Malcolm X

'a man who stands for nothing will fall for anything'. i believe that Spike Lee's biographical film 'Malcom X' (1992) is a vital piece of afro-american history & teaches key political components. this is without being said that i have a strong belief on Malcom being full of (justified) hate in the start of the film which can be uncomfortable to watch. his hate isn't just towards those who treat him & black people poorly, but to all white people which is a very key issue in his character. you cannot preach how bad the 'white man' is for being racist while also simultaneously hating all white people. this is key in the scene where the white woman asks him what she can do to help his cause, Malcom turns to her and says 'Nothing.' and then just walks off. this is why i further connect with The Black Panther Party as they welcomed all willing to make a difference for all minorities, not just afro-americans - another flaw (in my opinion) in Malcom. however, what makes Spike Lee’s film so powerful is that it doesn’t leave Malcom in this mindset. following his pilgrimage to Mecca, we see a clear shift in his perspective where he begins to separate racism from race itself, and no longer views all white people as inherently evil. this development doesn’t erase his earlier beliefs, but instead adds complexity to his character and forces the audience to confront both versions of him. this is not to say i don't like Malcom, i actually love him, & i will most likely show this biographical to my children in hopes they learn from it, but it's important we can also see his flaws. it is also really ironic that, in the scene where Malcom is in the hole in prison, 'Red' says "if Jesus is my friend why isn't he here right now" & then comes out of the hole & converts to islam because a man told him that Allah is black. Spike Lee also adds subtle things against the nation of Islam, like banners stating 'WE MUST PROTECT OUR MOST VALUABLE PROPERTY: OUR WOMEN' and other views stated from Elijah Muhammad about women, how they must be a certain height & age to marry someone. i would absolutely love for The Black Panther Party to get their own Spike Lee esque film. i know we did get 'Judas and the Black Messiah', but i feel we deserve a greater film on this topic.