The Butler

THE BUTLER

The Speak Up DVD this month is The Butler, which is directed by Lee Daniels. It is based on the life of Cecil Gaines, who served as a butler at the White House under eight US Presidents. Forest Whitaker has the title role, while Oprah Winfrey (who has acted in a number of films, in spite of her amazingly successful career as a talk show host) plays his wife (both are pictured right), Gloria. The film’s format is a way of telling the story of the African-American experience in the second half of the 20th century, with particular emphasis on the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. A number of other famous actors have bit parts: the late Robin Williams plays Eisenhower, John Cusack plays Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman plays Ronald Reagan and Jane Fonda plays Nancy Reagan...

(Speak Up + DVD is available at newsstands. Price: € 17.90)

A maggio con Speak Up: The Grand Budapest Hotel.