Political Film Analysis

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Politics in the Film Malcolm X
Over the years, the film industry has become popular and influential in modern society. The film industry has provided entertainment for the people during their leisure time, but the mode has changed and thus focused on highlighting the social and political life of the Americans. Therefore, the media attempts to demonstrate the important cultures about the people such as racial representations. Indeed, movies have explored the quest for legitimacy and the need to displace and quell fears about the complex ideologies of racial representations (Winn 452). The film Malcolm X is important in understanding the political aspects such as Afrocentric and how these ideological stereotypes have impacted the Hollywood film industry. The film presents the issue of the hegemonic and counter-hegemonic idea that is evidenced in the media culture of the United States. Malcolm X is significant in understanding the cultural and political discourse in the times when Malcolm X lived. Therefore, the movie tries to make the viewers have a better understanding of the political discourse that is surrounded by social equality and racial ideology in the United States (453). Malcolm X is instrumental in understanding film politics, commercialization, and controversy in the United States.
Malcolm X is a movie by Spike Lee that has been acknowledged as providing an elaborate black perspective in their attempt to counter racism. Indeed, the movie is interested in understanding the racist portrays of African Americans which has been criticized by many as being commercial and too conventional.

Indeed, Spike Lee has presented a cinematic version of the autobiography of Malcolm X which situates the current struggles for equality in American society (F Movies, 2018). The writer of the film has tried to inform the viewers of the movie about the black cultural politic in the United States. The issues of ethnicity, gender and class struggles have become significant inquiries in the United States (Benshoff and Griffin 5). Indeed, the movie Malcolm X is instrumental in demonstrating these struggles that have continued to affect American society. Nichols argues that Hollywood is a popular culture that demonstrates the struggle between the demands of the film industry and the views of the filmmakers in the United States. The film industry only cares about their profitability of the final product while ignoring the plight of the filmmakers who attempt to fight the unjust system (Nichols 162). However, the filmmakers are an essential part of the movie industry. Indeed, the system controls the production, exhibition, and production of the movie and thus the interests of various people should be put together to produce a Hollywood movie.
In essence, the creative attributes of the filmmakers should not be undermined by the visionary focus of the film industry that is driven by profitability. It is established that, for the industry to progress and prosper they need creative products that will make them exist. With certainty, filmmaking is a collaborative effort that requires the talents of filmmakers and the financing resources of the producers, technical crew, director and other personnel in the industry (Clarke and James 47). For instance, Lee required sufficient funds from Warner Bros. to finish the movie, but they disagreed about the length and content. The film was considered as being important to the political discourse that concerned the equality for Black Americans. The idea of ideological hegemony has been a dominant system that has been challenged by the Blacks for the values and meanings. Indeed, this has been radically different from the conventional media view. Therefore, ideological hegemony has demonstrated the understanding of racial representations that exist in society. These racial representations have been neutralized by the process of communication (Winn 455). The movie Malcolm X has impacted the political discourse of equality and racial representation witnessed in the American society.
Racial stereotypes have been demonstrated through movies that examine the experiences and life of the African Americans. Moreover, these negative racial stereotypes continue to exist in the contemporary world. Lee Spike demonstrates that the African Americans should not view themselves through the lens of the white people. Therefore, Malcolm X wanted the black people to abandon white stereotypes and focus on ways of making their lives better and thus develop a positive view of them in the society. Indeed, Malcolm X believed that African Americans could realize equality if they continued viewing themselves through white lenses (Winn 457). Intellectuals and public figures have acknowledged the importance of the film Malcolm X by Spike Lee. They indicate that the movie explores the challenges that African Americans face in the entertainment industry. African Americans have a greater concern of maintaining the heritage as a key element in the present and future survival in American society. The racist patterns of the past life of the Blacks have replicated through media producers, and thus the cultural products of the Blacks have been appropriated and profit-driven. It is believed that the current Hollywood movies have continued to perpetuate the racist stereotypes and thus offering the means through which the African Americans can represent themselves in the society (Benshoff and Griffin 11).
Ultimately, Spike Lee is more concerned about the manner in which African Americans are depicted in Malcolm X. Therefore, he attempts to address serious issues that have affected the Blacks in the United States in all walks of life. The issue of race has existed in the United States for many years, and thus Lee addresses this issue through the lives of the main characters. Indeed, Lee demonstrates through the film Malcolm X that there is a desperate need to produce black products that address their issues. Besides, the movie adds more voice to the debate of the American dream for equality. Lee is interested in forging the American dream that demonstrates equality for all races in the United States. Also, the film demonstrates how African Americans have been portrayed in American society. Indeed, this lack of positive representation and racial stereotypes of the Blacks has raised serious concerns in the large American community (Winn 461).
It is established that the film Malcolm X is an adaptation of the autobiography of Malcolm X. He had a strong belief that people could understand the implication of the message that advocated for equality of all races if they understood his life experiences. Therefore, this becomes the focal point and basis for the movie. There is a strong belief that the racist media always misinterpreted the teachings of Malcolm X and thus the cinematic approach taken by Spike Lee offers a sympathetic approach to the life of Malcolm X. On the other hand, the movie provides an epilogue that is designed in that it clearly and explicitly connects the mainstream Civil Rights Movements and the life Malcolm X and other respected figures like Nelson Mandela (Winn 463). Indeed, this demonstrates the overall theme of the movie where the whites are accused of committing crimes against African Americans. Conversely, the epilogue examines that the Blacks are victims of unfair bias and white violence witnessed in the United States. The movie offers the present audience viewers to identify with the teachings of Malcolm X and the struggles that he went through in the American society. Therefore, the movie remains relevant in modern society as it explores the ongoing political and cultural discourse that existed during the time when Malcolm X lived and now.
To a greater extent, the film Malcolm X by Spike Lee provides a media construction of the Black which differs with the conventional racist stereotypes by Hollywood. Indeed, the movie advances the superiority complex of the whites and thus demonstrating the United States is a racist country. The movie has been criticized for being politically safe, commercial and ordinary. Moreover, the film is conventional as it demonstrates a move towards commercialization of the message of Malcolm X even though Lee avoids some of his polemic comments. Therefore, the movie has managed to challenge the racist ideology of Hollywood and still remains a viable business movie. Malcolm X is a film that provides divergent views and at the same time challenging the existing depiction of the African American experience and the life of Malcolm X (Winn 464). Ultimately, the movie operates according to and within the conventional Hollywood system. Thus, the film offers valuable information into the media culture of the United States.
Annotated Bibliography
Benshoff, Harry M, and Sean Griffin. “Introduction to the Study of Film Form and Representation.” America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2011, pp. 3-20.
The chapter examines how Hollywood has represented the America film industry as being
dominated by class and racial. It has been demonstrated that the Black filmmakers are inferior to
the white counterparts. Therefore, the chapter is critical in providing a media construction of
the African American people in the United States.
Clarke, Chris, and Brassett James. “Popular Documentaries and the Global Financial Crisis.” Documenting World Politics: A Critical Companion to Ir and Non-Fiction Film, Taylor and Francis, 2015, pp. 43-57.
The chapter examines the film politics that are witnessed in the Global filmmaking industry. It
also takes a closer examination of the Hollywood film politics in the United States. Indeed, the
chapter is important in making a comparison of the existing film politics that exist in the
different filmmaking companies.
Nichols, Bill. “How Have Documentaries Addressed Social and Political Issues?” Introduction to Documentary, 3rd ed., Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2002, pp. 159-193.
The paper examines social and political issues that surround the filmmaking industry in the
world. The authors attempt to identify the complexities that exist in the film sector. The paper is
useful in highlighting the social and political challenges that are witnessed in the film industry
of the world.
Winn, J. E. “Challenges & compromises in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.” Critical Studies in Media Communication, vol. 18, no. 4, 2001, pp. 452-465.
The article attempts to demonstrate the important cultures about the people such as racial representations. Indeed, the paper explores the quest for legitimacy and the need to displace and quell fears about the complex ideologies of racial representations in the film industry. The study is important in understanding the political aspects such as Afrocentric and how these ideological stereotypes have impacted the Hollywood film industry as presented in the movie Malcolm X.
Works Cited
Benshoff, Harry M, and Sean Griffin. “Introduction to the Study of Film Form and Representation.” America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2011, pp. 3-20.
Clarke, Chris, and Brassett James. “Popular Documentaries and the Global Financial Crisis.” Documenting World Politics: A Critical Companion to Ir and Non-Fiction Film, Taylor and Francis, 2015, pp. 43-57.
F Movies. (2018). Malcom X. Retrieved from https://www4.fmovies.film/movie/malcolm-x-1992/
Nichols, Bill. “How Have Documentaries Addressed Social and Political Issues?” Introduction to Documentary, 3rd ed., Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2002, pp. 159-193.
Winn, J. E. “Challenges & compromises in Spike Lee’s Malcolm X.” Critical Studies in Media Communication, vol. 18, no. 4, 2001, pp. 452-465.