Director Lee Daniels (Precious, The Paperboy) has never been known for his subtlety, preferring instead the direct approach, which while admirable, can be difficult to digest. His latest project, which spans more than fifty years of American history, could have easily been a jumbled mess, but Forest Whitaker’s moving performance in the title role gives Lee Daniels ’ The Butler  undeniable emotional heft.

A heavily fictionalized version of the real-life Eugene Allen (who retired from the White House midway through the Reagan administration and passed away in 2010), Forest Whitaker’s Cecil Gaines is used as a vehicle to move viewers through the long struggle for civil rights, from the cotton fields of Macon Georgia in 1926, to watching Barack Obama elected President of the United States in 2008.

The son of plantation workers (Mariah Carey plays his mother in a long line of occasionally distracting cameos) Cecil is taken to work in the house by the plantation owner (Vanessa Redgrave) after his father is killed by her repulsive son (Alex Pettyfer). Sheteaches him how to be invisible while serving. In his late teens, Gaines decides to leave the plantation, eventually landing a job at a as a waiter in a Washington, D.C., hotel, where he perfects the art of silence and anticipating the customers needs. Eventually, his professionalism attracts the attention of a White House staffer, and he finds himself offered the job of White House butler, where he serves seven Presidents from Dwight Eisenhower (Robin Williams) to Ronald Reagan (Alan Rickman). Despite few concrete gains in salary and prestige—the gap between white and black workers at the presidential residence is made clear in a series of scenes between Cecil and his white supervisor—Cecil remains a loyal employee.

At home, Cecil’s wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) considers herself a White House widow, eventually dealing with her loneliness through alcohol, and carrying on an affair with their neighbor (Terrence Howard). Gloria and Cecil’s oldest son, Louis (David Oyelowo), sees his father as little more than an Uncle Tom, and uses college as an opportunity to become deeply involved in the civil rights movement. Eventually leaving school, he becomes a Freedom Rider, gets jailed with Martin Luther King, and becoming more militant, joins the Black Panther party with his ultra-radical girlfriend. Naturally, Louis’ transformation alienates Cecil, and father and son no longer know how to talk to each other. When father and son finally do reunite after years of estrangement, the emotional weight of the moment is clear.

Oprah Winfrey does a fine job in limited screen time. She hasn’t been this effective since her film debut in 1985’s The Color Purple. Never trying to dominate a scene, Winfrey effectively shows how Cecil’s dedication to his job affected his home life. Other notable supporting players include Cuba Gooding Jr., and Lenny Kravitz.

The Butler offers an opportunity to see how the dynamics within The White House changed from administration to administration over the course of the second half of the 20th century, while also taking viewers to the front lines of the civil rights struggle in 1960’s America.

Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Anchor Bay’s 1080p transfer is nicely rendered with vivid colors throughout. Flesh tones look natural, and contrast is well balanced with deep blacks and fine shadow delineation. Though black levels do look a bit crushed on a couple of occasions, it doesn’t take away from the viewing experience. Though there are a few soft spots, detail is for the most part, a high point of the transfer. The picture exhibits a nice filmic texture, and nice saturation.

The DTS-HD Master Audio track is dialogue heavy, with good spatial integration. Atmospherics and the limited sound effects are nicely integrated give the whole thing a realistic feel. The orchestral score and music from various periods compliments the story perfectly.

English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are available.

The following extras are included:

  • Lee Daniels’ The Butler: An American Story (HD, 22:04) A nice behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, featuring comments from most of the cast, director Lee Daniels, and screenwriter Danny Strong.
  • Deleted Scenes (HD, 21:07) Nine deleted scenes. Seemingly cut for time, these are actually worth a look. Nothing is really a throwaway. These consist of ‘Annabeth and Thomas on Porch’ ; ‘Cecil Leaves with Abe’ ; ‘Freedom Bus’ ; ‘White House Kitchen’; ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’; ‘Cecil and Gloria Argue’; ‘Louis Proposes’; ‘Charlie’s Do-Rag’; and ‘Fishy Fishy.’
  • The Original Freedom Riders (HD, 3:52) Comments from some of the real-life people who rode the Freedom Bus.
  • ‘You and I Ain’t Nothin’ No More’ Music Video (HD, 1:45)  “You And I Ain’t Nothin No More” performed by Gladys Knight and Lenny Kravitz.
  • Gag Reel (HD, 5:12) Fairly typical stuff.
  • DVD Copy
  • UV Digital Copy