Malcolm X: The Great Afro-American
By: Cameron Smith
Directed by: Spike Lee
Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Basset, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee.
I have to say, I underestimated Spike Lee. A while back, I thought I wouldn't have liked or related to Mr. Lee's filmography. When we all watched Crooklyn, I really enjoyed it, and even suggested that we should watch more films like it! Another film which I fell even more in love with was Do the Right Thing (if anybody hasn't already, watch it!); I've seen it about three times already! More importantly, the film discussed here is an absolute masterpiece which I can easily rank in the "greatest films of all time" list. From an aesthetic perspective, I can appreciate the change of color palette from bright and colorful during the swing years to neutral and/or dull after Mr. X is incarcerated; Denzel Washington's ability to not just be, but look the part; the signature dolly shots which fit the story perfectly, and provide some comic relief; and the beautiful shots of Mecca, which are done by an all Muslim film crew. More so, I love the film's message and portrait of who Brother Malcolm X truly was: an Afro-American.
To paraphrase Ossie Davis, X transcended (metaphorically) the then common term Negro and became somewhat of a savior and/or representative of true African culture. Before our protagonist is converted to Islam by Brother Baines (Albert Hall) and "the Honorable" Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman Jr.), he is leading a life of crime, drinking, conking, and chasing white women with his right-hand-man Shorty (Spike Lee) and a gang lead by West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo, a.k.a. Woody from Crooklyn) who was intrigued by X's skill with a bottle. In particular, the conk plays a major role in this part of the film; it causes our protagonist great pain and humiliation, yet he feels a need to rely on it to look good and fit society's (i.e. white) beauty standards. The place where X is converted to Islam is prison, where he meets Brother Baines, reads the Dictionary, loses his conk, and cleans himself of "the white man's poison." In particular, I love the scenes in the baseball field, prison church, shower, and library (where the hypocrisy of the Dictionary is revealed!); the use of comic relief, flashbacks, and revelations to white society's evil is absolutely astonishing to watch!
One can easily see this film as anti-white, or as a "Black supremacist" or "white guilt" film. I understand that point good and well, but I don't believe it to be accurate; I see this film (and the man himself, for that matter) as a celebration of Afro-American pride, beauty, and intelligence. In the end, X was not a racist or radical, but rather a symbol of what the Afro-American is and should aspire to be: confident, bright, beautiful, and cultured. He paved the way for the music, movements, leaders, and culture that would arise in the 60s and 70s after his assassination -- such as Black power, soul, the afro, Jesse Jackson, Wattstax, hip-hop, etc. In Malcolm X's eulogy, Ossie Davis said this: "Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man – but a seed – which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us. And we will know him then for what he was and is – a Prince – our own black shining Prince! – who didn’t hesitate to die, because he loved us so.” Despite our protagonist's death, his spirit lived on through the black race, and his "seed" planted African culture/dignity into America's own. Without harping on X's faults, the motives of the NOI, or any of the other controversial implications in this film, I will say that el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz was remarkable for his time and has a legacy that lasts to this day.
To paraphrase Ossie Davis, X transcended (metaphorically) the then common term Negro and became somewhat of a savior and/or representative of true African culture. Before our protagonist is converted to Islam by Brother Baines (Albert Hall) and "the Honorable" Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman Jr.), he is leading a life of crime, drinking, conking, and chasing white women with his right-hand-man Shorty (Spike Lee) and a gang lead by West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo, a.k.a. Woody from Crooklyn) who was intrigued by X's skill with a bottle. In particular, the conk plays a major role in this part of the film; it causes our protagonist great pain and humiliation, yet he feels a need to rely on it to look good and fit society's (i.e. white) beauty standards. The place where X is converted to Islam is prison, where he meets Brother Baines, reads the Dictionary, loses his conk, and cleans himself of "the white man's poison." In particular, I love the scenes in the baseball field, prison church, shower, and library (where the hypocrisy of the Dictionary is revealed!); the use of comic relief, flashbacks, and revelations to white society's evil is absolutely astonishing to watch!
One can easily see this film as anti-white, or as a "Black supremacist" or "white guilt" film. I understand that point good and well, but I don't believe it to be accurate; I see this film (and the man himself, for that matter) as a celebration of Afro-American pride, beauty, and intelligence. In the end, X was not a racist or radical, but rather a symbol of what the Afro-American is and should aspire to be: confident, bright, beautiful, and cultured. He paved the way for the music, movements, leaders, and culture that would arise in the 60s and 70s after his assassination -- such as Black power, soul, the afro, Jesse Jackson, Wattstax, hip-hop, etc. In Malcolm X's eulogy, Ossie Davis said this: "Consigning these mortal remains to earth, the common mother of all, secure in the knowledge that what we place in the ground is no more now a man – but a seed – which, after the winter of our discontent, will come forth again to meet us. And we will know him then for what he was and is – a Prince – our own black shining Prince! – who didn’t hesitate to die, because he loved us so.” Despite our protagonist's death, his spirit lived on through the black race, and his "seed" planted African culture/dignity into America's own. Without harping on X's faults, the motives of the NOI, or any of the other controversial implications in this film, I will say that el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz was remarkable for his time and has a legacy that lasts to this day.
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