A nice complement to an important book

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2014)

While the unrelenting candor of The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley is powerful and unmatched, Spike Lee's film Malcolm X establishes an emotional connection that was neglected in the book due to the poor quality of writing. Lee begins his film in Malcolm's teenage years and intersperses short, quick sequences illustrating memories from Malcolm's childhood with the now colorful, extravagant life he has gone on to lead as a hustler in Boston and Harlem. Lee's fast-paced recollection of Malcolm's childhood combined with the hazy filter Lee uses to film Malcolm's memories ultimately fails to encapsulate the authenticity of the horrors that occurred to Malcolm and his family as a child. Without a proper representation of Malcolm's past, Lee struggles to engender the feeling that everything in Malcolm's life was a result of prior events and that Malcolm's future was inevitable given the limitations imposed on him as a boy. On the other hand, Lee does a remarkable job of mirroring the transition in Malcolm's life when Malcolm is locked in his prison cell for a week. After using an assortment of colors throughout Malcolm's life as a hustler, Lee makes the entire screen black for this shot, forcing the viewer to only feel Malcolm's agony as he howls in pain. Then, Lee shines a sliver of light from above onto Malcolm, which parallels Malcolm's soon-to-be religious discovery of the honorable Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam. Lee's composition and colors from this point on match Malcolm's new somber and serious attitude. Lee's transition in the middle of film is effective and powerful. This success enhances the viewer's connection with Malcolm on an emotional level. Lee then takes on a more narrative tone until Malcolm is cast out of the Nation of Islam and makes his pilgrimage to Mecca. Lee illustrates the variety of races in Mecca, but uses extreme long shots throughout Malcolm's hajj to demonstrate the unity of Islam and to put things in perspective for Malcolm. Finally, the movie culminates with Lee's famous double dolly shot as Malcolm unknowingly walks to his death. While Malcolm himself is stationary, his surroundings are still moving, almost as if his head is floating in the air. This technique finally sends the message that Malcolm's future is subject to the events going on around him. Lee's juxtaposition of Malcolm's newfound empathy and the unfortunate timing of his death really allows the viewer to sympathize with Malcolm. Although Lee's film does not employ the same unrelenting honesty as Malcolm's autobiography, Lee's usage of several film techniques still successfully portrays Malcolm X and his quest for understanding.