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The epic motion picture Malcolm X, starring Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, opens nationwide.
1992 (Nov 18)
The epic motion picture Malcolm X, starring Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington, opened nationwide. The $34 million film was produced by Black American filmmaker Spike Lee and based on author Alex Haley's biography of the slain civil rights leader. The film on the life of the controversial Muslim minister and human rights activist was made over a period of two years and was itself wrought with controversy. Hollywood studios initially seemed reluctant to support the story of the Black activist who has become best known for his declaration that Black Americans must defend themselves and achieve racial equality "by any means necessary." They also balked at Lee's proposed length for the movie (more than three hours) and the cost. Lee, however, argued successfully that no less than the recently released film on President John F. Kennedy—a difficult subject like Malcolm X—required more time. Additionally, Black American entertainers, sports figures, and others came to his rescue when money for the project ran low. In the course of filming Malcolm's "life-changing" 1964 pilgrimage, Lee became the first Hollywood filmmaker to be granted permission to film the annual gathering in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca—Islam's holiest city. The movie was also filmed in New York, Egypt, and the Republic of South Africa. Despite some criticism about odd omissions and changes (such as ignoring the importance of Malcolm's supportive sister Ella, who had, among other things, helped finance his pilgrimage to Mecca), Malcolm X was widely praised as an epic motion picture comparable to such films as Lawrence of Arabia and Gandhi. The screening of Malcolm X became a literal cause calibre among many Black Americans and particularly young Blacks, who have raised the stature of Malcolm in recent years to a point where he rivals Martin Luther King, Jr., in their esteem. His fiery orations, including his rejection of non-violence as a way of life in the human rights struggle, have been adopted as the credo for many disaffected Blacks in the 1990s.
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.