• Omar Moore in San Francisco
From its incendiary opening to its somber but exultant conclusion, Spike Lee's grand and important film "Malcolm X" captures the life of a complex, charismatic and gravely misunderstood man who fought for human rights and justice for Africans and African-Americans. The film, based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, is arguably Mr. Lee's best and most universal film, and one of the great American film biographies.
For context, "Malcolm X" had extraordinary publicity leading up to its 1991 production. Numerous black activists in New York City and elsewhere had forecasted that Mr. Lee's film would not accurately depict the essence of Malcolm. "Don't mess Malcolm up", was a refrain the director heard over and over again.
"Malcolm X" was released in New York City on November 18, 1992, two weeks and one day after Bill Clinton was first elected president. (Full disclosure: a year earlier I was an extra on "Malcolm X".) When a t-shirt designed by Mr. Lee's 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks' apparel company was released in early 1992 depicting an "X" carved out of an American flag, some suspected that the Brooklyn-based director was going to be an agent in co-opting Malcolm's political and historical legacy.
Denzel Washington's career-making performance as Malcolm Little, who evolved many times during a brief 39 year-life, electrifies Mr. Lee's classic, sweeping epic . Mr. Washington renders an excellent portrayal, the most complete acting of his career, playing a multifaceted man: hustler, thief, prisoner, minister, orator, Black Nationalist and justice-seeker, Pan-African leader and devout student of Islam.
For his remarkable work Mr. Washington won the Berlinale Silver Bear Best Actor award in 1993 but lost out at the Academy Awards that year. Martin Scorsese once hailed Mr. Washington's performance as Malcolm X as "one of the best in American movies ...phenomenal." To this day Mr. Lee still wonders aloud how Mr. Washington didn't win an Oscar. (He's not the only one.) The role of Malcolm X was not an unfamiliar one to the Mount Vernon, NY-born Washington, who had played Malcolm X Off-Broadway in 1981 in the play "When The Chickens Came Home To Roost".
As beautifully photographed by Ernest Dickerson, Mr. Lee's "Malcolm X" has at least four different visual tones. The early 1940s are richly saturated colors with golden, nostalgic light as we follow Malcolm's career as a hustler and pimp Detroit Red, although the onscreen portrayal of those early times is not nearly as salacious or blunt in its interracial and sexual politics as presented in Mr. X's autobiography.
The mid-1940's and mid-1950s are a transition to a cold, colorless, stripped-down world as Malcolm-as-rebel and later "Satan" is introduced to the penal system as an inmate at the Charlestown State Prison in Massachusetts. "We were all victims of the American social order", Mr. Washington's Malcolm narrates during the early part of Mr. Lee's film. It is during this seven-year imprisonment phase of Malcolm's life that Mr. Dickerson's cinematography is at its finest. Shadows with smoky, cool powder blues represent the shadings and grays of Malcolm, a man who was always in transition.
The latter 1950s to mid-1960s of "Malcolm X" are a compendium of visual styles. They range from the sharp golden browns and Gordon Willis-influenced darker shades during Malcolm's ascendancy as Minister Malcolm X in the Nation Of Islam under Elijah Muhammad, to bright, rich paradise-like visions during his 1964 pilgrimage to Mecca, where Malcolm became El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, to a faded, almost funereal, monochromatic look for February 21, 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom in Upper Manhattan.
"Malcolm X" goes beyond the end of Malcolm's life to reveal the contemporary reach of his message of self-defense and self-determination for black people, and a fighter against racism. This is depicted symmetrically. Mr. Lee astutely begins his film with the oratory of Mr. Washington-as-Malcolm as he assails "the white man" for mass violence against blacks, as we view the grainy footage of the 1991 beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police. By the end of "Malcolm X" we glimpse a young generation who identify with Malcolm and see a modern-day leader who passes the torch to them. These final scenes are sunny and rich with golden brown hues. Mr. Lee provides a quick overview of several Pan-African leaders, specifically referencing Patrice Lumumba of the Belgian Congo and Nelson Mandela of South Africa, both products of turbulent times and an inspiration to those they led.
Mr. Lee's film gives audiences a complete picture of Malcolm and the events and people surrounding and shaping his life. In his Nation of Islam days as Minister Malcolm X, Malcolm was feared by as many blacks in the U.S. as he was whites. In the midst of the extreme racist climate in the U.S. during the 1960s, Malcolm's plain-spoken, fervent advocacy on behalf of black people suffering injustice, juxtaposed with Dr. Martin Luther King's conciliatory approach, made the latter more palatable to many whites, some of whom didn't care for Dr. King in the first place and viewed Malcolm as a racist. (During his Nation of Islam days Malcolm X had universally condemned whites as "a race of devils" when blacks suffered brutalities at the hands of some whites. He blasted many blacks who were reticent to fight racism and oppression against themselves in the wake of violence as "Uncle Tom". Malcolm later apologized for doing both.) Mr. Lee illustrates the contrast in philosophies between Malcolm and Dr. King, just as he did in his 1989 film "Do The Right Thing", though this time with video footage instead of photographs.
References in prior films, beginning with his first feature "She's Gotta Have It" (1986) prepared Spike Lee for "Malcolm X", his sixth film. Interestingly, there are moments in "Malcolm X" that reference prior "Spike Lee Joints" and the director himself. During one of the speeches Mr. Washington sounds as if he says, "...by teaching us to love our enemy and pray for those who use us Spike Lee". The scripted line is, "...by teaching us to love our enemy and pray for those who use us spitefully." That the actor sounds as if he's saying the director's name during this moment is likely mere coincidence. (If you watch the film, be sure to listen closely to the line, which comes at the two hour, one minute and 29-second mark on the single-DVD edition.) Another apparent or accidental referencing of Mr. Lee's work comes in a hindsight moment during the eulogy sequence of "Malcolm X", with footage of the real-life Malcolm X saying the words, "you haven't done the right thing!"
During a Malcolm speech delivered by Mr. Washington, there's a mention of being "hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray." Mr. Lee took the word from Mr. X's speech and made it the title of his 2000 film "Bamboozled", in which he also shows the same clip from "Malcolm X" in which Mr. Washington utters the film's title.
Triple themes or motifs run throughout Mr. Lee's "Malcolm X": fathers, numbers and gunshots.
• Fathers
Throughout his life Mr. X had been searching for a father figure. His father had been murdered by Klansmen in Nebraska, where Malcolm was born in 1925. In the 1940s he learned the hustler way via West Indian Archie (played terrifically in Mr. Lee's film by Delroy Lindo). By the end of that decade and into the 1950s a third father, Baines (an excellent Albert Hall) triggered Malcolm's metamorphosis from illiterate to stunning orator while in prison. During the 1950s Malcolm found a father in Elijah Muhammad, and in 1964 Mr. X's newest father was Allah, god in the Islamic faith. Each of these fathers except the last would betray Malcolm, whether by untimely death, turncoat ways or moral indiscretions. Malcolm actually said that when he prayed to Allah during his hajj in Mecca "it was the only time in my life that I stood before the creator of all and felt like a complete human being," and the line is repeated by Mr. Washington in the film. Malcolm's father had finally been found.• Numbers
As a numbers runner and gambler in the early 1940s Malcolm Little had to keep numbers in his head and in Mr. Lee's film numbers are pivotal to his relationship with West Indian Archie, who advises Malcolm-as-Detroit Red to memorize numbers rather than write them down. Later, in prison Malcolm is asked by a prison warden to recite his inmate number. "I forgot it!" Malcolm says. While challenging the prison chaplain (Christopher Plummer) Malcolm-as-"Satan" quotes the Bible very specifically, chapter and verse.
• Gunshots
While Shorty (Spike Lee) and Detroit Red (Mr. Washington) play a game of cops and robbers in a park during the first hour of the film, fingers are pointed at Detroit Red and we hear the sound of a gunshot. This foreshadowing is repeated several times throughout Mr. Lee's film to represent marked time for Malcolm. When West Indian Archie meets Detroit Red and Sophia (played by Kate Vernon), Archie points his fingers at Red. We hear a gunshot. When Minister Malcolm X speaks about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy we hear several gunshots. A prelude to the 1965 assassination scene of Mr. X at the Audubon Ballroom begins with a gunshot, which introduces the song "Shotgun" by Junior Walker and The All-Stars. And during the eulogy reprised in the film by Malcolm's good friend and real-life eulogist the late, great Ossie Davis, we hear a gunshot as we see a moment frozen in time immediately after the assassination of Dr. King: three people pointing their fingers in the air.
There's actually a fourth theme that runs throughout "Malcolm X": unity among people, as well as how Malcolm as a leader unified blacks who were divided amongst themselves, both during his life and after death.
• Unity
In the early part of Mr. Lee's film we are ensconced in American sports culture as large crowds in Harlem celebrate heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis' victory over Billy Conn during the days of Detroit Red. The large crowds are seen again as Minister Malcolm X addresses a rally of people in Harlem. This scene repeats itself as Malcolm X gives further speeches and a demonstration outside a police precinct occurs. In Mecca on Malcolm's hajj there are shots of a large gathering of people in unison as they pray. In South Africa there are a throng of young people cheering Malcolm and on the streets of Harlem a large group of people do the same.
• Music
Music has long been a significant staple of Mr. Lee's films. Some of his works have contained the full versions of songs or music to underline a scene of importance, contextualize a theme or create an anthem, and often in the third act of his films. In "Do The Right Thing" the song was "Fight The Power". In "Mo' Better Blues" (1990), it was John Coltrane's "Love Supreme". In "Jungle Fever" (1991) it was Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" and in "Malcolm X" it is Sam Cooke's legendary "A Change Is Gonna Come", which perfectly accompanies Malcolm's march to martyrdom. This specific moment is elegiac and reverential for sure, and it crystallizes another of the abrupt winds of change to come in black political leadership in America. Much of Duke Ellington's scintillating "Arabesque Cookie" plays during readings of Malcolm's actual letters to his wife Betty during his Mecca pilgrimage as a leader of his newly-formed Organization of Afro-American Unity organization. The OAAU was a group that dedicated itself to unifying and bettering black people in America and connecting them to Africans on the continent.
Music from each of the eras of Malcolm's life are well-represented, including Louis Jordan's "Beans And Cornbread", Ella Fitzgerald's "Chew Chew Chew" and Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home", as are songs from Ray Charles and Billie Holliday. Terence Blanchard's amazing music score is singular and definitive in its alternating moods of triumph, enlightenment and sorrow. The Boys Choir of Harlem vocalize moments in "Malcolm X" that sound like an orchestra of angels singing.
"Malcolm X" is a stirring, thought-provoking, insightful and timeless film. It inspires discussion and encourages the reading of books. While in prison Malcolm once read an entire dictionary from cover to cover and wrote each and every single word, letter and syllable contained within it. Mr. Lee's film isn't stuck in a time warp, retaining a potent relevancy to this very day. With its additional themes of the importance of language, speech, education and self-respect, "Malcolm X" is heavily layered.
Mr. Lee faced enormous obstacles while making "Malcolm X", including the firing of all of his production people by The Completion Bond Company. Warner Brothers refused to give Mr. Lee a red cent beyond the film's outlined $28 million budget, so the director went to noted entertainers including Bill Cosby, Prince, Janet Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to ask for their help in funding the film so that it could be completed in post-production. After these public figures contributed, the studio again began to fund "Malcolm X", pushing aside The Completion Bond Company.
"Malcolm X" was filmed in New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Connecticut, Cairo, Mecca, Saudi Arabia and Soweto.
The late Dr. Betty Shabazz was eight months pregnant with twins when she witnessed her husband's assassination. She was a consultant on the film, which was to be directed by Norman Jewison, who voluntarily stepped aside for Mr. Lee to take the helm after a meeting with him. (Mr. Jewison would later direct Mr. Washington in "The Hurricane". A photo of the real Malcolm X appears in that film during a scene in which Mr. Washington is in prison as Ruben "Hurricane" Carter.)
Marvin Worth and Mr. Lee produced "Malcolm X". Mr. Worth, who personally knew Malcolm, passed away in 1998. Mr. Lee and the late Arnold Perl wrote the screenplay. Yet in many instances, Mr. Lee's narrative voice is withdrawn, and Malcolm's voice takes center stage. Malcolm X was demonized in the mainstream U.S. press in the 1950s and 1960s as an angry, violent man, yet this couldn't be further from the truth. He was a family man and a fearless champion of racial justice. Mr. Lee's film shrewdly depicts much of the American press as a cynical group looking to distort Malcolm's image, though Mr. Washington's great performance doesn't reveal as much of the charisma as the real-life Malcolm exuded.
"Malcolm X" is an extraordinary and profound film of one man's transformation and evolution. It's remarkable that Mr. Lee managed to condense volumes of information into a film of only three hours and 21 minutes. Barry Alexander Brown edits "Malcolm X" and its tone shifts are seamless. The film's running time goes by swiftly, and despite being an underwhelming performer in 1992 and early 1993 during its U.S. theatrical release, "Malcolm X" more than stands the test of time. One of the most stunning things of all is to watch the film's closing credits. Note the sheer breadth of notable cast members and the sound of Aretha Franklin's phenomenal voice.
Anyone who hasn't seen "Malcolm X" should. It's a great education into the metamorphosis of a man, as is the must-read Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Thank you for this. This article is just the call I needed to go and revisit the book and film.
My favorite film by Spike Lee. My favorite performance by Denzel Washington.
It's a very good film, though I think it's not Lee's best only because it's not a good match between genre and director. It's Lee doing David Lean.
In any case, the idea that Martin Luther King was "conciliatory" is a modern simplification that comes close to being a libel.
"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is not conciliatory. Neither were King's marches, his protests, his criticism of the Viet Nam War, or anything else he did. His murder aside, King was not a saint or intentional martyr. He wasn't perfect; he even plagiarized parts of his doctoral dissertation. But he was a truly great man.
Malcolm was brilliant and charismatic, and given time he might have become wise. Considering his background, he had a major handicap in terms of knowledge and perspective. It's no wonder he was still searching right till the end.
Only the young and inexperienced -- and yes, ignorant -- could ever think that Malcom's words and tactics were as effective as King's. It's not a matter of being conciliatory but of knowing what works. To use a literary analogy, it's harder to be Hamlet, who thinks and ruminates and reflects and agonizes, than to be Laertes, who charges the king and puts a sword to his throat. But Laertes ends up a tool of the king, and Hamlet not only gets revenge but exposes the king's guilt. That he dies in the process unfortunate, but a price he is willing to pay.
Malcolm reminds me of the great Clash song "Working for the Clampdown," in which Joe Strummer sings "Let fury have the hour / Anger can be power." That has emotional resonance, but those in power chuckle at it. Fury and anger look impressive, but their inherent irrationality means they can easily be turned against those who use them.
And the irony of holding up Islam as authentically African when it was imposed on Africa through conquest (as we still see in the Sudan), and the Arabs were the very people enslaving and selling African natives is either tragic or absurd, depending on one's view of human folly.
One more thing: Spike Lee is an extremely talented film-maker. And he was probably the right choice to make this film. But his comments on Norman Jewison at the time were reprehensible. He wanted to make this film, and he could have made a legitimate case that he should direct it, and instead he made it entirely about race. Jewison had directed Poitier in In the Heat of the Night, Pacino in And Justice for All, and Rollins in A Soldier's Story. I think he could have also gotten a great performance out of Washington (as he did in Hurricane), and handled the subject matter well.
I was a college sophomore when X came out, very much a part of Hip-Hop's "knowledge of self" culture, had read Malcolm's autobiography at 16, and was inspired and enamored by him. My friends went to see X as a massive, very concerned with how Spike Lee would treat him. We went to a screening preceded by a lecture by John Henrik Clarke, a friend of Malcolm's. He warned us not to expect justice from the film, and told the auditorium of community activists and student groups "If you want an honest portrayal of him, make it yourselves." I was stunned to find in the movie - and in your article, frankly - the fictitious character "Baines." Malcolm had siblings who were already in the Nation of Islam, and their influence and support were completely absent. I wanted to know how Lee would portray their choosing the NOI's side when the split came - no such luck. Instead we got a made-up superhero figure who, though thoroughly inspiring, never existed in Malcolm Little's life. This disturbed me then, and still does, obviously. Amiri Baraka had his own issues with the film, and pointed out, when he visited our campus, that the X movement - including the seeming massive interest in culture, marked by X caps, red/black/green garb, and such - was killed by the X film. Instead of inspiring people to continue Malcolm's work, or even read his autobiography, Baraka argued, it sent it to slumber. And it seems he was right. People watched X and felt they knew everything they needed to. For those of us for whom it wasn't a fad, the film was a Hollyweird version of a man too large to be touched. Cinematically, it was a GREAT piece of work, though. I just wish people would acknowledge that it was a movie, not a documentary, with Spike taking creative license and inserting and deleting characters as his story required. But yeah, great movie.
When you see the word "religion," you might think Islam is a religion like Christianity or Judaism. Actually, it's a terrorist agenda pretending to be a religion.
I checked Amazon for some DVDs on point:
(1) ABC News Nightline Stoning a Woman to Death (Airdate: July 10, 2003)
Our focus tonight is what happens when fundamentalist Islamic law meets modern human rights. A woman in Nigeria named Amina Lawal bears a child out of wedlock and is sentenced to death by stoning. That means she is buried up to her waist and stones thrown at her head until she dies. The legal system that sentenced Amina Lawal is known as Sharia law. It is the strict interpretation of Islamic justice and it is practiced in some form or another in several countries,
(2) "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center" and its companion documentary, "Muslims Against Jihad," tell the story of courageous anti-Islamist Muslims in Western Europe, Canada and the United States and the extraordinary challenges they face in taking on
*** adherents to the theo-totalitarian ideology known as Islamism. ***
Moderates are being ostracized, intimidated and in some cases, threatened with death when they oppose Honor Killings, Arranged Marriages, Suicide Bombings, and every other sick and backward activity that takes place within the boundaries of the Islamic world (Director/Producer Martyn Burke)
The Joint Terrorism Task Force is looking at the techniques used by terrorist organizations to recruit new victims. “While our European counterparts have been dealing with the threat of radical extremism for some time now, I think we can all agree that the problem is now in the United States,” said Michael McCaul, the ranking Republican member of the subcommittee.
Teenagers are a top target for recruiters. “A lot of Muslim kids doubt that they belong here because they are made to feel like they are different and inferior, that somehow they are not American,” said Abed Hammoud, a political activist and prosecutor in the Detroit area. “That makes it potentially easier to recruit them.”
Pretending that Malcolm Little was heroic gives a false sense of legitimacy to Islam. How did he die? When he switched his views to include non-violent solutions, three Muslims killed him.
WIKI: As Malcolm began speaking, a disturbance broke out in the crowd.
“Get your hand out of my pocket,” someone screamed.
“Hold it, hold it, don’t get excited. Let’s cool it, brothers,” Malcolm said.
A man with a double-barrel shotgun rose from the front row of folding chairs and fired. The slugs shattered Malcolm’s chest, pitching him backward as two more gunmen rushed the stage shooting pistols.
Ten days later, Khalil Islam, then known as Thomas 15X Johnson and a ranking lieutenant at Elijah Muhammad’s Temple No. 7 on 116th Street and Lenox Avenue, was arrested...
Islam isn't a religion. Not in the sense that modern Americans use that term.
A "theo-totalitarian ideology" is more accurate than "religion." A government by religious clerics rather than elected politicians.
It's all too easy for angry teenagers to be recruited into Islam. If they realize they make a mistake, like Malcolm did, they're murdered to prevent them from leaving. The Internet should come with warning signs.
Awesome review Mr. Moore. Just in time for his 85th Birthday.
I can't believe it's been nearly 20 years since this movie came out.
Do you know about the Lost Found (pun intended) 4 chapters of the Autobiography? There is a good interview with Manning Marable about them. I'll look for it.
Richard, thanks so much for your comments. I really appreciated them!
Please bear with me as I respond in detail to your statements in the following paragraphs:
The context of Dr. King and my use of the word "conciliatory" to describe his approach specifically refers to the contrast in tactics between he and Malcolm. Dr. King's tactics of non-violence and civil disobedience appealed to the conscience of a nation in order to affect social change, human rights, racial justice and socioeconomic parity for blacks in America. When I used the word conciliatory (in part meaning "to overcome the animosity of") that is exactly what I was referring to. Perhaps it wasn't as clear in the essay as it could have been, but that was the intent. I think we'll have to agree to disagree on your characterizing my use of "conciliatory" to describe King as coming "close to libel".
I am thoroughly familiar with Letters From A Birmingham Jail, as I am sure you are with the speech Beyond Vietnam, which was delivered on April 4, 1967, exactly a year prior to Dr. King's assassination. Dr. King is clearly one of the great figures of 20th century world history. He also fought on behalf of the poor and when he was murdered in Memphis he was there on behalf of the garbage workers' union to support their strike.
Dr. King's philosophies on justice and civil disobedience appealed to the moral conscience of an America torn by racial strife and violence. His followers were more diverse and his message leaned more toward a movement of integration and equality in the early 1960s, right up to 1963 with the "I Have A Dream Speech". That's not a critique, that would qualify as fact. By contrast, when Malcolm formed the OAAU in 1964 he said the following: "Whites can help us, but they can't join us."
Malcolm was a champion of black self-enlightenment, empowerment, business growth and economic replenishment in black communities in the U.S., as well as forging a connection to the African diaspora.
Malcolm was a significant figure in American history and a vitally important and towering figure in African-American history. He evolved so many times in such a short time. His political impact was immense. He was on his way to bringing the United States to the World Court and before the United Nations to have the country indicted for all of the violence and injustice committed against blacks during the 1960s and before. And then February 21, 1965 came.
It's trivial at best, in my humble opinion, to imply or state that Malcolm was mainly hot air and speechifying. He was a complex figure. I think if you study Malcolm more deeply you will see he was taken very seriously on the world stage. Recall that he was banned from entry into England and France to speak in those countries within the final year or so before his death. He had met with many world leaders including every African leader, in the final year or two of his life to discuss serious political strategies and approaches to lobbying the U.N. as well as other matters of importance. Malcolm's legacy and mission was incomplete though hardly insignificant. Had he five more years to live he most likely would have made an even greater impact in America and the world.
Furthermore, those in power hardly "chuckled" at Malcolm's presence. For if that were the case neither the CIA nor the FBI would have had him under their constant surveillance. (Please read or take a look at the book Malcolm X: The FBI File, by Clayborne Carson.) Malcolm was certainly taken very seriously domestically as well as internationally.
Note also that Dr. King and Malcolm's political philosophies converged in the later years of their lives. Malcolm, through his embracing of a broader, interpretation of Islam (which I do not remember him embracing as indisputably African) began to reform his views and renounce what he admitted were his racist outlook on whites. "Today my friends are black, brown, yellow, red and white." He became a true internationalist and embraced all races of people. By contrast, post-1963 and particularly in 1966 and 1967 and right up to his death in 1968, Dr. King's tone became more strident, insistent, less conciliatory and more pointed toward and against the U.S. government's inequities toward and mistreatment of blacks. This was highlighted by among other things the aforementioned Beyond Vietnam address in New York City.
I humbly suggest, and strongly recommend, that yourself and any other person reading this response please kindly read James H. Cone's book Martin and Malcolm: A Dream or A Nightmare. It contains a lot of valuable insight into both of these men and their philosophical and political convergence. In the midst of the turbulent 1960s the truth is that both of these men very valuable and integral to the changing of America and the reshaping of its conscience.
As for Spike Lee allegedly making "reprehensible" comments as you put it, regarding Norman Jewison, I respectfully suggest that you kindly take a look at the two-disc DVD of "Malcolm X", specifically disc one, and go to the special features section and select the documentary By Any Means Necessary: The Making Of "Malcolm X". In it Mr. Lee specifically states during an on-camera interview that he never has said or been against the idea that a white director could make a film about historical black figures. Says Mr. Lee on the DVD: "Never have I said only a black person can direct black subject matter. But it takes a very sensitive white director to get the nuances of what it means to be African-American in this country."
Mr. Lee goes on to contextualize this point by referencing "Cry Freedom" and "Amistad", specifically mentioning that Steven Biko (played by Denzel Washington) "was an extra in ('Cry Freedom')." Mr. Lee has also been on record publicly as saying that it would be unreasonable to think that he could be expected to do as good a job directing "Schindler's List" as Steven Spielberg did, as he brought things to that film that Mr. Lee could not have.
I've followed the development of the "Malcolm X" saga. Mr. Lee has never made any public statements denouncing Mr. Jewison, nor was there anything reprehensible that Mr. Lee said about Mr. Jewison. In making this pronouncement I've checked a lot of the public record. While there was a lot of public outcry in some segments of the black community with word of Mr. Jewison's supposed direction of "Malcolm X", and there may have been such statements spoken by others that you may be ascribing to Mr. Lee, the Brooklyn director himself has not, to the very best of my knowledge, said anything about Mr. Jewison that would qualify as reprehensible.
We both agree that Mr. Lee was the right person to the direct "Malcolm X". The proof is certainly in what is shown on the big screen.
Thanks again for your comments Richard!
Thanks Angel -- I thoroughly enjoyed your comments and appreciated them very much.
The character of Baines (Albert Hall) was a composite character of Malcolm's brother Philbert as well as several others. Mr. Lee, as you indeed point out, took dramatic license here and in other places, and the end credits -- near the very end of the end credits -- point this out.
The rift between Mr. Lee and Amiri Baraka surrounding "Malcolm X" is well-chronicled. I think Mr. Baraka has a point for sure regarding the film and his particular and obviously very valid concerns. Some figures are untouchable indeed, and I believe that the representation of Malcolm, especially in light of the U.S. mainstream media's historically negative treatment of him, is a highly sensitive issue in some parts of the scholarly and activist community and in some parts of the black community at large.
To that end, Mr. Lee and others, during their publicity tour for the film, made a point to tell people to read the Autobiography and other works on Malcolm X. Mr. Lee had also said that his film (whose end credits also recommend reading the Autobiography) was just a starting point, not an end, to inspire the youth of today to become interested in learning more about Malcolm and reading more about him. I believe that the final scenes in the film refer to this encouragement of youth to learn more about Malcolm.
While in the short term one could say that "Malcolm X" may in some quarters have had somewhat deleterious effects, I believe that the film is actually doing much better these days in the public's memory, standing the test of time. "Malcolm X" is frequently mentioned by critics and many others. Last year film critic A.O. Scott of The New York Times looked back at Mr. Lee's film in a Critics Pick video segment.
I wholeheartedly agree about some thinking that "Malcolm X" the film is the be-all and end-all. Some do think that way. (See the film, then go back to sleep, so to speak.) But I know that Mr. Lee himself doesn't feel that way.
For those who may be unaware: a 1972 feature-length documentary on Malcolm X was done by Warner Brothers and featured James Earl Jones' narration. It is included on the two-disc DVD special edition of "Malcolm X".
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located in Harlem, once had an exhibit with Malcolm's actual letters, speeches and writings. I don't know if they still do, but I'd recommend a Google search if anyone is interested in finding out and learning more about the exhibit.
Thanks so much, Angel!
Thanks so much, kind sir.
I had to think about whether I had known if extra missing chapters on the Autobiography existed. I vaguely remember a story about it a few years ago. And you are absolutely right; historian Manning Marable talked extensively about this.
For those interested, a discussion with the historian can be accessed online. I believe if you do a Google search one will find much on this topic.
Thanks as always, Omer! Much appreciated.
Malcolm X was probably the worst single thing to happen to blacks in America.
X's portrayal by Spike Lee has been the harbinger for the worst impules of racist blacks seen during riots; and a rallying call to blacks everywhere that violence is acceptable even upon a insult, crime dignified, and slavish groveling to demogogues, thugs, and false prophets -- including systems not understood intelligent. ( Islamic groups still routinely enslave blacks and in Dafur, have perpetrated genocide upon them.)
Fortunately, most blacks in the USA have better sense than to follow either the domogogue X or his evil creeds.
To Bill Hayes : Actually, its a wonderful religion that transcends cultures and races. It taught Malcolm X what true human brotherhood is and cured his own blind hatred against whites. I hope you too, experience such an enlightenment one day.
Peace.
Bill Hays: Actually, a major factor in Malcolm's split (and his subsequent assassination) was his pilgrimage to Mecca and learning what Islam was actually about. The original "Nation of Islam" was essentially made up from whole cloth by Elijah Muhammed, and had very little relation to Islam in the rest of the world. That's not to say there aren't reprehensible elements in the latter, but the same can be said about just about any religion, and it's not the point of the film.
Not a big fan of all Lee's films but this was easily his best. Denzel was magnificent - as usual. That he didn't win the Oscar over Al Pacino is debatable (although predictable).
I loved this film and also enjoyed this summary/analysis. It saddens me that today's minority youth does not feel the need to carry on tradition. Yes progress has been made but that does not mean it is time to forget the cause. In this new age of 24/7 internet news cycle a strong presence would be loudly heard. Just look at all the attention the tea partiers are getting due to the internet. Imagine the same strength that the youth living in Americas forgotten inner city neighborhoods would obtain if there was a common cause to unite behind. Imagine the reaction the Panthers or NOI would have received if they existed now.
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It also saddens me that the hip hop I grew up with in the early to mid 90's has lost all of its soul. I long for the days of Public Enemy, Geto Boys, and even N.W.A would speak out about what it means to be society's forgotten and unworthy. Listening to the hip hop that is played on the radio currently you would think that all of our problems cease to exist. The new culture of rap is 100% marketing and image. In Chicago we have murders every single day yet all I hear about are Bentlys, Crystal, and shaking it in the club.
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I always wondered what Spike Lee felt about Michael Jordan's refusal to address issues. Jordan was my all time favorite but the older I get the more I wonder what kind of message it has sent the newer generation (Tiger, Jeter, and LeBron all choose to follow in MJ's mold in order to maximize personal wealth).
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For an example of high quality social conscious hip hop from Chicago search youtube for the local artist "Hook" and his underground hit solo "If It Was Up To Me" which addresses many of these same issues.
thank you,
Ahmad
Bill Hays: Being a Muslim i can not only contradict what you say with words but just being who I am is a direct contradiction of what you say, The religion of Islam has taught me peace and understanding, For those who are stoning and killing themselves, well to put it quite simply they are idiots who are practicing a "perverted, ugly" form of Islam only in name because the religion in no way advocates violence (unless in self-defense), I can't speak for every single Muslim in the whole world but I just like Malcolm X have chose Islam in its right manifestation, one which "saved" his life and is helping better mine. For all of your arguments against Islam i could find at least 1,000 people who have been saved by the religion. Instead of looking at all the negative man, you could take that time and try meeting people or even going to a mosque to try to learn about the religion and people just like I do with Jews & Christians who I consider to be my brothers and sisters at, we are all looking to the same destination, the roads we take are just different.
Asalam Walay-kum (Peace Be Upon You)
Reply to: Actually, its a wonderful religion that transcends cultures... I hope you too, experience such an enlightenment one day. - Mohammed
Actually, it's not a wonderful religion at all.
It's a terrorist agenda pretending to be a religion.
From The Qur'an: (4:74) - "Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward."
I have a life. A pretty darn good life. So do you. The teachings of Islam say believers can "sell the life of THIS world" and obtain "life in the other world" after they are slain in battle, fighting the enemies of Islam.
That's a terrorist agenda. Saying that a supernatural Deity named God will reward you for dying in battle. The truth is, when you die, you don't get ANY kind of a reward. Why not? You're DEAD!
Reply to: his pilgrimage to Mecca and learning what Islam was actually about.
I see so many Muslims trying to recruit on the Internet. I know it's not PC, but Islam is not "wonderful" or "enlightened." It has a game plan to dominate the world, so that all countries show "submission" to the will of Allah as dictated by a group of clerics. If we've learned anything in the last two centuries, that simply doesn't work.
"Transcend cultures" is just another way of saying "after our enemies are conquered, we won't have any more enemies."
Islam is NOT "enlightened," no matter what you "think" you know about it. Buy the Nightline video and check it out for yourself.
Bill Hays: I read Alex Haley's book recently and a comment by Malcolm X about Islam stuck out to me:
"I did many things as a Muslim that I am sorry for now. I was a zombie then - like all Muslims - I was hypnotised, pointed in a certain direction and then told to march. Well, I guess a man's entitled to make a fool of himself if he is ready to pay the cost. It cost me twelve years."
Islam has elements I admire and some I don't but this is my major fear: the waste made of people's lives.
This is an excellent review of a great, great movie. Denzel and Spike have my gratitude for producing a work of art.
Omar, thank you for this reminder of a powerful movie. Congratulations on gettting to participate as an extra. That is a memory you will have forever. I am old enough to remember images of Malcolm as a living being. Magnetic.
I forget about the wonders of DVD versions of movies. This one I may have to get for the extras. When Denzel Washington finally won his Oscar, it broke my heart a little that it was for the part in Training Day. Just seemed wrong somehow.
I haven't seen all of Spike Lee's movies, but every one I have seen stays with me.
Dear Mr. Moore --
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I also should have mentioned King's "Beyond Vietnam." I think we are on the same page there. If I over-reacted to your use of the word conciliatory, you have my apologies. But as an educator I have heard a number of young people -- of all races -- in recent years talk about King as if he was some kind of ineffectual do-gooder. They get from "conciliatory" to "compromised" to "sell-out" to "Uncle Tom" with disconcerting rapidity. Of course, I realize you are not one of those "young people" (I'd guess you and I might be close to the same age, in fact). The word, too often said condescendingly, merely touched a nerve.
I also recognize that Malcolm was still evolving when he died. That's another factor that makes his murder particularly tragic. And while I said he was "brilliant" and "charismatic," I never suggested (or at least did not intend to suggest) that he was all "hot air and speechifying."
But I stand by my assertion that Malcolm's rhetoric and tactics were not and could never have been -- unless or until highly modified, which they were well on their way to being -- as effective as King's. It's not a matter of one being more acceptable to whites. It's a basic truth about how issues of rights and justice and freedom and violence play out in history.
The great poet William Butler Yeats wrote about it in "Easter 1916" after several men he knew were executed by the British their part in the Easter uprising. An excerpt:
Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven’s part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
It's no accident that King was murdered by a stranger and Malcolm was murdered by associates. And yes, I'm aware of the conspiracy theories naming everyone from the FBI to Farrakhan. One of them may even be true. But whoever was pulling the strings, Malcolm was murdered by people for whom he fought -- well, if not his whole life, at least for the past decade. I do not believe that could ever have happened to King because of both his message and his moral authority. Look at the people whom King worked with and influenced: Andrew Young, Dorothy Height, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis, Julian Bond, and many more.
Please understand -- I'm not saying Malcolm deserved what happened to him. Far from it. But I am saying that Malcolm's fiercer rhetoric had tragic consequences for him and for the country. You and I would surely agree that the country would have been better off if he had lived. What might he have thought at the last inauguration!
As for Spike Lee's comments on Jewison, any fan of his work (and I count myself one) knows Mr. Lee has two public personae. One is the mature artist, measured and thoughtful; one is more loose and comic, a kind of riff on "Half Pint." You see the latter one at Knicks games, though not as much now as when Reggie Miller was tormenting them. I haven't watched the feature on the two-disc set you mention, and I have little doubt that Lee respects Jewison and if asked a serious question about him would . . . um . . . say the right thing. However, I did see an interview back then in which he simply mocked the idea of Jewison directing the film. I can't tell you the source, and I can't quote exactly what he said, but I remember it precisely because it made a big impression on me at the time.
Mr. Lee had every right to fight hard to be the one to make that film. But let's just say that the response I saw that day struck me as unjust. You assert that Lee was the right person to direct the film. Maybe. As I said, my own opinion is that it's not a good match of director and style (Lee doing David Lean, as I said). It's a good film with a couple of tremendous performances, but I don't think it's Lee's best, by any means. How much he cared about it and even how hard he worked on it does not determine how good it is. Of course, I don't know that Jewison would have made a better film, but I do know he would have made a different one. And Denzel Washington did win his first Oscar for his performance in Jewison's Hurricane, so I think they would have worked together well.
Thank you again for your response.
Reply to: The religion of Islam has taught me peace and understanding, For those who are stoning and killing themselves, well to put it quite simply they are idiots who are practicing a "perverted, ugly" form of Islam - Syed
Right now, in London, we're seeing an attempt at taking over the government of a foreign nation through immigration. The game plan goes something like this: establish enclaves where Muslims are in the majority. Vote to install Sharia law, including the right for a man to have up to four wives. Get rid of laws restricting unlimited immigration from Muslim countries.
WIKI: To begin with, one must first state the most basic of all facts about brainwashing: In the entire history of man, no one has ever been brainwashed and realized, or believed, that he had been brainwashed. Those who have been brainwashed will usually passionately defend their manipulators, claiming they have simply been "shown the light" or have been transformed in miraculous ways (Dick Sutphen)
Look at the World Trade Center tragedy. And Major Hasan. Any common elements? In a word, conditioning. By praying five times a day, and repeating the same sentence at the start of every conversation, Muslims are 'conditioned' to think in certain ways.
Reply to: For all of your arguments against Islam i could find at least 1,000 people who have been saved by the religion. Instead of looking at all the negative man, you could take that time and try meeting people -Syed
I'll pass. Being 'saved' is meaningless. What were saved from? You have been conditioned to respond in a precise manner to anyone who asks you to think about the World Trade Center tragedy as "real Islam in action." Unless you are a member of the government in a country where Sharia law has replaced democracy, you're not a legitimate source of information. You're just out there recruiting.
If you join Islam, and then convert to Christianity, Islam thinks they have the right to kill you. Why would you join a club that thinks it has the right to KILL you? Think about that. The South Park guys had the address of their home in Colorado published on a radical Islamic website. It wasn't to remind Trey where his vacation home is, it was so jihadists could find them and kill them.
The son of Billy Graham was recently uninvited to talk at a prayer breakfast, because he's been telling the truth about Islam. If you know anything about me, I am the last person to say 'Franklin Graham is absolutely right' about anything. But, in this rare case, he happens to be right.
Franklin Graham wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal saying he did not believe Muslims were evil because of their faith, but "as a minister ... I believe it is my responsibility to speak out against the terrible deeds that are committed as a result of Islamic teaching."
America was founded on several principles that changed the way government is run. Islam wants to go back to the way things were before America was founded. Islam is a religion that brainwashes, so instead of thinking logically about Islam, your brain can't get past all the conditioning. There is no perverted, ugly form of Islam. There is only Islam.
Kathy B --
Training Day earned Denzel Washington his second Best Actor Oscar. He won his first for Hurricane two years earlier.
A funny story:
When I saw this movie it was at the time that I was trying to help my step sister and her friend quit drinking, and I would kind of pester them about eating; I would look at them staring at their plates and gesture to them with my hands to my mouth to eat and so on. I did this because I believe that chemical addiction is something that replaces food, seeing as how your body "needs" it.
Anyway, while I was watching it, my sister walks in on the exact part where Malcolm's wife (Angela Bassett) is sparkling as she says "Eat!" (you know the part where she is telling him to eat). I just kind of laughed as if to say "told you."
As far as Islam, I believe we are all collectively praying to the same God.
Islam is not a terrorist's religion. Look up the" Islam golden age" on wikipedia. Before the terrorists took over Islam (well, as far as power, not the actual religion-although, they are trying to...as well as the world), they were the most advanced civilization. They had many libraries filled up with millions of books, while other cultures had a few thousand. They had the first college degrees. They invented algebra and many advances in medicine. The terrorist came and burned the libraries to the ground and so forth and basically it hasn't changed a bit in a thousand years.
They attack other muslims THE MOST; Christians and so forth, they want death OR enslavement; with muslims it's ONLY death. These terrorists are the most harsh on polytheists(belief in more than one god). So they then corrupted the Islam religion by changing other Muslim's venerations of saints to mean polytheism--which they also changed to mean ONLY death.
So, the modern muslim looks at the Koran, and yes, sees some of the violent language there, but they interpret it through introspection, NOT violence. Then they may honor a Christian saint. Well, the terrorists have changed all this to mean (honoring a saint) that they are polytheist and also that polytheists must die.
Richard-
His first Oscar was actually for Glory. He didn't win for Hurricane but it's all trivial anyway. Every Denzel performance is Oscar-worthy.
Interestingly, they just released one of Malcolm Little's assassins.
Will the 'real Muslims' seek vengence?
I doubt it; at least not with a fatwa, or an open fatwa; since, too many American blacks are uneducated about the real messaage of Islam, and they may yet prove useful to the bigger cause of furthing Islam in the USA.
But, he could get whacked by plenty of self-appointed devotees who correctly interprete the Koran. Bill Hays is correct to identify Islam as a terrorist organization.
I am a Christian. Besides knowing some Muslims and going to a mosque with another Muslim, I know very little about the religion. But it mystifies me how people who seem to be very well-read and educated make aruguments against a religion like Islam by taking a single verse, "out of context" and make an argument.
If you are basing your arguments on a single verse of scripture then how can you blame terrorists for ruthless killing based on misinterpretation of scripture.
If you are making these arguments about Islam and you have failed to not only read the entire Koran but study the history, then you are wrong.
People spend years exploring the works of Shakespeare for its impact on the English language. People spend decades studying selected periods of United States history for its impact on todays society.
Why can you then take one verse of scripture and be an expert on religion?
Reply to: If you are making these arguments about Islam and you have failed to not only read the entire Koran but study the history, then you are wrong.
Christians hear the word "religion" and they have an automatic reaction that "Islam must be a fine religion like Christianity or Judaism."
I would not think to present myself as an expert if I had not read the entire Koran. When I was in Law School, we were expected to read 4 or 5 books longer than the Qur'an each semester, and then be tested on the knowledge. So, I simply got in the habit of reading entire books for the express purpose of being tested on them. The level of reading expected in Law School is greater than anything you can imagine.
Reply to:I am a Christian. I know very little about the religion. But it mystifies me how people who seem to be very well-read and educated make aruguments against a religion like Islam by taking a single verse, "out of context" and make an argument.
Emmerson, I have a solution. Read the Qur'an, read books like "The God Who Hates" and other books critial of Islam, and then come back and answer that question yourself.
Here's the background on Mohammed. He used to go on long walks, and sleep in a cave. He had dreams. He used to tell people about his dreams. One day he came to the Jews who had their own town and said, "I want you to bow down and acknowledge me as a Prophet. You have a Book of Prophets in your Torah. Acknowledge that I am a great Jewish Prophet from the line of Abraham, Ezekiel and Moses." The Jews said, "We won't do that. You're not even a Jew. Why would the word of YHWH come to an Arab who sleep in a cave?"
Mohammed then said, "In my dreams, God has told me that this world will end at a Day of Judgment, and on that days, all the Jews and Christians and People of the Book who refuse to acknowledge me as their greatest Prophet will burn in Hell for eternity, and that the god Allah wants us to kill anyone Muslim who tries to leave our faith."
If I'm wrong about this, read the Qur'an and explain WHY I'm wrong. But if you get all the facts, you won't be a Christian any more. Dead people don't come back to life, but Ghost Stories are a great way to scare children.