Director and co-writer Lee Spike’s 1992 released drama film titled Malcolm X follows the story of an African-American activist of the same name. Many consider the movie an important release since it talks about the different aspects of the life of Malcolm X and sheds light on his ideologies, actions, and what he stood for.
Director Lee Spike worked with actor Denzel Washington for this film, where the latter was cast for the role of Malcolm X, an individual who went from being a petty criminal to becoming an activist for his people. Apart from him in the main role, the movie also has actress Angela Bassett as Betty Shabazz, wife to Malcolm X, Albert Hall as Baines, Al Freeman Jr. as Elijah Muhammad, and so many other talented cast members.
While Malcolm X as personality may not have sat well with the white people of America, he was definitely a hero for the African-Americans, a sort of symbol representing their struggles and how they have to push through to rise above them. He remained a source of hope to the black people of America not only as a social activist who fought for them during the time of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, but he also managed to become a sort of spiritual guide for them as well.
Malcolm’s conversion to Islam and the change in his ideologies all had an impact on the lives of the people that he led. The movie, while in its pre-production phase, went through a lot of rough handling and controversies as many worried that makers, especially the director, Lee Spike, would not be able to bring to life Malcolm in the correct way and that there would no be much focus on his Islamic views.
Lee Spike had a special attachment to the movie and had revealed it to be a dream project; he had announced prior to the making of the film that he would portray Malcolm the way he saw him from what he could gather after much research and interviews on the latter’s life. Spike made the film with a lot of care and with a lot of his thoughts and insights put into it, and it turned out to be good enough.
For the most part, the audience seemed to have loved the movie, leaving the theatres in awe of the grand and cinematic life that Malcolm managed to live. Hiring a black director who clearly had better ideas and views on the character was a good thing, as the nuance and the undertones of Malcolm’s struggle and his rise to the top were beautifully depicted.
Is Malcolm X Based On A True Story?
The movie managed to get actor Denzel Washington nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, and for those wondering, yes, it is based on a true story. Malcolm X was an actual activist who fought for the rights of black people in America, he went from selling drugs as a teenager to finding god after turning to Islam, and then he became a humanitarian symbol for his people till he was assassinated.
The movie came out in 1992, after much struggle in terms of backlash from the people and the budget of the film, and is based on the life story of Malcolm X, which was published first in the form of a book titled ‘The Autobiography of Malcolm X’, written by Alex Haley in 1965.
The movie surely exaggerates and dramatizes certain aspects of his life with the way the dialogues are written and the scenes are shot, but this is done only to make his story more impactful. We get to see some very real struggles that Malcolm had to face as a child, when he was struggling to find food, had to sell drugs and commit petty thievery, and go to prison.
Director Lee Spike treated the movie as a passion project and authentically depicted the transformation of Malcolm’s life as he came out of prison as a changed man, with a newfound appreciation for Islam who ended up joining the Nation of Islam and standing up to the white oppressors.
The movie also got permission to film at Mecca, which was important in Malcolm’s life as he had taken a pilgrimage to the place right before being assassinated at the young age of thirty-nine. His life had so many layers and facets, and there were so many directions that the director could explore, which is why throughout the time the film was in production, there was an air of tension among people who only hoped for an apt and real representation of their leader.
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