POWER - THE BUTLER, FILM POSTER

Film Poster : THE BUTLER

The hero is standing with his back to us. He is a butler, he’s wearing white gloves. he is in fact in the White House and he is looking out of a window. To the right  there is the American flag (the Star and Stripes) with a bald eagle on top and to the right, there is the president's flag. They are symbols of power, of the power of the US.

In the background, in the distance, there is a white building on top of a hill: it’s Congress, the seat of legislative power.

Between this building and the White house there is a crowd of people. Thye are protesting. We can see a peace sign so maybe they are protesting against the war in Vietnam.

The butler is just observing the scene, so he is not involved, he is not taking sides  he is just an observer

So, several forms of power are represented: symbolic power (the flag)

                                                                               Political power: the White House and Congress

                                                                               The power of the people who challenge authority

The film is based on the true story of an African-American butler who served at the White House for 30 years. He served 7 presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter,