Lee Daniels' The Butler

The Carroll County Arts Council has a tradition of presenting thought-provoking programs in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This year, we present Lee Daniels' The Butler, which tells the story of Cecil Gaines, a White House butler who served seven American presidents over three decades.
 
The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family. Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, and many more. Academy Award® nominated Lee Daniels (Precious) directs and Emmy®-award winning Danny Strong (Game Change) wrote the script.
 
Martin Luther King, Jr., played by Nelsan Ellis, makes an appearance in a striking scene in The Butler. Reverend King asks the butler’s son what his father does, and Louis reluctantly answers that his father is a butler but not that he works in the White House. King says there’s nothing to be ashamed in such service, because black domestic workers have played an important role in the struggle for civil rights and breaking down barriers.