In-Class Write

1. The film, The Butler, exhibits the importance of the Civil Rights movement in the point of view from an African American house servant who is exposed to the political situations the US is having throughout the mid to late 1900s. A person can and will learn what the African American community was feeling from these laws made by the white supremacists through the film. The audience learns and experiences the revolution the Civil Rights movement made, how troublesome and brutal it was to all society and what it took to make it happen.

Cecil Gaines’ son, Louis Gaines, was a participant of the Black Panther Party and a strong protestor to oppression, which shows perspective of what these people were fighting for and why. Cecil Gaines also serves multiple presidents, who were strong influencers of this movement. They set the changing laws and evolving social statuses. The other son, Charlie Gaines, also fought in Vietnam and taught how the wars greatly impacted the minds of the presidents and legislative. All characters in the film display what is needed to teach and see all aspects of the movement through the film. The United States changed their whole culture within the Civil Rights movement, the film taught us what needed to happen and what actually did happen to the country for us to be where we are today.

2. When watching The Butler, I was even confused and lost on some of the laws and happenings that occurred during the Cecil vs. President scenes. What people won’t understand just from watching is that every conflict happening in the film is true, but also summarized for the filming benefit, they will not fully understand or learn what the reality of the situation is.

Every president Cecil served under did something to either aid or hurt the Civil Rights movement, and the meaning behind these influences are the confusing part. Such as the Apartheid in South Africa, just from watching it sounds like no big deal and a routine problem for the US presidents. When researched the Apartheid was a huge deal with segregation within the South African community, much same to the southern US. South Africa was racial profiling on steroids, they would legally classify a person based on appearance rather than character, and the US and UK were trying to impose economic sanctions. During President Reagan’s term, he was debating on whether or not to impose these sanctions, as discussed in a Ceciol vs. President scene in the Oval Office.

Another significant happening which went a tad bit unexplained, or went by really fast in the film, was Bloody Sunday under President Johnson’s term. In the film, it was explained just to the point that it was brutal and called Bloody Sunday from the wreckage and heartbroken it forbode, but it was a turning point in the Civil Rights movement. In researching, that sunday in 1965, 600 peaceful demonstrators were beaten and killed by Alabama state and local police forces, and activist Jamie Lee Jackson was assassinated. This scene also was important to display the presidents reactions to this type of beatings the community took, LBJ had saw it on TV, on everyone’s TV, he reacted like any real person would, no matter the position or status. Researching these happenings that develop the film would give new and clear insight on these situations.

3. The ending, I found, was disappointing to the film's concept. The end scene was Cecil Gaines cerca 2008, walking to Obama’s office in his new term. It was disappointing because the film has showed Cecil coming all this way, serving under many controversial presidents, all white, then him experiencing Obama being elected, the first black president. He had visited the White House back from his retirement to see the first black president, and the film had shut off right as he turned down the hallway. I would add an extra 20 minutes to the ending of Cecil Gaines meeting President Obama and displaying the emotion of relief, gratitude, and pride through the screen when shaking hands with him. I would add a bit conversation between the two and how Cecil felt towards his presidency and what he experienced when serving at the White House, maybe adding President Obama’s thoughts and emotion to meeting such a man that experienced the rollercoaster of the Civil Rights movement under the White House. I think that would make for a significant resolution the film, piecing together what a turn the US has taken, it would show what all can change in history.