What's the Difference between The Butler: A Witness to History the Book and Lee Daniels' The Butler the Movie?
Lee Daniels' The Butler Book vs Movie
| In the Book |
In the Movie |
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The Butler is named Eugene Allen. |
His name is Cecil Gaines. |
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This isn't discussed. |
Cecil sees his father being murdered by a white plantation owner who had raped his mother.
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The Butler grew up in Virginia. |
He grows up in Georgia. |
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This doesn't happen. |
Cecil breaks into a hotel restaurant to steal food.
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Young Eugene gets a job as a waiter in a Virginia Hotel. |
He gets the job in North Carolina. |
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Eugene went to work in the White House first as a pantry worker after talking to the black maitr d'. |
The White House calls him to offer him the job as Butler after a senior staffer from the White House is impressed by him at a D.C. hotel.
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Eugene starts working at the White House in 1952. |
He began in 1957. |
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Eugene's wife died the Sunday night before Barack Obama was elected President. |
She dies the morning of the election.
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Eugene had one son. |
Cecil has two sons. |
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Eugene's son fights and survives in the Vietnam war. |
Cecil's son is killed in battle during the war.
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Eugene never asks for a raise. |
Cecil asks several times to be paid on par with the white staff, and eventually President Reagan insists that he get the raise. |
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Eugene doesn't meet Obama. |
The film ends with Cecil going to the White House to meet with President Obama.
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Eugene's wife is named Helen. |
Her name is Gloria. |