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Malcolm X



One of the most electrifying heroes of the twentieth century receives an appropriately sweeping screen biopic, rich in both historical insight and propulsive cinematic style, courtesy of visionary director Spike Lee. Built around an extraordinary performance from Denzel Washington, Malcolm X draws on the iconic civil rights leader's autobiography to trace his journey of empowerment, from a childhood riven by white-supremacist violence to a life of petty crime to his conversion to Islam and rebirth as a fearless fighter for Black liberation, whose courage and eloquence inspired oppressed communities the world over. An epic of impeccable craft that was made with Lee's closest creative collaborators and is buoyed by commanding performances from Delroy Lindo, Angela Bassett, Al Freeman Jr., and others, this is a passionate monument to a man whose life continues to serve as a model of principled resistance.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
• Audio commentary from 2005 featuring director Spike Lee, Dickerson, editor Barry Alexander Brown, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter
• New conversation between Lee and journalist and screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper
• New interviews with actor Delroy Lindo and composer Terence Blanchard
• Program about the making of the film, featuring Lee, Dickerson, Brown, Blanchard, Carter, filmmaker Martin Scorsese, actor Ossie Davis, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Warner Bros. executive Lucy Fisher, producers Preston Holmes and Jon Kilik, production designer Wynn Thomas, casting director Robi Reed, and Malcolm X's daughter Ilyasah Shabazz
• Malcolm X (1972), a feature-length documentary produced by Marvin Worth and Arnold Perl and directed by Perl, narrated by actor James Earl Jones
• Deleted scenes with introductions by Lee
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by Cooper, excerpts from Lee's 1992 book By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of "Malcolm X"..., and Davis's eulogy for Malcolm X

indiewire considers DW's performance among the top 25 performances of the 1990s

(decent list really, also including Sheryl Lee for FWWM, Juliette Binoche for Blue and Melanie Lynskey for Heavenly Creatures)

I'll have to give this another try. I was actually disappointed when I saw it - fine overall but aside from the opening, it felt a bit lacking everywhere else. I was expecting something bolder and more inventive (in terms of filmmaking).

hearthesilence wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 6:51 pm I'll have to give this another try. I was actually disappointed when I saw it - fine overall but aside from the opening, it felt a bit lacking everywhere else. I was expecting something bolder and more inventive (in terms of filmmaking).

I still have gaps in my Spike Lee viewing, but I've never care for this one. I've always found I prefer Spike Lee's more unhinged films which I think are far more inventive.

Glowingwabbit wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 7:07 pm

hearthesilence wrote: Wed Aug 17, 2022 6:51 pm I'll have to give this another try. I was actually disappointed when I saw it - fine overall but aside from the opening, it felt a bit lacking everywhere else. I was expecting something bolder and more inventive (in terms of filmmaking).

I still have gaps in my Spike Lee viewing, but I've never care for this one. I've always found I prefer Spike Lee's more unhinged films which I think are far more inventive.

Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour, and When the Levees Broke are still the three I like best.

Also as fine as Washington may be in this role, I think he's been more impressive elsewhere. I want to say Mario Van Peebles was even better as Malcolm X in Ali.

To counter the above opinions: I love this movie. A definitive biopic that puts all recent Oscarbait biopics to shame – this is how it should be done, with breadth and and its subject’s complexity. An epic of multiple genres across an epic runtime.

I agree. Normally, I argue with biopics, pick the most important and most representative moment of someone’s life and do the film about that. But Spike put together such a beautifully focused arc of a man’s life and just cranked out a masterpiece.

I think it's Spike Lee's best film––though I think Blackkklansman rates up there pretty high, also. And in terms of structure, I think the film has a lot going on––the transition from the more melodramatic and colorful "Red" period to the Malcolm's growing sense of self–realization, self–control, and self–worth––where the film streamlines in terms of color and stylization. Not many movies make the choice to get more controlled as they progress––and it then turns out to be the right choice, artistically. But it matches the trajectory of Malcolm X's own life, and the honing in on goals that will provide meaning for him. What's more, this is the rare role where I didn't find myself thinking of Denzel Washington as Denzel Washington. By the time Lee starts cutting between footage of the real Malcolm X and footage of Washington, I had some trouble telling them apart. I dunno. This has always been the unforgettable film in Lee's canon for me.

I think it’s pretty easily the second best of his films that I’ve seen. It’s a great biopic, epic in scope and never anything less than interesting. Lots of deserved praise already here for Washington, but Al Freeman Jr is so spot-on as Elijah Muhammad that it’s uncanny

Ditto the last few posts. Also, definitely his best film that I can watch with my mom

I like it a lot too- and yes, Al Freeman Jr. walks away with the movie whenever he's on screen. I know it can be controversial, but The Autobiography of Malcolm X is great supplemental reading and only reinforces admiration for Lee's skills in adapting the comprehensive stages of Malcolm X's life

I like Mo' Better Blues, Clockers, Jungle Fever(!), but imo this one does suffer from biopic-itis and has a few too many speeches, impressive as Denzel is.

Looking forward to rewatching it though

I'm particularly intrigued by the inclusion of the 1972 documentary film, which should make for an interesting contrast (both 70s take versus 90s one; and documentary against biopic) to the main feature. According to imdb Ossie Davies is in there too, as one of the voiceovers!

Warner did include it on their special edition DVD and their limited edition Blu-ray, but on a bonus DVD.

Finch wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:19 pm indiewire interviews Spike Lee about the film's making

That was great, thanks for sharing. I actually want to see this projected now - I've only seen it on a television set, and not a very big one.

I knew that Spike had gotten donations, but it was interesting to hear mundane details like taking the subway to Cosby's house, running up the steps of his brownstone (like the brownstone in his NBC show?) and then walk to the bank with the check - like the actual process seems very ordinary, but it also involves a ton of money written on the check and an epic movie. It's also sad to read about Cosby's generosity and knowing the horrendous things he had done and would continue to do.

While I can't verify until I get this release on my hands, I'm fairly certain that the making-of program is the one that was originally available on the Warner DVD, which (surprisingly) was uploaded by Warner themselves.

afilmcionado wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 4:40 am To counter the above opinions: I love this movie. A definitive biopic that puts all recent Oscarbait biopics to shame – this is how it should be done, with breadth and and its subject’s complexity. An epic of multiple genres across an epic runtime.

It’s a miracle how fast this movie just breezes by. Not a single wasted moment in 3 hours. I’ve seen it projected in 70mm, the only film of Lee’s or Ernest Dickerson’s to get that treatment, and it was glorious. So many scenes in it have left an indelible mark on me, from its amazingly audacious opening with the burning flag and Rodney King footage (this was just a year after the first Gulf War, when hyper-nationalist nonsense was reaching a fever pitch), the incredible prison confrontation between Christopher Plummer and Malcom, and that amazing ending with Ossie Davis and Nelson Mandela which always gives me frisson

I’m not seeing enough love here for Lee’s bighearted, tender, and autobiographical Crooklyn, the underrated and profane Girl 6, or the low-budget wonder Get on the Bus

Still, I think He Got Game might be a strong contender for his top 3 narrative works, with a really funny but trenchant message about how Black athletes are simultaneously venerated and exploited that’s lathered in music by Aaron Copland and Public Enemy. Even the end credits sequence, which was probably inspired by Jonathan Demme’s Married to the Mob, as it’s a highlight of deleted scenes and shows an entire subplot that was removed, is mesmerizing

I've come frustratingly close to seeing this twice now but ended up not being able to, and have almost picked up the the BD several times out of frustration at missing it, so I'm really looking forward to this UHD now.

beamish14 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 3:31 amI’m not seeing enough love here for Lee’s bighearted, tender, and autobiographical Crooklyn...

Crooklyn's easily my second-favorite of his. I saw A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for the first time recently and left the theater wishing someone would program a double feature of the two, though I don't know that I would survive it.

FWIW, I've daydreamed about a Lee auteur list on several occasions, even if #1 is a foregone conclusion.

therewillbeblus wrote: Thu Aug 18, 2022 2:02 pm Al Freeman Jr. walks away with the movie whenever he's on screen.

Just now realizing that this is the guy from Dutchman