Endangered

Today, I viewed one of the most dramatic parts of Spike Lee's Malcolm X. In the previous class period, I had noticed how the civil rights activist's life had made a complete turnaround. Thanks to Baines, who took Malcolm under his wings in jail, his personality and mindset became so much more peaceful. I was actually a little confused, because I had thought that he was always violent and angry. The famous leader is always portrayed in this manner, yet by watching this biographical film, it's easy to see that this was only part of his life story. Baines encouraged Malcolm to convert to the Muslim religion, which involved visiting Elijah Muhammad, who was a religious leader. Unfortunately, he took Muhammad's teachings too far, and as his wife Betty said, he was acting "blind" to all of the dangerously negative press about him. He was blind to the escalating conflict over his most recent preachings. Instead of answering his wife's questions, all he had to say was "I've got work to do."

These underlying hostilities really came to light when Malcolm X said, "the chickens have come to roost" when he was referring to the John F. Kennedy assassination. His mentor Elijah Muhammad would've never approved of this, and he ever said himself that Malcolm "has made it [life] hard for Muslims." It was as if he wounded the Muslim religion, and this was conveyed perfectly when Muhammad was horribly sick. He WAS the black Muslim religion, so if it is hurt, he is hurt. Despite the sad feeling of this part of the movie, it was beautifully executed. The shot composition, the lighting, and the dialogue all were very well-suited for the scene, along with all of the other scenes in this film.

Knowing that this movie is based on Malcolm's real life, and that he was assassinated, I could tell that he was getting closer and closer to this fatal point in his life. I haven't yet seen the ending of this film, but I'm pretty sure that he will get killed sooner than later. As an aspiring digital media student, I really loved the shot of Malcolm X when he finally woke up and realized that he was in a dire situation. Holding his gun, he glared out of his window. He was scared. He got a phone call, which he hesitantly answered. It was a death threat from the people is Islam, who were angered by Malcolm X's portrayal of their faith. That same night, bombs were thrown into his house, which was burned down. This reminded me of his childhood, when the KKK incinerated his home, so I'm sure this struck an emotional chord with Malcolm too.

Shortly after that, when Malcolm X stayed at a hotel with his family, already shaken by the loss of their home, death calls started flowing in. When Malcolm was talking to his friend (I think it was Archie) there was a very quick shot of a tape recorder in between alternating shots of the two talking on the phone. Clearly, someone was recording their conversation, which I could honestly say sent a chill up my spine. This is not good.

Spike Lee, his cast, and his crews did a fantastic job making this movie. Their use of foreshadowing was impeccable, combined with a well-visualized storyline that stayed true to the life of Malcolm X. This movie may be lengthy (it's over three hours long) but trust me, it is well worth the time.