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Spoilers ahead: Malcolm X (1992) may be the film Lee was born to make. Ever since he read The Autobiography of Malcolm X for the first time, he had a vision for the film, and "it was because of Do The Right Thing that a man named Marvin Worth - who had the rights to the material on Malcolm's life - sent ... a letter saying he wanted [Lee] to direct the film"(By Any Means Necessary, p. 9). At that time, the project was being developed by Norman Jewison, a white filmmaker. After some debate, Jewison told Lee, "I don't know how to do this film, I can't lick it" (BAMN, p. 10), and wished him luck. The results are incredible, a 70 mm epic shot in New York, L.A., Africa and the Middle East with an excellent cast and a great script based on an earlier version by no less a writer than James Baldwin. Though its scope is much larger, Lee retained the integrity and strength of Do The Right Thing by employing much of the same crew, including cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, costume designer Ruth Carter and production designer Wynn Thomas. In this way, he brings an epic story of great magnitude down to a human level. The title footage of Rodney King, intercut with the American flag, has the same effect as the fire hoses in Do The Right Thing: it makes the viewer ponder just how far we've really come since the days when leaders like Malcolm had to fight for the human rights of their people. The opening tracking shot of Shorty (Lee) walking down the street in Boston is also reminiscent of Mookie's walk down Stuyvesant street; since both characters are played by Lee, the implication is of the filmmaker personally taking you on a journey through his film. Lee's treatment of interracial relationships is important in all three films. In Do The Right Thing, both Mookie and Pino hate the fact that Sal is attracted to Jade. In Bamboozled, Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport) thinks he has "a right" to use the word "feller" because he has a black wife. In Malcolm X, we see Malcolm's (Denzel Washington) deep-down hatred of his white girlfriend Sophia (Kate Vernon) in the scene in which she feeds him eggs. Malcolm resents the fact that she is with him because he is black; this treatment is similar to his status as a novelty, or mascot, in school, where he "was unique ... like a pink poodle" (The Autobiography of Malcolm X, p. 32). Later, when Malcolm is doing cocaine with Sophia and West Indian Archie (Delroy Lindo), he plays around with a gun, unknowingly pointing it at himself. This action symbolizes his self-destructive behavior at this point in his life. Archie's finger-"gun" retort foreshadows the conflict between them, as well as the tragedy and violence that ultimately overtake Malcolm's life. Betty Shabazz (Angela Bassett) may be Lee's strongest female character yet. Though it is a relatively small role, she is an important and prescient force in Malcolm's life, seeing the Nation of Islam's betrayal even before Malcolm, who correctly predicted his own death. When Malcolm does realize his own betrayal, the scene is extremely evocative, with its crucifix-like composition of the window frame behind Malcolm as he prays; the backlighting shows Malcolm as a prophetic figure. When Malcolm visits Elijah Muhammad (Al Freeman, Jr.) after his infamous remarks on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, we see for the first time signs of Muhammad's "bronchial asthmatic condition" (Autobiography, p. 258); it is as if Malcolm's remarks caused this condition, an implication that shows the mutual disappointment between the two men. Throughout the film, Lee intercuts black & white footage of Washington as Malcolm, as well as actual historical footage, to lend the film a sense of authenticity. Nowhere is this technique better used than in the Mecca sequence, some of which was shot in 16 mm, perfectly emulating footage of the real Malcolm X in Egypt, which we see at the end of the film. Lee had to fight tooth and nail with the Completion Bond Company to actually shoot overseas, saying, "How can you have 160 minutes of Malcolm saying white people are blue-eyed devils and then not go spend the time and money to shoot the pivotal moments that caused him to turn around on that thinking?" (BAMN, p. 102). Lee's vision persevered, and the film is decidedly better for it. WORKS CITED with Ralph Wiley. By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X ... New York: Hyperion, 1992. Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Ballantine, 1965. email this review to a friend
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