Malcolm X (1992 film)
Malcolm X is a 1992 American biographical drama film about the AfroAmerican activist Malcolm X. Directed and cowritten by Spike Lee, the film stars Denzel Washington in the title role, as well as Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo. Lee has a supporting role as Shorty, a character based partially on reallife acquaintance Malcolm Shorty Jarvis, a fellow criminal and jazz saxophonist. Black Panther Party cofounder Bobby Seale, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and future South Africa president Nelson Mandela have cameo appearances. This is the second of four film collaborations between Washington and Lee.
Malcolm X divides the life of the AfricanAmerican activist Malcolm X into three sections. The first section deals with the troubled childhood of Malcolm Little, whose father, a preacher, was murdered by the Black Legion and whose mother was institutionalized for insanity. Malcolm grows up and gets a job as a Pullman porter, calling himself Detroit Red. Getting involved with a Harlem gangster named West Indian Archie with whom he has a falling out, Malcolm flees to Boston and decides to become a burglar. He and his best friend, Shorty played by Spike Lee are arrested by the police and Malcolm is sentenced to a tenyear prison term. The second section follows Malcolms life in prison, where a fellow inmate, Baines, introduces him to the teachings of the Nation of Islam.The third section follows Malcolms religious conversion as a disciple of Elijah Muhammad. During this fervent immersion into the Nation of Islam, he becomes an incendiary speaker for the movement and marries Betty Shabazz. Malcolm X preaches a doctrine of separation from white society. However, a pilgrimage to Mecca softens his beliefs, teaching him that Muslims come from all races, even whites, and he endeavors to break free of the strict dogma of the Nation of Islam, with tragic results. He is assassinated on February 21, 1965, in New York City. ........
Source: Wikipedia
