But even I don't fully understand Malcolm's arc. That he was more than just the violent yin to MLK's peaceful yang. Malcolm's vision and politics grew as he did, and evolved right up until his violent assassination.
I was incredibly pleased, then, when after cruising through a few Spike Lee Joints, I found that Malcolm X (1992) was streaming on Netflix.
THIS was a movie for me.
So I settled in and prepared for an epic journey.
I. What Is It?
This is the story of a man and his evolution into one of the greatest civil rights leaders of our time. It's the story of Malcolm Little; the story of Malcolm X; the story of Malik el Shabazz.II. A Flawed but Engrossing Masterpiece
Spike Lee is an interesting filmmaker. I have loved his films. And I have hated his films. He is a filmmaker that swings for the fences, and tries bold new ideas. Sometimes those bold new ideas overwhelm the movies they are featured in (Chi-Raq [2015]), but sometimes those bold new ideas result in beautiful, uncompromising art (Do the Right Thing [1989]).
I think Malcolm X is, perhaps, one of his masterpieces. A flawed one. But a masterpiece nonetheless.
I think that the film takes a while to get its engine running, and it feels like Lee is a bit overindulgent in the early years of Malcolm's life (especially when he cast himself as Malcolm's friend, Shorty), but, by the time the film is firing on all cylinders, it was difficult for me to look away. Not many three-hour films can boast that.
Ruth E. Carter's costumes are bold and beautiful, and Ernest Dickerson's photography always finds unique and dynamic ways to frame Malcolm and the action of the film. The use of color, so bold and vibrant in Malcolm's youth, that hardens to stark blues and whites in prison, and then softens to warm earth tones when X is preaching from the pulpit near the end. From the film's opening salvo of a burning American flag giving way to a scorched "X," to the way the camera tumbles end over end on Malcolm's worried face hours before his own assassination, to the way Lee sprinkles in gunshot noises throughout the film to foreshadow the end we are running headlong into, this film is finely crafted with a sure-hand and an incredible team of talented artists.
Would I have preferred some more private beats where Malcolm was allowed to be a human? Sure. I would have loved to see more of Betty Shabazz (played here by the inimitable Angela Bassett). In fact, it is almost criminal to have cast Angela Bassett and use her as little as this film does, but I digress.
But, at well over three hours (202 minutes to be exact) there are just some things that need to be left on the cutting room floor. And, sure, I am certain that there are going to be historians that bemoan this or that left out element. But consider the incredible effort it took to pack in as much as Lee did. Imagine the balls it took to release a 202-minute film to wide audiences under a big-name studio label. You gotta respect that.
There are problems and nits to be picked, but largely Lee succeeds in crafting an epic piece of art that celebrates a key figure in American history.
Lee's own misunderstood and lambasted politics make him a bit of a kindred spirit to Malcolm. I think he understands the man's journey and his evolution in key and important ways.
Malcolm X doesn't need a white-washed, softened biopic aimed at making white people feel better about him as an intellectual leader. He needed something a little more in your face. He needed a filmmaker who wouldn't shy away from his supposed radicalism. He needed a filmmaker like Spike Lee.
Spike Lee was going to commit to this film. He wasn't going to clean up or soften Malcolm or his message. But he wasn't going to short-cut X's journey, either. We need to see every facet of the man known as Malcolm X, so we can value the real radical journey that real persistence and a desire for change can engender. You need to see Red, the conman. You need to see Malcolm X parroting Elijah Muhammad. You need to see Malik El Shabazz prostrate in prayer in Mecca. You also need to see the incredible violence with which he met his end. It all comes together in a powerful story of one man's discovery of faith and agency. And his martyrdom for his cause.
And, even in violent death, they couldn't strike him down. Lee makes sure not to end the movie in death. He ends his movie with the seed of hope that that death became. Which leads me to...
Lee bookends his movie with modern scenes: he starts the film cutting between the video footage of Rodney King being savaged by LAPD, and ends the film with a monologue delivered by Nelson Mandela The actual living, breathing Nelson Mandela (this dude got a Nelson Mandela cameo: just marinade in that for a bit). This shows that Lee refuses to let Malcolm's story exist in the past. It is a story that happened, but it is still happening now. There struggles and challenges that forged him into the man he became are still very much alive today. But we are lucky, because so is Malcolm's spirit. This is shown in the powerful montage of children standing and saying, "I am Malcolm X!" again and again and again.
Lee knows that Malcolm is a symbol that people can take inspiration from. And while the film does symbolize Malcolm to the detriment of his humanity, sometimes, it is hard to argue that Lee doesn't do a good job of celebrating this man and his legacy. Especially given how many people aren't familiar with X's story because of the way modern American history has embraced and sanctified Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X works as a resounding reminder of one of the most important thought leaders in American history. It is suitably epic.
- Denzel Washington may be giving one of the finest performances of his career. He is a force of nature.I think Malcolm X is, perhaps, one of his masterpieces. A flawed one. But a masterpiece nonetheless.
I think that the film takes a while to get its engine running, and it feels like Lee is a bit overindulgent in the early years of Malcolm's life (especially when he cast himself as Malcolm's friend, Shorty), but, by the time the film is firing on all cylinders, it was difficult for me to look away. Not many three-hour films can boast that.
Ruth E. Carter's costumes are bold and beautiful, and Ernest Dickerson's photography always finds unique and dynamic ways to frame Malcolm and the action of the film. The use of color, so bold and vibrant in Malcolm's youth, that hardens to stark blues and whites in prison, and then softens to warm earth tones when X is preaching from the pulpit near the end. From the film's opening salvo of a burning American flag giving way to a scorched "X," to the way the camera tumbles end over end on Malcolm's worried face hours before his own assassination, to the way Lee sprinkles in gunshot noises throughout the film to foreshadow the end we are running headlong into, this film is finely crafted with a sure-hand and an incredible team of talented artists.
Would I have preferred some more private beats where Malcolm was allowed to be a human? Sure. I would have loved to see more of Betty Shabazz (played here by the inimitable Angela Bassett). In fact, it is almost criminal to have cast Angela Bassett and use her as little as this film does, but I digress.
But, at well over three hours (202 minutes to be exact) there are just some things that need to be left on the cutting room floor. And, sure, I am certain that there are going to be historians that bemoan this or that left out element. But consider the incredible effort it took to pack in as much as Lee did. Imagine the balls it took to release a 202-minute film to wide audiences under a big-name studio label. You gotta respect that.
There are problems and nits to be picked, but largely Lee succeeds in crafting an epic piece of art that celebrates a key figure in American history.
III. Denzel Was Robbed
Denzel Washington doesn't so much "play" Malcolm X as he inhabits and channels him. The performance is nothing short of a force of nature. Washington mastered the smile, and the cadence, and the swagger of this incredibly complex man. Part of the reason that this mammoth film works and demands the viewer's attention is Washington's Herculean lead performance.
And he received an Oscar nomination for it.
And he lost to Al Pacino. For Scent of a Woman (1992).
And fuck that.
And he received an Oscar nomination for it.
And he lost to Al Pacino. For Scent of a Woman (1992).
And fuck that.
IV. Spike Lee May Have Been the Only Dude That Could Have Made This Movie
I understand that there was some controversy about Spike Lee making this movie at the time. But, now, considering who Lee is and what his cinematic legacy is, it is hard for me to even consider another filmmaker more suited to telling this story.Lee's own misunderstood and lambasted politics make him a bit of a kindred spirit to Malcolm. I think he understands the man's journey and his evolution in key and important ways.
Malcolm X doesn't need a white-washed, softened biopic aimed at making white people feel better about him as an intellectual leader. He needed something a little more in your face. He needed a filmmaker who wouldn't shy away from his supposed radicalism. He needed a filmmaker like Spike Lee.
Spike Lee was going to commit to this film. He wasn't going to clean up or soften Malcolm or his message. But he wasn't going to short-cut X's journey, either. We need to see every facet of the man known as Malcolm X, so we can value the real radical journey that real persistence and a desire for change can engender. You need to see Red, the conman. You need to see Malcolm X parroting Elijah Muhammad. You need to see Malik El Shabazz prostrate in prayer in Mecca. You also need to see the incredible violence with which he met his end. It all comes together in a powerful story of one man's discovery of faith and agency. And his martyrdom for his cause.
And, even in violent death, they couldn't strike him down. Lee makes sure not to end the movie in death. He ends his movie with the seed of hope that that death became. Which leads me to...
V. Malcolm as a Symbol
I think Spike Lee fully understands the power of Malcolm X's legacy. This is not just the story of one man. It is the story of a movement. It is the story of every person that has been inspired by this one man.Lee bookends his movie with modern scenes: he starts the film cutting between the video footage of Rodney King being savaged by LAPD, and ends the film with a monologue delivered by Nelson Mandela The actual living, breathing Nelson Mandela (this dude got a Nelson Mandela cameo: just marinade in that for a bit). This shows that Lee refuses to let Malcolm's story exist in the past. It is a story that happened, but it is still happening now. There struggles and challenges that forged him into the man he became are still very much alive today. But we are lucky, because so is Malcolm's spirit. This is shown in the powerful montage of children standing and saying, "I am Malcolm X!" again and again and again.
Lee knows that Malcolm is a symbol that people can take inspiration from. And while the film does symbolize Malcolm to the detriment of his humanity, sometimes, it is hard to argue that Lee doesn't do a good job of celebrating this man and his legacy. Especially given how many people aren't familiar with X's story because of the way modern American history has embraced and sanctified Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm X works as a resounding reminder of one of the most important thought leaders in American history. It is suitably epic.
Why You Should See It
- The film humanizes and contextualizes the evolution of one of the most important civil rights leaders in our nation's history.
- Lee uses the medium of film to deliver some profoundly beautiful imagery and some slick movie making in the service of a piece of art that is at once deeply personal and utterly relatable.
Why You Shouldn't See It
- The film spends most of its time committed to Malcolm's evolution of thought, and gives short shrift to his identity as a father and husband. I understand the balancing act that all makers of biopics must wrestle with, but it would have been nice to spend more time with Betty Shabazz, or to see more of Malcolm as a family man. But then, maybe Lee's point is that his work was his life.
In Conclusion
Malcolm X is one of Lee's finest, if occasionally indulgent, master works.
It is currently (as of the time of this writing) streaming on Netflix.
If you want to learn about an incredibly influential civil rights figure whose name ISN'T MLK, go ahead and give this one a whirl.
Miscellany
- Denzel Washington decided not to take a salary to help get this film made. As the production swelled and went over budget, Spike Lee also had to give up his salary and sought funding from outside the studio before Warner Bros. kicked in some additional funds.- Dr. Betty Shabazz, the wife of Malcolm X, served as a consultant on the film.
- Parts of the film were shot on location in Mecca. This was the first non-documentary film to receive permission to film there. The studio initially wanted Lee to film those scenes in New Jersey. Lee refused and fought to get the funding and the permission for the location shoot.
- James Baldwin wrote the screenplay with Arnold Perl. Baldwin's family asked that his name be taken off the project when changes were made. In this way Spike Lee was given a co-writing credit on the film.
- The project was originally announced in 1968. It had a long and convoluted road to actual production with a few directors attached before Spike Lee landed it.
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