Malcolm X by Spike Lee - Essay Example

?Malcolm X by Spike Lee Introduction Bio-pictures or biographical cinemas as a special genre of cinematography have attracted directors, creative crews and audiences equally. In 1992, American cinema witnessed a film from Spike Lee on one of the all-time enigmatic and charismatic black leaders the world has ever seen, namely Malcolm X. It was quite a difficult subject to depict the life of this youth icon on screen. The slightest exaggeration or deviation from the real life of this timeless hero could have put the crew and the casts of the film into facing a lot of criticism. In this bio-picture, a man whose entire life had been surrounded by controversies and bafflements was likely to get depicted on-screen. Moreover, his life related events that comprise different aspects from his event filled life was going to get captivated within the framework of the reel life at a magnitude not witnessed by the audiences of Lee ever before. Within the insightful book Spike Lee: Interviews edited by Cynthia Fuchs in an article entitled “Our Film is Only a Starting Point: An Interview with Spike Lee” by Gary Crowdus and Dan Georgakas, Lee explained his theme behind making a film on the life of Malcolm X, “Lee explains his primary desire to introduce Malcolm X to young viewers and his awareness that the time limits of even a nearly three and a half hour movie prevented him from producing anything more than a ‘primer’ on one of the America’s most charismatic black leaders ” (Fuchs 65). With the level of severe intensity and depth, Lee made a film on the life of a man whose real life events provided the director with enough prudent aspects to frame a complete motion picture. Thesis Statement The essay intends to depict an introspection based analysis of the film Malcolm X in order to comprehend the inherent themes and the socio-political and religious messages that were meant to be provided by this bio-picture. Malcolm X: Introspection Malcolm X was a movie which included a number of famous personalities such as actors Denzel Washington as Malcolm X and Angela Bassett, Al Freeman, Jr., Albert Hall, and Delroy Lindo. Lee also appears on screen and plays a very small role in supporting as Shorty who is observed to be a real-life associate of Malcolm X. Shorty Jarvis is actually a criminal who has spent time working with Malcolm and is at the same time a jazz trumpeter. It is noteworthy to mention that characters important in the real life of Malcolm X such as Bobby Seale who was the co-establisher of the Black Panther Party, Al Sharpton the Reverent and the future president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, have virtual presence within the plot of the film. However, they do not make any cameo appearances. There are vivid hues, sounds and fury which represent the life of the great leader. It was quite hard on the part of the directorial crew to transcript all those events inherent in the real life of Malcolm X to get depicted in the reel phenomena in the course of making the film. The screenplay of Malcolm X, which was a collaborative effort on the part of Spike Lee and Arnold Perl, was drawn mostly from the life events of Malcolm X. These events were mentioned in the book written by Alex Haley and entitled The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The reason behind taking most of the references from this book is that Haley had begun to write this book during 1963. He eventually completed the book following the death of Malcolm X. However, while initiating the project he directly collaborated with Malcolm X himself to write the course of events and facts which constituted the life of the great leader. Furthemore, the book is comprehensive and very cohesive in nature apart from being one of the most authentic ones because it ponders on the complete course of events which constitute Malcolm X’s life. The film possesses definite contents which are quite significant in terms of both cultural and historical aspects. At the same time, Malcolm X by Spike Lee is not a narrative on reels as it definitely has a strong aesthetic presence which makes the film timeless and universal. The dramatization of the key events from the life of Malcolm X, the evidence of his criminal career, his imprisonment, and conversion of his religion along with embracing Islam find significant mention in the film depiction. In addition, his appearance as a minister in the Nation of Islam, his gradual leaving of the organization, his marital life with Betty X, his significant travelogue included in his pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, and one of the greatest political and historical events in the realm of American society, the assassination of Malcolm X on February 21st, 1965, find precise portrayal within the plot of the film. Apart from this, the evaluation of the perspective of the great leader regarding whites, which appears as a mode of his review of the thought process is one of the important facets of the film content. Additionally, the early life of Malcolm X finds enough space in the film and redirects the thought of the audience to a concept which forces them to ponder a deep thought regarding the events which compelled or resulted in a man quite commonplace with general background and upbringing to turn into a rebel. The incidents of his childhood, such as the death of Malcolm X’s father, the psychotic attacks of her mother turning her into a mental patient, and the amount of racial abuse along with his experiences with racism find considerable space within the film. All these important events of Malcolm’s life appear in the flashback mode, thereby highlighting between the past and the present of the American socio-cultural paradigm as well. These aspects are further depicted through the life course of the influential black leader of all time Malcolm X. Moreover, if one gives a close reading to the opening and the closure of the film, one launches into a realm where aesthetic meets substance. In addition, the potent themes of the film are clearly hinted at the beginning and the message related to a myriad of socio-economic problems of America and is discussed within the film as its potent theme gets a substantial resolution at the end. The film initiates with a sequence which can be considered as its title sequence as well. In the scene, it is shown that the American flag is being burned with the help of fire intercut where the video footage of the brutal abuse of the motorist from Los Angeles, Rodney King, is portrayed. A voiceover provided by Denzel Washington is used in the background where it is shown that Malcolm X very sarcastically brings attack upon the white Americans condemning in the following words, “We don't see the American dream; we've experienced only the American nightmare!" (“Malcolm X Script”). Eventually, the audience finds the flag while burning takes the shape of letter “X.” This scene almost takes the stance of a prologue and indicates the themes which are about to get displayed with the rolling of the reel as the hollowness of the American Dream and the racial discrimination or racial abuse inherent within the society of America (“Malcolm X Script”; Baldwin, Perl, and Lee). The closure of the film is equally incredible. It is very inspirational in nature and gives a subtle message which is very much rational to the entire themes and issues within the film. The film ends with a black teacher inside the classroom somewhere in America. On the blackboard of the class the expression “MALCOLM X DAYS” is inscribed. The teacher tells the class of the birthday of Malcolm X. She addresses the class and says: “Malcolm X is you – all of you – and you are Malcolm X.” In response, a few of the students gradually stand up and say, “I am Malcolm X!” After this, there is an eventual shift of the scene where African students mimic the American students and the film ends with a note upon the recently evolved anti-apartheid activist and prospective president of South Africa Nelson Mandela who forms the final cut of the film. He is found to be quoting a famous speech of Malcolm X (“Malcolm X Script”; Baldwin, Perl and Lee). With regard to the description of the religious issues within Malcolm X, the mention of the teaching of Malcolm X to the Jewish and the conversion of Malcolm X into Islam, his following the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and his foundation of the Nation of Islam get an insightful expression in the film. However, his gradual comprehension of hypocrisy inherent within religious relations and his consequent disenfranchisement from the Nation of Islam and Elijah take Malcolm’s teachings and his understanding of religion beyond every realm of religious sentiments (Rule; Baldwin, Perl, and Lee). Malcolm X is quite intense as compared to being an ordinary autobiographical picture. It deals with the contemporary issues of the American society. Racial discrimination and racial issues hindering the growth and vision of the American Dream find a profound expression in the film as well. The film portrays the life of a single man, but his tormented life is so appealing that it becomes relative and takes the span of a universal language along with sharing of emotions. Conclusion Spike Lee’s Malcolm X is a story of an extraordinary man presented in a remarkable way. It is quite true that in order to pass through those extra miles, Lee had to undertake many meticulous efforts to portray the real life events of a man whose life is not very easy to scale with the intensity or depth of words and actions. Moreover, Malcolm X captivated issues related with the society of America, on the one hand, and the universal issues such as apartheid and hypocrisy of religion, on the other hand. Therefore, to make an unforgettable impression which the film puts on the minds of the audience, it required a lot of sensibility on the part of the director. This film emerged to be one of the leading depictions of cinema which reached great heights along with portraying great thoughts. Malcolm X by Spike Lee is a universal cinema dealing with a man accepted as a great leader in the political domain worldwide. Works Cited Baldwin, James, Arnold Perl, and Spile Lee. Malcolm X (1992) Movie Script. Screenplays for You, 1991. Web. 21 May 2013. . Fuchs, Cynthia. Spike Lee: Interviews. United States of America: Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2002. Print. “Malcolm X Script - Dialogue Transcript.” Malcolm X Script. The Rama, n.d. Web. 21 May 2013. . Rule, Sheila. “FILM; Malcolm X: The Facts, the Fictions, the Film.” The New York Times 1992. Web. 21 May 2013. . Read More