IB film, Textual analysis Malcolm X, 1992 Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992) Sequence chosen (0:55:22-1:00:22) Session May 2019 Word Count: 1737 The film I have chosen for the textual analysis is Malcolm X by Spike Lee. I will analyse the sequence in terms of historical and political context as well as how it uses symbolism, Mise-en-Scene and cinematography to convey meaning according to the filmmaker s intentions, visions and his influences. HISTORICAL CONTEXT Malcolm X is a biographical drama concerning the events that happened in America around the historical figure Malcolm X. The film is directed by Spike Lee who is an African-American film director. The film tells the story of Malcolm X who created an uprising in the USA by promoting the use of the Islam which caused mostly turmoil for the African-American community in America. As film scholar Andrew Stevens observed, Speaking comfortably about African-American identity formation is an almost impossible act and Lee still decided to tell the story of Malcolm X even after MLK (Martin Luther King) who handled civil rights very differently. MLK wanted the black and white community to live in unity while Malcolm X just wanted to bring power to the African-American community. As seen in the film, Malcolm just wanted to achieve the best for his own community even if he had to use extreme measurements such as violent protest, which MLK was fairly against. Figure 1: image of the director Spike Lee who ironically also plays Shorty in the film POLITICAL CONTEXT The effect of Lee being African-American himself makes the film even more realistic as these were events his community had to go through even in 1992, when the movie was made. There were still many issues concerning the way the black community was treated. For example, Rodney King who was maltreated by police which was caught on tape. This event links back to Malcolm X himself who, as shown in the film, went through violence with the police on multiple occasions. Therefore, the film puts across the theme of violence multiple times. This reoccurring theme of violence clearly represents the suppressed emotions of the black community which were seen in real life during the LA riots where the black community violently attacked the streets of America. As Lee said himself, I think the resurgence of Malcolm is about a void that young people are trying to fill which shows that the main reason behind making the film is to give hope to the black community by showing the influence of Malcolm X. Through the life of Malcolm X, he had captured the dreams, fears, and hopes of nation (Abrams, 2008). Malcolm X was a man who served the black community with his life which was a story Lee wanted to share widely on screen.
CHOSEN EXTRACT The chosen extract shows the moment when Malcolm got arrested for multiple crimes and is maltreated by guards in prison. At the start of the chosen sequence we can see Malcolm perming his hair which is shown multiple times in the film. This foreshadows Malcolm s future as once he stops perming his hair, he starts to become a stronger believer in the Islam and becomes more powerful. I believe that this extract is an important moment in the film as after this moment, Malcolm s whole idea of life changes. He changes from a criminal into a hero. Figure 2: Two shot of shorty perming Malcolm s hair SYMBOLISM A main prop that Lee uses in the film is the prop of hair dye which symbolises a change of character in the future. Throughout the film Malcolm is shown to be perming his hair multiple times which as I mentioned before, foreshadows his turning point when he stops perming his hair. Also moments before the police arrive, Malcolm tries to get water on his head as otherwise the perm will burn and ruin his hair. This is a symbol that trying to look the ideal white image can be hurtful and the consequences can be difficult. I believe that the hair dye is a symbol for change. Usually people dye their hair for a change; the moment Malcolm stops dying his hair his whole lifestyle changes. One prop being able to justify that he should change his lifestyle, as in prison another character shows him how dying his hair makes him vulnerable, shows that small details can be significant for the future. This also links back to how one person can change the world which is what Malcolm did for the US, he changed the norms and made the US a better country for the African- American community. Figure 3 & 4: Medium shots where shorty and Malcolm get arrested, both tinted in yellow.
COLOUR An effective use of Mise-En-Scene in this extract is the use of colour. At the start of the chosen extract, while Shorty and Malcolm are being arrested, the whole room is tinted in yellow. Yellow is usually a colour of hope and happiness while this is contrasted by the event that is happening on screen. It represents the end of Malcolm s happily lived lifestyle as he s bound to face reality in prison, he can t keep living in a world where he can commit crimes without the consequences. The colour scheme appears to represent his shift in character. The use of colour is contrasted in the prison itself where the whole setting is tinted in grey and blue. It gives a sense of sadness and seriousness as Malcolm has to own up to his mistakes and come to realisation what he has done with his life. Lee paints the early Harlem scenes in warm, sensuous colors, and then uses cold, institutional lighting for the scenes in prison, (Ebert, 1992). The color palette shows the change in shift in Malcolm s lifestyle and represents the realisation of the life of a black man in America at the time of Malcolm X and in 1992. It shows that the black community will always be mistreated due to their skin colour which links back to the political context of the film, where this mistreatment was fought against in the LA riots. Figure 5: Two Shot of prisoners inside prison with a blue/dark colour palette. The use of colour also links back to the use of lighting as the lighting before the arrest is always high-key while in prison it is low-key, mainly in the closed off cell that Malcolm is put in for misbehaving. The use of darkness, the whole room turning black, makes Malcolm himself blend in. It shows that the white officers see him as nothing, he could just disappear into the shadows. Again, shows how the officers treat him as dirt, they know he s there but they don t care enough to release him. Ernest Dickerson s cinematography, which uses starkly different shades and tones to comment on each of the film s three distinct segments (Clark, 2015), but most importantly the tones in the film set the mood of the film. The dark blue tones set the sadness and regret Malcolm is facing while the yellow at the beginning shows the innocence and happiness behind his crimes. Towards the end of the film the colour palette contains neutral colours such as browns which show his acceptance with his faith. Brown also represents a more hopeful future for the black community due to Malcolm s actions. Figure 6: Wide Shot of Malcolm in his closed off
Figure 7: Four shot of the characters in court, facing the camera with their backs. CINEMATOGRAPHY Another interesting element in the chosen extract is the link between blocking and cinematography between Malcolm and Shorty. Throughout the sequence, when perming Malcolm s hair and in court, they are filmed in two shots. It clearly shows the bond between the two characters as they ve been through a lot together. The blocking also clearly shows the separation between white and black people at the time. In court they re shown in a four shot with their backs towards the camera with their former white lovers. Effectively, the shots from the front are always just separately of the two pairs. It shows that no matter how hard Malcolm would ve tried, he never would ve fit in properly. This is also shown by the fact that the lovers later marry white men, again as white remains the dominant. This links back to the historical context in 1992 as there was still a clear separation between black and white people and there was no sign of equality, shown in the mistreatment of Rodney King. Shown how the assaulters of Rodney King felt that they had the right to purely because of his skin colour, his skin colour made his opinion insignificant. This is again represented as Malcolm and Shorty face 10 years in prison as a result of rape of the two women, while they were with them freely. Also shows how the voices of African-American people weren t listened to, the dominant white male didn t care enough as they already had the power in hand. Figure 8 & 9: two shots of the pairs
Also the use of close ups is important in the court scene as we can see the difference in emotions in the characters. We can see the women pretending to be upset as they know they won t be strongly punished while Malcolm and Shorty appear to be upset as they know the consequences of sleeping with white women. Lee uses the camera to clearly show how the characters feel. Their attitudes towards the court is shown as Malcolm is shown to be mad while shorty is seen sad. It also shows big character development in Malcolm as he can truly see how white people treat African-American people in this moment. CONCLUSION It obtains a social force and, subsequently, a political relevance to cultural producers interested in increasing identificatory options for African-Americans, (Stevens, 2009). The film is mainly created to show the separation between African-Americans and white people in 1965 which was still happening in 1992. It gives the black community a sense of hope to show how one man can change a whole country. Lee uses film elements effectively to show the effect of Malcolm and how his life shaped him into the man he became. Even if Malcolm s ideals for the African-American community didn t pass along, for individuals such as Rodney King, the film does show how he sacrificed his life for the faith of African- Americans.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Malcolm X, 1992 LEE, S. Malcolm X In-text: (Malcolm X, 1992) Your Bibliography: Malcolm X. (1992). [DVD] Directed by S. Lee. EBERT, R. Malcolm X Movie Review & Film Summary (1992) Roger Ebert In-text: (Ebert, 1992) Your Bibliography: Ebert, R. (1992). Malcolm X Movie Review & Film Summary (1992) Roger Ebert. [online] Rogerebert.com. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/malcolmx-1992 [Accessed 8 May 2018]. HAMLET, J. D. AND STEVENS Fight the power! In-text: (Hamlet and Stevens, 2009) Your Bibliography: Hamlet, J. and Stevens (2009). Fight the power!. New York, NY: Lang. ABRAMS, D. Spike Lee, director In-text: (Abrams, 2008) Your Bibliography: Abrams, D. (2008). Spike Lee, director. New York: Chelsea House. CLARK, A. Malcolm X: Spike Lee's biopic is still absolutely necessary In-text: (Clark, 2015) Your Bibliography: Clark, A. (2015). Malcolm X: Spike Lee's biopic is still absolutely necessary. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/19/malcolmx-spike-lee-biopic-black-cinema-selma-the-butler [Accessed 8 May 2018]. LEE, S. AND FUCHS, C. Spike Lee In-text: (Lee and Fuchs, 2002) Your Bibliography: Lee, S. and Fuchs, C. (2002). Spike Lee. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.