Shaun McKenzie

7-3-2022

Professor Thompson

Hst-1510

Final Essay: Film comparison to History/ Life of Malcolm X

The film Malcolm X: Did Spike Lee get the history of Malcolm X, correct? What parts was

added that didn’t happen in the real life of Malcolm X? To start off to give you an idea of who he

is Malcolm X according to Google.com search engine “Malcolm X was an African- American

Muslim Minister and human rights activists he was a prominent figure during the civil rights

movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for Black

Empowerment and the promotion of Islam within the black community”. In this essay I will

explain how the film Malcolm X differs from the real-life history of Malcolm X and will present

the story of Malcolm X and his life. Regardless in Movies to real life something is always added

or there are differences in my opinion. In the article screenrant.com gives me my opening

example on how the movie is different from what happened in real life. I will also include how

Malcolm X is a prominent figure from what I noticed and research.

To start my first example of how the movie Malcolm X is different from the history of

Malcolm X, first thing we can look at is the character in the movie Brother Baines in the movie,

Brother Baines is basically the guy who Malcolm X is locked up with in the movie. Brother

Baines introduces Malcolm X to the nation of Islam and who Elijah Muhammad is. He was the

cause of Malcolm X changing is life around and caused a positive turning point, coming from the

source screenrant.com which is an article. In addition to it states that “However Brother Baines
never existed. This evidence is showing how Spike Lee made up a character to be more concise

on how Malcolm X became Islamic. The article basically says Malcolm X came to the nation of

Islam by his family through receiving letters from his brother and sisters while be incarcerated

and he accordingly conversed to Islam slowly unlike in the movie. To be concise the film just

wanted to add the character Brother Baines. In addition to another example of differences

between real life history and the film is, the scene where Malcolm X and his wife shout at each

other over his loyalties to Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. The same article

references that the couple never shouts at each other and that Betty the wife of Malcolm X was

always supportive of what Malcolm does, which is evidence to support or show another

difference between the movie and real life. The article mentions something that is left out that

happened in real life. In the movie at the end when Malcolm X got assassinated the movie

showed him being killed and one of the shooters being shot attacked by the spectators and being

apprehended by the police because of the crowd wanting to kill or beat him up badly for killing

Malcolm X. In real life the “Killers” were convicted, which was 3 people convicted the article

claims who was involved remains unknown. All in all, the movie does not address the part

whether the killers were brought to justice etc. This is an example to show something that was

left out in the movie that happened. Screerant.com mentions that Louis Farrakhan who was the

next leader of the nation of Islam who believes that Malcolm X betrayed the nation by leaving

and the remarks Malcolm X made after leaving the Nation of Islam. Farrakhan wrote that “such a

man is worthy of death” referencing Malcolm X. Louis Farrakhan who was an important figure

is left out in the film. Spike Lee receives death threats from Farrakhan basically saying he wants

no mention in the film because he doesn’t want to have connection with Malcolm X. This is
showing connections of what the movie left out verses something that took place in history.

Lastly this is how screenrant.com expresses differences between the film and real life.

Furthermore, the next source I will be using is another article called Malcolm X movie vs

reality. This source points out this difference between the film and movie relating to the usage of

drugs. In the Movie they portrayed Malcolm X younger life before prison that he was a

borderline drug addict. The article states that “in the movie he became a borderline drug addict”

In real life he was not as associated with drugs as the movie portrays”. This connects to show an

example of another difference between what happened in the film and in real life. The next

difference that the article points out is that when Malcolm left the nation of Islam, and he

traveled the movie shows him being followed by two Cia agent according to the article, it is

mecca secret service. The last difference that I noticed in this article is that the movie Malcolm’s

house is set on fire, the movie doesn’t mention who set the house on fire. Additionally in real life

the article says that the black legion is suspected of setting Malcolm’s house on fire. Lastly by

using this article to research differences these are differences that the article is showing on how

film verses real life history.

In addition, here I will show the last few sources to prove how the film has

differences than the history. First the article the guardian.com explains that when Malcolm X

went to the pilgrimage to Mecca while in Saudi Arabia, he was mistaken plenty of times for the

boxer Muhammad Ali who was absent in the movie. The article states “he was mistaken

everywhere in Saudi Arabia for his friend and follower, boxer Muhammad Ali” evidence shows

how the film misses out how Malcolm X was mistaken for somebody else. While watching a

YouTube video that compares side my side the movie and the real Malcolm X footages the

wording from the History and real footage is different than the movie when I was watching the
you tube video for an example Malcolm X’s 1963 circa speech is compared too the Malcolm X

film 18 November 1992 in the side-by-side comparison the speech sounded so different like the

movie got the real footage and the scene wrong to me. In the video you can skip ahead to 1:29

and notice the difference this just goes to show a “primary source” showing a difference

comparison between the film and the history. Lastly a source to compare the film Malcolm X to

the movie Ali and death of a prophet there a YouTube video that compares each other

assassination scene while to me the Ali movie (2001) and the Malcolm X 1992 film is very

similar. In the 1981 Malcolm X assassination scene is very uncaptured in the 1981 film the killer

seems to walk out with less troubles, and nobody after him and in the Malcolm X film the killer

had problems getting away and wasn’t harmed getting away unlike the 1992 film. That just to

show a comparison between other films on Malcolm X assassination and point out a difference.

Here we will talk some about the life of Malcom X basically who he was and how he

played an important role in African American History. Malcolm X was born in 1925 in Omaha

Nebraska. Malcolm X father was a preacher then after Nebraska Malcolm’s family moved to

Michigan after the KKK made threats against them. When the family moved, they were still

facing threats in the new home. Malcolm entered a foster home at age 6 and his mom had a

nervous breakdown. Even though he was highly intelligent he dropped out of school in the Eight

grade, after dropping out he became a drug dealer, went to prison for larceny and while in jail he

changed his life and became Islamic, and once he became part of the Nation of Islam, he became

Malcolm X the x in recognition in rejection of his slave’s name. After his release from prison, he

became a minister in Harlem at a place called Mosque because of the sermons and oratory skills

he made the nation of Islam grow a lot and bring a lot of members in. In December 1963 he was

suspended by the nation of Islam, and after he voiced his opinion about John F. Kennedy death,
he left the Nation of Islam for good. After he leaves, he travels to Mecca for a spiritual

transformation and when he came back, he returned with a new name. In June 1964 he founded a

organization called Afro-American Unity, which basically identifies racism and not the white

race as the enemy. This new philosophy became very influential to the members of the Student

Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Malcolm X life ended sadly by being assassinated at a

rally for the Afro-American Unity on February 21,1965, all this information from History.com.

Malcolm X was a very prominent figure in the civil rights movement from what I learned he is a

very outspoken Man and researching about him it opened a new way of thinking for me and to

speak the truth and inform people. Malcolm X speeches touched me and made me embrace being

black more and how much power we have and to embrace our culture and where we are really

from, to me he was a very courageous man and stood up for equal rights. This is how Malcolm X

is a prominent Figure to me, just to add in Malcolm X was married to Betty Shabazz and left

behind 6 kids.

In conclusion we see how the film Malcolm X and the History was different from each

other but all in all whiles researching the Film was accurate. I discussed examples of parts of the

film that different from real life according to my sources, and a short summary of his life and

how he is a prominent figure to me and to us and how he can be a role model and how

researching about him can enrich our minds and how we think when it comes down to race

relations. Regardless in Movies to real life something is always added or there are differences in

my opinion. In the article screenrant.com gives me my opening example on how the movie is

different from what happened in real life. I will also include how Malcolm X is a prominent

figure from what I noticed and research. To conclude there will always be things left out or
things that are different just to be concise and for the life of Malcolm X I can say he was a

honorable man.

Sources- I really couldn’t find or narrow down primary sources so I will just list them.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/11/malcolm-x-reel-history

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/malcolm-x

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJzCWuhGtqU&ab_channel=dimitreze

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZmhMjweuZM&ab_channel=dimitreze

https://malcolmxmovievsreality.weebly.com/

https://screenrant.com/malcolm-x-movie-true-story-accuracy-changes-missing-details/