama. When he takes part in the Birmingham Children's Crusade, President John F. Kennedy, played by James Marsden, admits to Cecil that he is now more aware of the plight of the African-American population, and feels compelled to speak up about it. He addresses the nation to propose the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which he never sees through due to his assassination at the end of 1963. The film suggests that the reason why he was assassinated was due to his beliefs about racial equality, but I'm pretty sure it was a lot more complicated than that. Heck, even the origins of the perpetrator's intentions are pretty cloudy. 

At this point, Cecil and his wife, Gloria, (played by Oprah Winfrey) are becoming more and more concerned about Louis' activities. While they do agree that Black Americans are treated more poorly than White Americans, they believe in a more peaceful resolution, preferably without breaking the law in the process. Gloria tries to explain to Louis that he could get himself killed fighting for this issue, to which Louis explains that if that happens, so be it. I know many who would be willing to die for what they believe in. It can be admirable. Martyrs can be found in any major social group, whether they are truly considered a martyr outside the group. Cecil and Gloria believe that change can happen without violence. However, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr prompts Louis and his girlfriend, Carol, to join the Black Panthers, a radical revolutionary movement. Initially, Cecil and Gloria express confusion over what the party stood for, but thought it might have been just another civil rights group. When Louis starts to explain that they were willing to fight back instead of taking the beating, and that they thought famous Black actors like Sidney Portier were just tools of the White race, I think it was pretty clear Cecil wanted nothing to do with him anymore. To be honest, I'd be the same. The Black Panthers were a terrorist group. They might have had good intentions in mind to make all races equal, and they even provided community service in the form of free breakfast for children and free medical services, but their attempt to fight racism was violent at best. 

This film addressed a large variety of historical elements that America went through in the 20th century. One thing I didn't expect it to consider was the Vietnam War. Cecil and Gloria's younger son, Charlie, admits to Louis that he plans to fight in the Vietnam War, something Louis can't seem to understand the reasoning for. He pleads Charlie to not go, but Charlie thinks his decision is far more justified than anything Louis has been doing lately: "You fight your country! I want to fight for my country!" Louis tells him he won't attend the funeral if Charlie dies. I don't support the Vietnam War at all. I can't understand the reason to start it or even indulge it in the first place other than it being a proxy war for the Cold War. It was cruel to the Vietnamese people, and was a war that was extremely unnecessary. Yet even I can see that Charlie fighting in the Vietnam War made more sense than fighting as a Black Panther. The Vietnam War was a good point for character development, though. Charlie dies fighting in the war, and Louis refuses to attend the funeral, as expected. Now you're probably questioning at this point, "Why is this a good character development point?" Well, it is also at this point that the Black Panthers have started to radicalise further and instigate violence on their own. Whether it is due to his parents refusing to keep in contact with Louis, or Charlie getting killed in action, Louis admits to Carol that he's not willing to kill another person. It probably wasn't intended this way, but I do think Louis had an awakening because of his family in some shape or form. He leaves Carol and the Black Panthers, and pursues a Master's degree in an attempt to get more directly involved in politics by running for Congress.

The Vietnam War affected Cecil and Gloria as well. It changed their perception of the government, which they had been so loyal to for many years. Cecil was always willing to serve at the White House without question, without even considering the politics. For a moment, they supported American involvement in Vietnam. Charlie's death caused them to question why America went to Vietnam in the first place. It is around here that Gloria starts to reconnect with Louis, after she sees that he has changed his ways and is attempting to be closer to the family again. Cecil, however, remains aloof. Even Cecil's colleagues push him to be less harsh on Louis. It's not until Reagan's refusal to support sanctions against the Apartheid in South Africa that he reunites with Louis, who remains a staunch activist for racial equality. Cecil even takes part in rallies with Louis, somewhat humorously ending up in jail himself for a little while. I should point out here that the film seriously misjudged Reagan's actions. His reluctance was not down to racism at all, since many former staff have confirmed that Reagan was heavily against the apartheid. It was more because he was concerned that had he actively supported the collapse of the apartheid regime, that the country would become another ally to the Soviet Union. This fear was not a ridiculous one. The fall of the British Empire saw many Commonwealth nations in Africa uniting together to support the Soviet Union. I don't blame Reagan for being concerned.

There are so many historical elements in this film that it would take much longer to address every single part of it. I do, however, have a personal deadline to meet with my blog posts so I have to be a little more concise. In spite of certain biases the film has, it's extremely underrated. It promotes itself with famous celebrities, and it's just fascinating to see the progress of the civil rights movement. This is one film I do think everybody should watch at least once in their lifetime.