Other Arts & Review

the Other Press

December 10, 1991

 

Asalamulaikum (fisalik El Shabazz

Before a review of the film
Malcolm X can be undertaken an
overview of the
life of El Hajj Malik Shabazz is
appropriate.

Malcolm X

Directed by Spike Lee

Starring Denzel Washington
Forty Acres and a Mule/ Warner
Bros.

reviewed by Haroon A. Khan

The man known as Malcolm
X was arranomaly among people.
He said what he meant and he
meant what he said. Not only
that, he was, in the truest sense,
an
evolutionary being. He was
constantly evolving - re-inventing
himself as he
gained experience and knowledge
of the world. His life was an
exploration of
the self that was cultivated by
faith.

When people refer to his life
they point out phases: from
country boy,
hoodlum, gangster, pusher,
pimp, prisoner, disciple, follower,
his own person.

He went through just as many
name changes: Malcolm Little,
Detroit Red,

Satan, Malcolm X and finally El
Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

When he saw what he
perceived as truth, he embraced
it. He unshackled
himself from the underworld of
crime, and became a member of
the Nation of
Islam - and became it’s most
visible spokesperson- even more
so than its
founder - Elijah Mohammed.

Malcolm X went further than
any black man ever did. He spoke
out defiantly in the face of the
tyranny that was segregation in
America. His fierce intelligence
and cutting wit stung at the
sensibilities of society and woke
up the long slumbering blacks
from their sleep of supplication to
the white man.

First upon peachboxes in the
streets and then to podiums at
halls and rallies across the
country, Malcolm X passionately
articulated the pent-up
frustrations of the black man.
However, despite his eloquence,
Malcolm could only re-convey

 

 

the messages that were taught to him
by his mentor/saviour Elijah
Mohammed.

The doctrine of the Nation of
Islam taught black superiority and
warned against the diabolical/ satanic
nature of whites. This philosophy may
have brought more self-esteem among
blacks but it contradicted the true
teachings of Islam.

Malcolm fell out with the
organization after learning of their
conspiracies against him. The sheer
force of his personality and dynamic
speaking style sparked jealousies and
sowed the seeds of betrayal amongst
the people who ‘saved his life’.
Disillusioned, he travelled to Mecca to
participate in the Hajj (pilgramage)

 

The man Rnown as [fHalecolm X

was an anomaly among people.
De said what he meant and he

meant what he said.

 

which is obligatory for all Muslims to
perform at least once ina lifetime..

There he saw the truth again - and
embraced it. He realized that it was
spirit,
not the colour of one’s skin, that
defined an individual.

This discovery did not soften his
stance against racism:
“It’s true that J am a Muslim and |
believe in brotherhood. I believe in the
brotherhood of all men, but my
religion doesn’t make me a fool. My
religion makes me against all forms of
racism. It keeps me from judging any
man by the colour of his skin. It
teaches me to judge him by his deeds
and his conscious behaviour. And it
teaches me to be for the rights of all
human beings, but especially the Afro-
American human being because my
religion is a natural religion and the
first law of nature is self-preservation.”

The time after Hajj was a busy one
for Malcolm-this last period of his life.
He worked constantly, preaching his
message wherever he could. He lived
out his last weeks as determined as
ever, yet all around him paranoia from
death threats and monitoring of his
movements kept him and those loyal
to him on the alert at all times. It
wasn’t enough.

On Sunday afternoon, February

 

21, 1965, Malcolm X prepared to
make a speech at the Audobon
Ballroom. Without any police
protection, and only his own
personal bodyguards for protection
he was virtually defenceless.

His last words were
“Assalamulaikum” - peace be unto
you.

Ina hail of bullets Malcolm X
was slain: shot to death while his
wife and daughters could only
watch in horror.

Theories aside, the fact is that
Malcolm X was assasinated by
order of the Nation of Islam - his
former brothers. The involvement
of the CIA is already a given.

Malcolm X died as a result of

violence. When he is remembered
he is seen as the antithesis of the
pacifict, and more palatable, Martin
Luther King. This is wrong.

Malcolm X was not a violent demon that is racism still rears its
man. No, he was more ‘dangerous’ ygly head.
that that, his most lethal weapon And, as such, the words still ring
was his mind and he wielded more with the power that only truth can
power with his intellect than a convey:
thousand men with guns. We delclare our right on this earth

Still, Malcolm X is the most to be a man, to bea h :
misunderstood figure in the struggle a eae

 

length.

Still not all viewers are ready to
grasp a subject as big as Malcolm X.
As I watched the film I also
observed the audience - a diverse
crowd of all backgrounds, young
and old. of all colours. I observed a

of civil rights. As Ossie Davis ae
alge Sd OSE OF fhe kids wearing
ee ever talk to brother these Dd Caps dont hav e

Did you ever touch him or have him

Si yoneerreallyistentorime OYthing between their ears..."

Did he ever do a mean thing? Was

he ever himself associated with - Denzel Washington

violence or any public disturbance?
For if you did, you would know
him and if you knew him, you

ould kn h t hi
ene Se ee ee respected as a human being,

in this society, on this earth, in this
It is now 1992. The world has day, which we intend to bring into
hanged since Malcolm's time. But existence by any means necessary!
= things never change. mee ~ As for the film:.
riots in LA to the neo-Nazis and Despit th keti
fascists around the world, the Fr % ej marrelng,
merchandising and

commercialization that is part and
parcel of his style, Spike Lee has
made a great film. The calibre of
acting by all involved especially that
of Denzel Washington is amazing
to watch as he lives and breathes
conveying the energy and
incendiary power that was
Malcolm X.. Washington’s
performance is one that can only be
praised.

The visuals are magnificent.
Ernst Dickerson, Lee’s Director of
photography has captured a vivid
kaleidiscope of images - from the
vibrancy of the zoot suit era, the
blackness of prison to the colour of
redemption the film is a feast for
the eyes,

For the ears, the score by
Terence Blanchard adds texture to
the film as does the soundtrack
which goes all over the map from
Lional Hampton to Aretha
Franklin.

The film grips the viewer from the
first moment to the last - not an
easy feat considering the 3+ hour

 

 

group of kids watching the film.
From their comments I could see
they only perceived the surface, they
were focusing on the music, the
sound of some of the actor’s voices.
In doing so they missed the story
and may not have gotten anything
out of the movie than just being able
to tell their friends that they saw the
film. The amusing thing was that
many were wearing Malcolm X
caps. I heard in a radio interview
that Denzel Washington
disparaged the merchandizing of
the film:

“Most of the kids wearing those X
caps don’t have anything between
their ears...”

In the most general of senses,
people see what they’re ready to see
or perceive. they can only grasp part
of something not the whole. It is
with the perspective that knowledge
and life experience brings that one
can see that there are infinitely more
layers to explore.

The life of Malcolm X and his
evolution into becoming El Hajj
Malik Shabazz is a fascinating one
and one that merits further study
beyond the local movie theatre.
Watch the documentries, read the
Autobiography and the text of his
speeches. Learn and understand the
man behind the myth. Peace be unto
you.

tin