Malcolm X film is produced by Spike Lee, a bibliography account of the historical figure of Malcolm X as well as his life as a civil rights activist. The film offers a profound insight into the life of Malcolm X and what stirred his work and ideologies. The film begins by showing several striking racially, class, gender, and politically charged scenes. For instance, it shows footages of Rodney King being beaten and also the burning of the American flag into an X. These images are continued to be seen throughout the movie with the intentions of shedding light on the representation of racism, gender, and class in the society (Jones, 1993). After being voted the class president and having the best grades, he is still not seen as another child or classmate, together with other black students they are viewed as animals.
Consequently, Malcom X gives a speech about the suffering of the black people carried out by the white race. He delivers his speech in public and vigorously accusing the whites of rape, killings, and slavery. Being in the class of the poor people, we can see him meeting with his friend Spike Lee when he had gone to a local barber shop to straighten his hair so that whites can accept him (Jones, 1993). Malcolm underwent a painful process with a concoction of eggs and lye applied on his head and then combed out. This showed the plight the black race was faced with so that they could fit into the white society.
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While in school, Malcolm excels very well in his academics, and he told one of his teachers that his dream was to become a lawyer. Since his teacher was a racist, the teacher said it was not a practical course for a black person. This showed that blacks were not given opportunities to reach such educational levels because they were believed to only do hard labor. As a young student, Malcolm undergoes through discrimination by his fellow white pupils. He narrates how he was treated like a mascot in the institution because of being black.
As the film continues, Malcolm tells about his early life through a flashback sequence. He was raised in a low-income family in a remote place called Nebraska. When he was still in his mother’s womb, a group of Ku Klux Klan attacked their house in search of his father who was a local activist and a minister. He, later on, narrates that when he was at the age four, his family home was burned to ashes and his father was murdered after suffering damages on the skull (Jones, 1993). His family became a destitute, the case was unjustly reported as a suicide, and there were no compensations for the family.
What makes the movie to stand out is the way Lee presented Malcolm X. Instead of shedding some light on a few of his famously known beliefs or sayings, it strives to portray him as a human being and not any other political figure. This provides the viewer with an overview of his life (Jones, 1993). By doing so, it guides the viewer to some real footages that are vivid and raw such that the viewer has to connect with Malcolm beyond the perceptions they had before watching the movie. As the film ends in a schoolroom on Malcolm x day after his death; it illustrates so much about who he was, and the influence he left leading to activist Nelson Mandela quoting him and both the African and American students were shouting “I am Malcolm X.”
The characters in the movie brought out the real picture intended by Lee. The most interesting thing about the film was not its production but the connection the characters had on the completion of the narrations of the movie and their distinctive roles. For instance, Lee picked Denzel Washington to act the role of Malcolm X; Washington was a bit shorter and darker than Malcolm. However, despite his looks, Washington’s representation of Malcolm X was without a doubt a masterpiece in motion (Jones, 1993). Denzel perfectly connected with his role and stick to it all the way. One of the various highlights of his performance was his incredible act during the protest scene in the hospital which summarizes his entire performance. He caused the large group of protesters to obey him and leave the hospital with just a look and some hand gestures. He was committed to his character throughout the film and delivered an inspiring representation of Malcolm X without exaggerating.
The narration of the story and the sufferings of the black race as depicted by Lee has unquestionably contributed significantly to the social construction of race and gender without forgetting the social class. The narration is about an extraordinary life, and Spike Lee has narrated it in a dumbfounding movie without glorifying the life of the black race. One of the best features about the film is the fact that it is not an attack but an explanation, and also not exclusionary. To sum up, it consciously talks to all the audience irrespective of one’s race. Moreover, Black audience will not be astonished by the experience of Malcolm X since they walk in his shoes, but they will learn a lesson or two about his capability to self-criticism and his ideologies.
Reference
Jones, J. (1993). Spike Lee presents Malcolm X: The new Black Nationalism. Cineaste , 19 (4), 9.
