- Overview
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an account of the life of Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little in 1925, who became a human rights activist. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York's Audubon Ballroom in February 1965.
- Release Date
01 April 2001
- DirectingLynn Dougherty
- Budget
$0.00
- Revenue
$0.00
- Stars
Videos
User Reviews
See moreKevinBertolero
23 June 2021
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a documentary which aired on The Learning Channel. It is an excellent complement to the book by the same title. Like the book, the video shows the transformation of Malcolm X from a young boy whose family was destroyed by an oppressive racist American society, to a national leader who challenged that very system. The video also chronicles the development of the book co-written by Malcolm X and Alex Haley, revealing the struggles that both men endured during the writing of the book. Director Lynn Dougherly does an excellent job of blending interviews with key people who either knew Malcolm X and Alex Haley personally or who have studied and written on the life of Malcolm X. Among these people are Malcolm's oldest daughter Attallah Shabazz, his nephew and author Rodnell Collins, his close friend actor Ossie Davis, and journalist Mike Wallace. Haley's brother Ambassador to The Gambia George Haley provides some key insight into what was going on in the mind of Haley during the construction of the book, and the things Haley had to overcome to make the book a reality. One of the biggest obstacles that Haley had to overcome was the winning of Malcolm X's confidence, and to get Malcolm to open up to tell his life story rather than the story of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Scholars Marita Golden and Michael Eric Dyson provide key interruptions on what Malcolm X meant to the world community. For example, Golden sees the book in the same context of American slave narratives. Throughout the book she sees how Malcolm's aim is to attain liberation for not only himself but also for other Americans of African descent. Dyson points out that The Autobiography of Malcolm X provides all the elements of a great text; these elements include mystery, power, the remaking of a man and his living out the American dream as best he could given the circumstances; or in other words a "rages to riches" story. I like how Dyson views the book as a "handbook of struggle." These interviews provide some of the strongest elements in the video, for they not only answer questions as to why and how the book was written, it places the book in its proper historical context with other great classics. The newsreel film footage and still photos of Malcolm, the dramatizations, and the blending of clips from Spike Lee's movie Malcolm X (1992) all help retell the story of Malcolm's life. The dramatizations are well acted and are drawn from critical points in the book. This video is highly recommended for all audiences. -- Reviewed by Eric Acree, Library Instruction Coordinator, Oscar A. Silverman Undergraduate Library, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
More Like This
When We Were Kings
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the...
See more
I Am Not Your Negro
Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the...
See more
Henry Browne, Farmer
Henry Browne, an African American farmer, and his family are profiled in this film. The important job of a farmer during times of war is...
See more
Breath of Freedom
In World War II. African-American GIs liberate Germany from Nazi rule while racism prevailed in their own army and home country. Returning home...
See more
Charley Pride: I'm Just Me
This film traces the improbable journey of Charley Pride, from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son on a cotton farm in segregated Sledge,...
See more
Endangered Species
We have volunteered for the Earth Conservation Corps to restore the Anacostia river and the Washington wasteland where we live and often meet an...
See moreMr. Dial Has Something to Say
The documentary film "Mr. Dial Has Something to Say" investigates the problem of classism and racism in the elite American art world. By following...
See more
Paris Is Burning
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the...
See more
Shadows Fall North
How does a state with the motto “Live Free or Die” and a celebrated legacy of abolitionism confront and understand its participation in slavery...
See more
Black Thoughts
A man that is a stranger, is an incredibly easy man to hate. However, walking in a stranger’s shoes, even for a short while, can transform a...
See more
Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed
An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial consciousness: his difficulty getting big...
See more
Harlem Diary: Nine Voices of Resilience
A feature length documentary that tells the story of nine young men and women constructing positive lives as they face the challenges of growing up...
See more
No Regret
Five gay Black men who are HIV-positive discuss how they are battling the double stigmas surrounding their infection and homosexuality.
See more
Black Ballerina
BLACK BALLERINA tells the story of several black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. Six decades ago, while pursuing...
See more
Waiting for "Superman"
Gripping, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful, Waiting for Superman is an impassioned indictment of the American school system from An...
See more
Malcolm X
James Earl Jones narrates this fascinating and moving documentary about the life of the assassinated black leader through various sources.
See moreThe Black List: Volume Three
Documentary film interviews leading African Americans on race, identity, and achievement.
See more
The Black List: Volume One
As a new chapter begins in this country, THE BLACK LIST offers a dynamic and never-before-heard perspective from achievers of color. This series of...
See more
The Black List: Volume Two
THE BLACK LIST: VOL. 2 profiles some of today's most fascinating African-Americans. From the childhood inspirations that shaped their ambitions, to...
See more52 Blocks: Show and Prove
As beautiful and sleek as it is deadly, 52 Blocks merits special conservation efforts as the United States' only existing native martial culture...
See more