Analysis Of Spike Lee's "X"

Analysis of “Malcolm X”

This film deals with the social problem of racism in America. From the very beginning of the movie scenes depicting the harassment of a rural African American family by a group of so called Christian Ku Klux Klansmen show the horrors of racism. These black people had their home burned down, and their father and provider murdered by these so called “god-fearing” people. This injustice also led to the family being torn apart due to the murder of their financial provider. These scenes exemplify the problem of racism because, even though the head of this black family was blatantly assaulted and murdered, the institutional racism of the society in which that family lived, prevented them from seeing justice. The movie is about how a son of this family grows up and constantly deals with racism through his life until he converts to the Nation of Islam and works hard to better the situation and condition of his people.

Throughout the movie it is evident that the problem of racism lies within the larger society as a whole and not any individual. The fact that Malcolm experiences racism and prejudice from many different people, in many different places, shows that this is a societal problem. When he takes on the role of a civil rights leader, he does not attack individuals but instead he addresses the racist problem present within America. This film is a biography so it definitely portrays the problem of racism in America accurately. This is racism as one individual experienced and observed it. These are real life examples of the horrible things that can and have occurred because of it. Malcolm’s speeches and actions also have been documented by the media and historians, so the problem of racism as he viewed it is accurately illustrated through the film.

This film is not a form of claims making because it is a narrative story about the past. Yes, some of the problems depicted in the movie are still present today, but that is not the purpose of the