The film begins with a forward sentence stating that it was based on a true story. It is about 20% based on a true story. The true parts were there was a black butler in the White House from 1952 to 1986 of a different name and from a different state. There were Presidents of the same names who occupied the White House as were in the movie. That is about where the facts end and the embellishment transfers into fiction. Like Alex Haley's "Roots," the story and characters were fictional in this film. "Roots" is a novel that is still presented as "history" in black studies. So is this film. At least, so far as we know, it was not plagiarized. m/r The Romance of American Blackness - Taki's Magazine
by John Derbyshire Aug. 28, 2013
In last week’s Radio Derb I uttered some unkind words about Oprah Winfrey. The week before that, in a VDARE column, I had been uncharitable about the movie Ms. Winfrey has been so vigorously promoting recently and in which she takes a leading role. The movie’s called The Butler and tells the story of a black man from humble origins who becomes a White House butler, serving presidents from Eisenhower to Reagan. In that VDARE piece I described the movie, on indirect evidence, as “black grievance porn.”
It’s not good journalistic integrity to insult a movie one hasn’t actually seen; and besides, Ms. Winfrey has friends in high places. I therefore decided to go and see The Butler in hopes I might spare myself an IRS audit by finding something positive to say about the movie.
Not to keep you in suspense, gentle reader, but I couldn’t. The Butler is dreck. It’s dreck in a way that will bear a few hundred words of commentary, though, so here goes with a sort-of review.
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