The Death of Malcolm X
By Andrew Tye, with comment by Harrison Lawrence
[1] In the final scene of the film, Malcolm X arrives at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan for his final speech, which he delivered on February 21, 1965. This was one of many speeches given by Malcolm X after his departure from the Nation of Islam to promote the newly founded Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity. The last scene in a movie is the stage for a director to leave his most impressionable and lasting impact on the audience. Malcolm X was an incredibly controversial figure in both the movie and real life. After his death the New York Times wrote that Malcolm “turned many true gifts to evil purpose,†a testament to his debated legacy. We see Malcolm begin his career as a hustler and transform himself into an influential activist. Which Malcolm do we remember as we reflect back on his death forty-five years after it happened, the hustler or the Muslim convert out to change the world? To answer this question, director Spike Lee uses several different tactics in the final scene to sway his audience to sympathize with Malcolm’s cause and forget his life of atrocities.
[2] In this scene we see a clear change of attitude by Malcolm. Malcolm spent most of his life as a fiery speaker who seemed to have an answer for every question and rarely appeared weak in public. This scene opens with Malcolm driving in a car alone, gazing expressionlessly into the horizon as he drives to the theatre with Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come†playing in the background. Malcolm’s blank stare makes the audience think he is looking for an answer as he stares into the future. Spike Lee creatively incorporates key lyrics from the song to coincide with the camera flashing to Malcolm driving in the car. We hear “It’s been a long time coming, but I know . . . A change gon’ come†and “it’s been too hard living†in reference to the long-fought battle for civil rights he spearheaded. All of this makes us realize that Malcolm is finally human--that he might not have an answer or a solution to every problem. The lyrics in the song also remind us that despite all of his efforts, the country is still far away from equality. By showing signs of weakness towards the end of his life, the audience is meant to sympathize with a man who fought hard but did not even live to see his effort pay off.
[3] Lee also effectively uses foreshadowing to convey to the audience that Malcolm is going to die before he is actually shot. Malcolm spends the whole movie riding with his entourage, and yet in this final scene he is driving alone, unprotected. Malcolm’s men are seen staring at one another as they drive to the theatre, foreshadowing their allegiance to one another, and plot to assassinate him. The camera pans back and forth between Malcolm driving alone in his own car to his wife and daughters being driven by Malcolm’s body guards. As he walks into the theatre, a woman thanks Malcolm for his efforts in the Civil Rights movement and reminds him “Jesus will protect you.†This foreshadows both the “protection†he needs later in the scene when he is shot and protection in the afterlife from judgment for all of his atrocities. When Malcolm’s innocent daughter drops her doll in the theatre, one of Malcolm’s assassins picks it up and smiles as he hands it back to her--his smile quickly turns to a glare as soon as she turns her back. Finally and most powerfully, Malcolm’s final dialogue with Brother Earl reveals a lot about what is to come. He tells Brother Earl, “the way I feel right now, I shouldn’t go out there today,†and he goes on to say, “it’s a time for martyrs right now.†This line is cleverly inserted into the screenplay; the use of the word martyr is an allusion to people who are willing to die for their cause. Its purpose is twofold: it references Malcolm’s struggle and controversial approaches to fighting for civil rights--he believes he is a martyr in his fight for equality as he waits to die for his cause. But the use of the word martyr is also an allusion to his assassins who are also martyrs in the sense that they are willing to die (potentially in jail) for their cause, killing the celebrated Malcolm X. Anyone willing to take a life must be willing to risk their life as well.
[4] The point of all of this is to show the audience that everyone knew Malcolm was going to die in this scene--including Malcolm himself. (see comment by Harrison Lawrence) Right before he takes the stage it is obvious Malcolm knows he is going to be shot but there is nothing he can do about it. The audience cannot help but feel bad for Malcolm as they watch him take the stage and wait for him to be shot. Additionally, the last scene makes it seem like Malcolm is fighting an incredibly unfair fight--he and his closest men are taking on the entire Nation of Islam. Malcolm spent years preaching to gain supporters who ultimately would undermine him and be the cause of his death. This betrayal and “me against the world†attitude all work to force the audience to sympathize with Malcolm and his cause.
[5] After his exchange with Brother Earl backstage, Malcolm X takes the stage to applause from the full auditorium after a resounding opening speech. The camera pans to several members of the Nation of Islam sent to kill him. Lee uses the actual shooting of Malcolm to further portray him in a positive light--Malcolm dies without resistance. As two of the assassins make their way through the throngs of people and approach the stage, Malcolm cracks a wry smile immediately before they shoot him. That he smiles before he is shot is further compelling evidence that he almost knew his own death was coming given recent events (the car bombing, the disappearance of the reverend, Malcolm’s decision to stay in a hotel). However, on a deeper level I think it shows that Malcolm was at peace with himself before he died. Despite his difficult family life, his rough upbringing, the hardships he overcame, and, most of all, despite all of his critics, Malcolm left the mark he wanted to on the world. He morphed his life from one riddled with drug abuse and thievery to one of honest and charitable work. Additionally, though he has plenty of time to duck behind the podium or run backstage, Malcolm just stands there awaiting his death. Even after he is shot, he does not try to speak or move, as he lies dying on the stage. Had we seen Malcolm put up a fight or struggle to his death it would have reminded the viewer of his conflict with the Nation and would have undermined the vulnerability established earlier. His smile also reinforces his perceived innocence to viewers.
[6] In conclusion, Lee uses the final scene in Malcolm X to leave viewers with a positive image of Malcolm X the man. While some doubt his methods (like calling for the distinct separation of African American and White people), none can deny the profound impact he had on the Civil Rights Movement. By portraying a character with whom the audience can sympathize in the last scene, Lee forces viewers to feel bad for Malcolm X and forget his faults. Before the release of the film, Lee called for all African American children to skip school and see the movie. From this, it is clear that his intent was to send a powerful message to viewers rather than simply to make a movie.
Comments
I have a problem believing that "everyone knew Malcolm was going to die." I do agree that Malcolm and maybe some of his men had a hunch, but to say that everyone in the audience had knew for sure that his doom was imminent is a little bit of an exaggeration. There very well could have been an aspect of the autobiography including information about the knowledge of the bounty placed on his head, but for the purpose of the movie, I certainly couldn't pick up on any obvious notion that everyone knew about the hit. I think that if Andrew were to refine his scene analysis, he could format this paragraph into one where he focuses on the people who did know about the hit instead of categorizing everyone in the Audubon Ballroom as having a collective consciousness.
