Malcolm X (1972)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Arnold Perl

Writers:

Alex Haley (book)
Arnold Perl (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot Keywords:

Nation Of Islam | Islam | African American | Based On Autobiography | Civil Rights

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

James Earl Jones	...	Biographical Narration (voice)
Ossie Davis	...	Eulogy (voice) (also archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Ali	...	Himself (archive footage)
Muhammad Ali	...	Himself (with Malcolm X) (archive footage)
Leon Ameer	...	Himself (archive footage)
Vida Blue	...	Himself (archive footage)
H. Rap Brown	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Rap Brown)
John Carlos	...	Himself (archive footage)
Stokely Carmichael	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eldridge Cleaver	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ella Collins	...	Herself (remarks after death of Malcolm X) (archive footage)
Angela Davis	...	Herself (archive footage)
Lee Evans	...	Himself (at 1968 Olympics) (archive footage) (as L. Evans)
Charles Evers	...	Himself (archive footage)
James Farmer	...	Himself (remarks after death of Malcolm X) (archive footage)
Louis Farrakhan	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Minister Farrakhan)
Ronald Freeman	...	Himself (at 1968 Olympics) (archive footage) (as R. Freeman)
Edwin Gardner	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Rev. Gardner)
Charles Garry	...	Himself (archive footage)
Marcus Garvey	...	Himself (in car) (archive footage)
Kenneth Gibson	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Mayor Kenneth Gibson)
Arthur Goldberg	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jesse Jackson	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Rev. Jesse Jackson)
G. Lawrence James	...	Himself (at 1968 Olympics) (archive footage) (as L. James)
King Faisal I	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Prince Faisal)
Martin Luther King	...	Himself (remarks after death of Malcolm X) (archive footage) (as Rev. Martin Luther King)
William Kunstler	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sonny Liston	...	Himself (fights Cassius Clay) (archive footage)
Louis Lomax	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ruchell Magee	...	Himself (archive footage)
Elijah Muhammad	...	Himself (archive footage)
Huey P. Newton	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Huey Newton)
Bayard Rustin	...	Himself (archive footage)
Betty Shabazz	...	Herself (archive footage)
Raymond Sharrieff	...	Himself (archive footage)
Percy Sutton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Harry Taylor	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Police Inspector Taylor)
Mister Walsh	...	Himself (as Chief Detective Walsh)
James X	...	Himself (archive footage)
Malcolm X	...	Himself (speeches, lies in state) (archive footage)
Philbert X	...	Himself (brother of Malcolm X) (archive footage)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002)

the man who never sold out....

a gripping documentary of the old school (subject centred) we see Malcolm in the raw for most of the footage is him speaking at rallies and direct to the media of the day.

A great intro to Malcolm's early beliefs influenced by the black Muslim movement, and his development into an independent thinker, who had to stand alone, and ultimately pay the price of turning his back on the narrow minded and self seeking Elijah Mohammad.

the fire and intensity of Malcolm x never seems to have dimmed in all his speeches and interviews, he focused the whole time on the one great goal: the raising and liberation of the black consciousness to acts of self determination.

he was a man who struggled perpetually for others, as the film shows abundantly. his great love for mankind unfolds before the viewer in a way that will doubtless be a surprise to those who have only heard the company line; that Malcolm was some kind of 'racist in reverse' or that he advocated violence for violence sake.

the and of the film with latter day opinions that his assassination was state-sponsored is probably not in doubt, even tho in retrospect it has become clear that the black Muslim movement was certainly the 'hand that fired the gun'.

the final analysis: that Malcolm died as he did will always be less important than the fact that he lived as he did: a man of unerring courage drawn from the deep well of spiritual quest for kinship with God and man. he stands as an inspiring example of how to live, without swallowing our tongues in fear at those who would have us live a life of lies so that we can conspire to cover up their lies as well.... so when you know the truth, speak out!