Runtime: 202 minutes
Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo, Albert Hall, and many others
From: Warner Bros.
This won't be the only appropriate film I'll see during Black History Month but when this highly-regarded movie played on Turner Classic Movies yesterday, it was the perfect opportunity to experience this picture. As a Caucasian man I certainly won't offer my opinion of Malcolm X the person or his politics. The opening is as provocative as you'd expect from Spike Lee: mixed with an image of an American flag and Denzel as Malcolm delivering a speech saying that “all white people were the devil” is footage from the Rodney King beating. Unfortunately, seeing that reminded me of Tyre Nichols; those not in the United States and/or reading this long in the future: in Memphis, five Black police officers beat another Black man to death at a traffic stop. It's a HUGE deal right now but let's move onto this evocative movie.
We see the former Malcolm Little's adult life, with some flashbacks that flesh out the story; this is from his life as a druggie/alcoholic womanizing hoodlum in Boston to his time in prison where he learns about the Nation of Islam so he becomes a member, to his subsequent time out of jail where he preaches his beliefs... which eventually change from the teachings and doctrine of Nation founding Elijah Muhammad., especially after the expected pilgrimage to Mecca. His time in the Nation of Islam and afterwards, many speeches are heard from the title character; the audience learns that he was a master orator and was so incendiary, the tragic end of his life was perhaps unsurprising although definitely still tragic.
I never wavered in my attention to the film for its 3 hour plus runtime. The 20 some odd year time period is realized perfectly no matter the year, the craftsmanship from Lee in the director's chair (e.g., how light and color is expertly used to convey emotion without saying a word) is excellent, as is the Black music heard throughout. However, in a cast which has many famous faces in (usually) small roles, Denzel Washington was incredible in the title part. I haven't seen Scent of a Woman, but Pacino winning an Oscar likely to make up for him not getting one before... Washington likely deserved one that year instead. Many moments you see X say/do could be seen by some as “objectionable” no matter which part of his adult life you examine; even with those challenging moments, he was aces in the role and I was always captivated.
The gestation period for this film was more than 20 years; Norman Jewison was even the slated director before Lee and others believed a Black man in that chair was the best course of action... which it likely was. Before the film I knew little about Malcolm X besides the basics; this was quite the educational course for me as it actually cleared up some misconceptions I had due to ignorance. As he was an important figure in 20th century American history, Malcolm X the motion picture appeared to serve his legacy well and present a controversial figure fairly along with educating viewers for the rest of time WHY he has a legacy... not to mention how in many ways, not too much has changed in the three decades since this was released.
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