Malcolm X

Synopsis: Malcolm X is a 1992 American biographical drama film about the Afro-American activist Malcolm X. Directed and co-written by Spike Lee, the film stars Denzel Washington in the title role, as well as Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo. Lee has a supporting role as Shorty, a character based partially on real-life acquaintance Malcolm "Shorty" Jarvis, a fellow criminal and jazz saxophonist. Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale, the Rev. Al Sharpton, and future South Africa president Nelson Mandela have cameo appearances. This is the second of four film collaborations between Washington and Lee.
Production: Warner Bros.
  Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 22 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Metacritic:
72
Rotten Tomatoes:
89%
PG-13
Year:
1992
202 min
1,738 Views


FADE IN:

EXT. ROXBURY STREET - THE WAR YEARS - DAY

It is a bright sunny day on a crowded street on the black

side of Boston. PEOPLE and KIDS are busy with their own

things.

SHORTY bops his way down the street. He is a runty, very

dark young man of 21 with a mission and a smile on his face.

He wears the flamboyant style of the time: the whole zoot-

suit, pegged legs and a wide brim hat with a white feather

stuck in the hat band.

EXT. STREET - DAY

FOLLOW SHOT. Shorty dodges through the crowd with his

packages.

His smile is one of anticipation. He nods to a PAL without

stopping; eyes a COUPLE OF CHICKS dancing on the street, but

is not dissuaded.

INT. BARBER SHOP - DAY

Shorty has his jacket and hat off, his sleeves rolled up. He

is like a surgeon preparing for an operation. His equipment

is spread out on a table: can of lye, large mason jar, wooden

stirring spoon, knife, the eggs. His actions have the

character of a ritual: each thing being done just so, in

time-honored fashion.

He slices the potatoes and drops the thin slices into the

mason jar.

He adds water and makes a paste of the starch.

Behind Shorty is a spirited barbershop conversation. ONE MAN

is getting a haircut; TWO OTHERS are watching (TOOMER, JASON)

one of them from behind a newspaper. A middle-aged barber,

CHOLLY, is doing most of the talking.

CHOLLY:

After I hit the number that woman

wasn't no good to me at all.

The men laugh.

ANGLE - Shorty pries open the can of lye, whiffs it. It's

good and strong. He pours some in the mason jar, stirring

with the wooden spoon. He cracks the eggs into the mixture

and stirs. He waits as fumes rise and feels the outside of

the jar as it gets hot.

ANOTHER ANGLE - The barbershop SEEN from a door, slightly

ajar. A woolly head, entirely in shadow, peers out.

CHOLLY'S VOICE

She says I'm cheap cuz I won't cop

her a diamond ring. Had the

indignation to call me a cheap black

sunovabitch to boot.

TOOMER:

And when a black woman call you a

cheap black sunovabitch you've been

called a cheap black sunovabitch.

Cholly is annoyed. It's _his_ story.

CHOLLY:

Will you let me tell it?

ON SHORTY - He opens the bulky package he has been carrying,

unfolds a large rubber apron and gets into it. Now he dons a

pair of rubber gloves.

SHORTY:

Where's Homeboy?

He is all ready; one of his hands is filled with a huge glob

of Vaseline. His manner is indignant as if he were asking

the whereabouts of an exasperating child.

CHOLLY:

Red's in the head, man.

TOOMER:

You mean hiding in the head.

CHOLLY:

Hey, Red. Your man's here and waiting

on you.

His hands full, Cholly opens the door with his feet and

MALCOLM comes out, a big, gawky, bright-faced country boy,

wearing downhome clothes and an expression of apprehension.

TOOMER:

Gonna get that first conk laid on,

hunh, Homeboy?

CHOLLY:

Man, don't scare him more than he's

scared already. Ain't too bad...

Malcolm allows himself to be led to an empty chair, where

Cholly drapes him with a double sheet, tucking it tightly

around his neck and adding a protective collar of paper.

CHOLLY:

...Like anything else. First time a

chick gets her cherry popped, she

might put up a little fight. But

pretty soon you can't give her enough.

Right, Homeboy?

CLOSE - MALCOLM

Malcolm gulps, his eyes on the fuming mason jar.

Shorty starts massaging a great quantity of Vaseline into

Malcolm's scalp, covering his neck and ears as well. All the

men have gathered around, involved in the ritual. For Malcolm

it is closer to being a kind of execution.

Rate this script:4.0 / 7 votes

Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983. more…

All Spike Lee scripts | Spike Lee Scripts

2 fans

Submitted by aviv on November 06, 2016

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Malcolm X" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/malcolm_x_488>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    Malcolm X

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.