"The Butler" by Celeste, Christelle & Manuela

“The Butler” Lee Daniels

By: Christelle, Manuela and Celeste 4ºA

Table contents: 1.Introduction:

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2. The butler: a)​Director and cast: b)​Film’s analysis: -Structure: -Point of view: -Tone: -Setting: -Sound: -Genre: c)​Character’s analysis: -Manuela’s character: -Celeste’s character: -Christelle’s Character: d)​Conversation: -Setting: -Conversation:

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3.Publicity: a)​Poster’s analysis: b) Trailer’s analysis.

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4. Conclusion:

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5.Bibliography:

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1.Introduction: We chose this film because we think that it is very interesting and we had never seen any movie of this style, but we wanted to watch some like this. We wanted another movie but it was already chosen, it was “12 years of slavery”, then we decided to analyze this film, the other one was also about black people’s rights.

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2. The butler: a) Director and cast: This film is directed by Lee Daniels. Lee Daniels started as a producer with “Monster’s Ball”, he was nominated to some Oscars and he also directed “Precious”, his films are about racism, violence and sex.

The protagonists of this story are Forest Whitaker, who performed Cecil Gaines. Gloria Gaines was interpreted by Oprah Winfrey, she is Cecil’s wife.

Louis and Charlie Gaines are Cecil and Gloria Gaines’s sons. Louis was interpreted by David Oyelowo and Charlie by Isaac White.

This film doesn’t remind us other films or stories that we have already seen ​or read.

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b) Film’s analysis: This film is based on real facts.

It is about the life of a man who since young he was prepared to be a butler.

He meets Gloria, and ​they have some sons, that are going to be important on the film.

This film is about racism, inequalities, about human rights. ​This film is curious for the beginning​, because it starts in the end.

When the film starts, the man is old and begins to tell us his life story until he returns to that moment.

The story ends when Cecil leaves his work and ​ ​he meets again his older son.

Later, his wife dies, and Cecil stays with his older son. This story has a closed ending.

-Structure: This film chronologically follows an order because it tells the story from the time when the butler is young to when he is older.

The tension we think is when the older child goes to Tennessee to study and tries to fight against racism and when the younger child goes to the war they kill ​him.The story keeps all the details until the end, It is a happy ending but they had to suffer a lot to achieve their goal.

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-Point of view: This story is told only by one person, Cecil, the butler. The narrator, throughout story, reveals things and feelings about himself. In this movie we can see the interior life of some characters.

The dialogue and actions allow us to know what the characters think and feel.

The point of view of this story is created to make ​us ​think in a certain way. To think that the treatment of blacks in the past was bad.

-Tone: In this film there isn’t any part of comedy.

In this story there is an irony, that whites always need blacks.

We didn’t like all the characters, especially the first president who appears at the beginning of the movie because he tries to change everything about racism, but unfortunately they ended up killing him, the character that we didn’t like was the owner of the cotton farm where Cecil ​lived ​when he was a child. We didn’t like it because he killed Cecil’s father without any reason and because he thought that he was better than his workers.

-Setting: This story ​is developed from ​1920, when Cecil was young and he was in a cotton field in Georgia, ​to ​2009 when he is older and he lives in Washington. We can establish the setting when Page 6 of 14

the film begins. The setting doesn’t lead to certain expectations. Slavery is assumed at the beginning of the story, “whites had more rights than blacks”.

-Sound: The music in this film was directed by Alexandre desplat.

There is music, for example when the butler and his wife dance together, but the most important part is when the butler goes to see Obama for the first time.

There are parts where the music creates a relaxed and formal atmosphere and others where the music creates curiosity, fun, or a sadness atmosphere.

The sounds or silences are important because they want ​to stand out important things of the story.

-Genre: This film belongs to two genres, drama, because it is a sad and tragic movie, and historical, because it is based on real facts which happened in the past.

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c) Character’s analysis: -Manuela’s character: My character is Cecil, the butler.

His lit depends ​on ​the situation. When something important happens the character is very illuminated, to stand out the details. Also the lit creates a tension and sad situation.

Cecil wears formal ​clothes​, he wears a suit when he works and when he doesn’t work he wears ​ ​a t-shirt and dark trousers.

This character is situated in relation to other characters, in other position because of his work, although it isn’t socially valued , he is the butler of the president of the United States.

Through what he says and does I learned to value the things I have and surpass yourself after difficult moments.

In his work, he is loyal and discreet with what he hears.

His behavior with other people brings out his important traits.

Cecil is a character realistically depicted, because this film is based on real facts and because this situation happens nowadays.

The character is described as honest, good, sincere, loyal and he learns from his mistakes.

All the actions that he does permit me to judge him.

This character is believable, because his situation happens nowadays.

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-Celeste’s character: I’m going to analyze Gloria Gaines, because I think ​that she ​is ​a ​very important person because she was the person that supported, listened and advised Cecil, although he didn’t talk much. She was very curious, she wanted to know all about “The White House”, but Cecil never told her anything. She knew how black people was being treated by white people, but also she knew what her family had and what Cecil was thanks to the whites.

-Christelle’s Character: Louis (David Oyelowo) is the butler’s ​older child​, ​this child goes to study to Tennessee when they killed his grandfather.He tries to fight against racism, but his parents, didn't agree.

I think this character is very brave with everything because he tries to be respected. Also he changes his clothes ​to a hippie style because he wants to change absolutely everything about racism and I think his style interprets what he intends to do.

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d) Conversation: “America always turned a blind eye to our own backyard. We look out to the world and judge… the concentration camps… when these camps went on right here for 200 years…​” (1.51.34)

-Setting: The situation develops when they are talking at the table, before ​Louis goes away to study. This conversation doesn’t change what happens in the film. We develop it in this instant because it’s one of the few moments where they are all together.

-Conversation: -Louis: Mum, Dad, I have to tell you something. I would like to go to study to Tennessee university.

- Gloria: I agree with you, I would like you to go there.

-Cecil: I think that the south is very dangerous for you to go alone.

- Gloria: Don't talk nonsense, the south is as dangerous as the north.

-Louis: It's not like there are any concentration camps. Nothing is going to happen to me.

-Cecil: I’ll tell you something, “America always turned a blind eye to our own backyard. We look out to the world and judge… the concentration camps… when these camps went on right here for 200 years…”

-Gloria: Cecil I agree with you, but I think that we could give him the chance to mature studying in the south.

-Louis: Thanks mum, I am not going to disappoint you, I promise.

-Cecil: I hope so.

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3.Publicity: a) Poster’s analysis: In the poster, we see the butler looking through the presidential office window from where he can see some people protesting or maybe gathering together to see the new president.

With respect to the words, we think that “ONE QUIET VOICE CAN IGNITE A REVOLUTION” refers to the moment when the butler tries to explain the racism that they suffer.

In this poster the image is bigger than the text, because it is more important. We think that it wants to centre the attention on the butler, he is the protagonist of the film and the most important.

We think that there are elements that indicate where the film happens, for example the flag of the United States and the White House in the background. The colours of the poster indicate that the film is about something which they wanted to hide, to give less importance, but which happens.

b) Trailer’s analysis.

About the pace of the trailer, interspersed previous and posterior events.

In the trailer actions are compared when the butler begins to work in the White House and when he is older, for example, when the butler was​ ​clean the president’s shoes.

We think that the trailer shows concret and short scenes of the film to get intrigued and that the public wants to see this film.

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4. Conclusion: We liked this film because it’s about a serious matter which takes place nowadays. It tries to teach us that all the people must have the same rights and we learn that we should value what we have and the way we are.

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5.Bibliography: ● Lago,Loly. Working as a scriptwriter. 13 january 2017.Access 6 February 2017.

Recovered from: https://www.edu.xunta.gal/centros/iesfene/aulavirtual2/pluginfile.php/9770/mod_res ource/content/2/WORKING%20AS%20A%20SCRIPT%20WRITER%20-%20Individ ual%20project.pdf ● Lago, Loly. Working as a scriptwriter. 13 january 2017. Access 2 March 2017.Recovered from: https://www.edu.xunta.gal/centros/iesfene/aulavirtual2/pluginfile.php/9771/mod_reso urce/content/1/WORKING%20AS%20A%20SCRIPT%20WRITER%20-%20Group% 20Work.pdf ● Estamos Rodando. Lee Daniels. Access 30 January 2017. Recovered from: http://biografias.estamosrodando.com/lee-daniels/ ● IMDb. El mayordomo. Access 23 January 2017. Recovered from: ​http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327773/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm ● Pret-a-Reporter. Access 2 March 2017. Recovered from: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/lee-daniels-butlers-iconic-looks-606602/1oprah-winfrey-as-gloria-gaines ● Riegle, Ashley. NeonTommy. 27 August 2013. Access 2 March 2017. Recovered from:​http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/08/film-review-butler-imperative-reflect ion-civil-rights-america ● Wikipedia. The butler. 23 February 2013. Access 2 March 2017.Recovered from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butler ● Edwards, Shanee. Sheknows. 16 August 2013.Access 2 March 2017.Recovered from: http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1009773/10-interesting-things-to-kn ow-about-lee-daniels-the-butler ● Bellenews. Louis Gaines. 25 January 2014. Access 2 March 2017.Recovered from: https://www.bellenews.com/2014/01/25/entertainment/louis-gaines-the-hero-of-lee-d aniels-the-butler/ ● La Tercera. Access 3 March 2017. Recover from: http://www.latercera.com/noticia/the-butler-la-pelicula-sobre-el-mayordomo-que-tra bajo-34-anos-en-la-casa-blanca/ ● Barranco, Eva. Cineblog. 16 October 2013. Access 3 March 2017. Recovered from: http://cineblogbyeva.blogspot.com.es/2013/10/el-mayordomo.html ● Blogspot. Access 3 March 2017. Recover from: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_uNVQMESFzw/VF18QImV4VI/AAAAAAAADEI/ECrr8Wb X09A/s1600/The-Butler-2013-720p-3.png

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● Tomillo, Jorge. Popcoken. 26 February 2014. Access 3 March 2017. Recovered from: ​http://www.popcoken.com/2014_02_26_archive.html ● Our presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZF4FY4Vbsql9_66rmcYzw-E5mdVX52Yn VIBxGeWN3L4/edit#slide=id.p

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