After leaving the South as a young man and finding employment at an elite hotel in Washington, D.C., Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker) gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is hired as a butler at the White House. Over the course of three decades, Cecil has a front-row seat to history and the inner workings of the Oval Office. However, his commitment to his "First Family" leads to tension at home, alienating his wife (Oprah Winfrey) and causing conflict with his anti-establishment son.The Butler / Film synopsis

Whether or not the film is Oscar-worthy, it offers important lessons about the dramatic events of the 20th century, post-war, civil rights movement, told through the life of Cecil Gaines, a fictional character based on the real-life Eugene Allen, who worked as a butler for eight different U.S. presidents over three ...

The Butler (2013) The Butler (2013) The Butler tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades.

Allen and other workers who served presidents were featured in a 32-minute documentary, Workers at the White House, directed by Marjorie Hunt and released on a 2009 DVD, White House Workers: Traditions and Memories by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Allen's life was the inspiration for the 2013 film The Butler.

“Lee Daniels' The Butler” is a film that highlights important historical moments during the civil rights movement and calls into question both the United States' governmental role in reaching racial equality as well as the public's ability to implement change.

The movie follows White House butler Cecil Gaines through his experiences under eight presidents. The opening credits read, “Inspired by true events,” but perhaps it should read, “Loosely based on a distorted understanding of one man's experiences.”

The Story That Inspired Lee Daniels' The Butler I remember Wil Haygood sharing with me his inspiration for writing his original article. On the cusp of Obama's election he sought to find an African American butler who had seen firsthand the civil rights movement from both within and outside the White House.

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 African-American who is a witness of notable political and social events of the 20th century during his 34-year tenure serving as a White House butler.

Daniels' film replaces the real Eugene Allen with the fictional Cecil Gaines, using the unique perspective of a White House butler as a jumping-off point to explore questions of race in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. The result is a largely fictional film, rather than a biopic.

It's a powerful look at the struggle for equal rights, a little unevenly paced but still a well made film. Whitaker plays Cecil Gaines in the film, a butler who served eight different presidents at the White House during the 20th century.

The real butler's name was Eugene Allen. He did, in fact, serve during eight consecutive White House administrations, and he appears to be just as likeable a character as his silver screen counterpart. Unfortunately, the majority of the rest of the film was invented for entertainment purposes.

The real butler's name was Eugene Allen. He did, in fact, serve during eight consecutive White House administrations, and he appears to be just as likeable a character as his silver screen counterpart. Unfortunately, the majority of the rest of the film was invented for entertainment purposes.

The opening scene shows Cecil remembering his early life when lynchings were common. The scene shows two black people hanging from ropes. Thomas Westfall (Alex Pettyfer), the son of the plantation owner, grabs Cecil's mother from the cotton fields and takes her into a shed. Screams are heard coming from the shed.

The butler is a designated person to assist you with all of your hospitality needs. They can arrange for certain menu items, unique cleaning and care of your room, tour arrangements, etc.

Modern butlers still perform many of the same duties as a traditional butler, along with other job duties that have evolved as the position has evolved and changed over the years. Modern butler job duties can include: Serving as Household Manager. Overseeing Maintenance and Upkeep of the Home.

The film ends with Cecil returning to the White House to meet President Obama. I can't tell if Allen ever actually met the president, but he did get a VIP invitation to the inauguration in 2009, and was in attendance on that historical day.