Malcolm X [1992] Genre: Biographical Director: Spike Lee Actors: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall Focus: Spike Lee as an Auteur Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T66WAKY64c Spike Lee is a critically acclaimed American director who is primarily known for films looking at race relations, poverty and other political issues of the time. One of the most acclaimed of these is Malcolm X, a biopic detailing the life of the African-American rights activist, Malcolm X. While I have not personally seen the film, in just a few clips I instantly recognised many elements that seem to be recurring techniques used by Lee in other films of his such as Do The Right Thing. One of the most logical sequences to look at to establish whether Lee's style of directing as an auteur is instantaneously recognisable is that of the opening scene. The opening sequence is set near Dudley Street in Roxbury in Boston and firstly focuses on Malcolm's friend Shorty (played by the director, Spike Lee) as he travels to the barbers to give Malcolm (Washington) a 'conk' haircut. There are multiple elements in this sequence that I believe are a common feature of Spike Lee's films, and that show his style as an auteur particularly clearly. The scene opens with the train going past in the station, with the camera then panning down to give us an establishing very long shot of the area, before tracking into a close shot of Shorty's shoe being shined. The way Spike Lee establishes a shot is particularly interesting in this film and is definitely present here. Lee often seems to begin a scene with a close-up and then track out to give an establishing shot of where the action of the scene will be taking place or, as with this scene, do the complete opposite and start with a very-long or long shot to establish where the character we are about to see is before tracking in and giving us something to get more familiar with a character. This way of setting a scene is very interesting as it doesn't overload the viewer with too much information at once with Lee instead deciding to let the viewer focus on one element, either setting or character before introducing the other. I believe this is very effective on a viewer, as it allows them to take in the tone and atmosphere of a shot, by the expression or the mis-en-scene of the setting before establishing something else. This in indicative of Lee's relatively slow pace with his films, taking his time to establish something and not just throwing it all at the viewer at once. The next particularly interesting point that I have noticed in this clip and in Do the Right Thing is the movement of the camera to follow a point of focus. From this clip alone, there is a clear major example to give. The most obvious example of the camera following a focus for the viewer is the camera following Shorty as he walks to the barber shop. Spike Lee uses both his signature style of tracking the camera back while the character moves forward here but also tracks the camera to the side to follow Shorty on a different axis of movement. This gives a really interesting feel to the film in a number of ways. Firstly, it helps establish some more familiarity with the character. If the viewer themselves is taking the journey along with Shorty, it helps for the viewer to learn more about him, just from the way he moves, his costume and the expression on his face. If Lee had decided to have Shorty walk off screen and then cut to the barber's shop, the viewer loses so much in terms of learning Shorty's character. The second feel it gives is that of an almost natural feel, as if someone had just started filming Shorty's life suddenly. This gives a natural flow to the film but also allows Lee to take some liberties with his directing style, moving it around to give the viewer a better view of not only what is happening in the foreground but the background also. This is a very interesting technique that is similarly mirrored by Lee in his other works such as Do The Right Thing, in which a similar camera movement follows Mookie (the central protagonist of that film) as he crosses the street. This again provides a similar effect, allowing us to focus on the urban background in Brooklyn rather than being purely focused on the foreground of the character in Mookie. This technique gives a very smooth style to the camera work of Lee and is certainly a perfect example of his auteur shining through. Linking this to Do The Right Thing is the prevalence of music in the sequence. While it is slightly quieter in the scene in the barber's shop, it is still a noticeable element of the entire sequence, being used as a sound bridge between all the scenes. The tune is a jazz tune, which is also a genre of music that has been used in Spike Lee's other films as well. However, what is particularly interesting with Lee's directing in these segments with music so prevalent (seen also in the opening sequence of the Do The Right Thing) is the almost rhythmic movements of the characters in these scenes. Perhaps more blatant here than in Do The Right Thing, but the movement of Shorty as he walks towards the barber's shop has a musical feel to it, with over exaggerated limb movements and the movement from side-to-side has a slightly musical edge to it. This is also backed up in my opinion from Shorty's costume, which is quite bright and outlandish, especially with the hat, which continues this musical idea, as it is quite a common feature. This musical point is highlighted even more at the end of this clip when Shorty walks with Malcolm with their movements almost becoming dancing at certain points. Again, this creates a really vibrant feel to Lee's films and really gives them a sense of style that is very interesting to the viewer. While I don't believe there is as much to say about the interior scene in terms of Lee's style as an auteur, I do think there is a few things to say about the editing style in this scene in particular that is present in Do The Right Thing. Firstly, this scene was particularly reminiscent for me of the pizzeria scene from Do The Right Thing, particularly at the beginning. Lee opts to use primarily medium shots on each character, cutting between them as they speak. This means that very little dialogue takes place without the character that is speaking it being shown. This results in quick cuts as each character speaks creating a fast flow to the conversation. The other specific element I wanted to talk about was the smooth edit present from the end of the interior scene to when it cuts to Shorty and Malcolm outside once more at 4:21 in the clip. The stroking of Malcolm's hand by Shorty inside is then matched when he does outside, creating a smooth feel to the edits and stops it from feeling to jarring for the viewer, as a change in setting can often be. This was really effective to me, and was used many times in Do The Right Thing also. These types of edits prevent the cut being too confusing for the viewer and can also be used for comedic effect in Lee's other films. The final point I wanted to express that I won't go into too much detail on is the dialogue in this sequence and Do The Right Thing. Lee clearly makes sure that the actors let a strong accent come through with their dialect also being particularly noticeable. The way the characters speak therefore also feels natural and the dialogue doesn't feel too clunky. This is very similarly put forward in Do The Right Thing with all the dialogue feeling as if it could be said in natural conversation rather than feeling out of place. I personally believe that Lee is a fantastic screenwriter in this regard, as he makes what could be a clumsy and messy conversation into one that feels free-flowing and realistic. Overall then, the impact of Lee as an auteur on this particular sequence is very clear as you can see. His ability to make the film flow so well is absolutely marvellous and to be able to create such a sense of familiarity with location and character so quickly into a film is frankly an achievement that cannot be overstated. Spike Lee, from what I have seen of his films, is a brilliant director, screenwriter and actor that explores such rich and interesting issues without making it seem forced and I will be sure to watch more of his work in the future.
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