Press Release Criterion Press Release: Malcolm X (1992) (4K UHD) (Blu-ray) (2 Viewers)

[Robert Crawford]

One of the most electrifying heroes of the twentieth century receives an appropriately sweeping screen biopic, rich in both historical insight and propulsive cinematic style, courtesy of visionary director Spike Lee. Built around an extraordinary performance from Denzel Washington, Malcolm X draws on the iconic civil rights leader’s autobiography to trace his journey of empowerment, from a childhood riven by white-supremacist violence to a life of petty crime to his conversion to Islam and rebirth as a fearless fighter for Black liberation, whose courage and eloquence inspired oppressed communities the world over. An epic of impeccable craft that was made with Lee’s closest creative collaborators and is buoyed by commanding performances from Delroy Lindo, Angela Bassett, Al Freeman Jr., and others, this is a passionate monument to a man whose life continues to serve as a model of principled resistance.

FILM INFO

• United States
• 1992
• 201 minutes
• Black and White/Color
• 1.85:1
• English
• Spine #1160

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES​

• New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
• Audio commentary from 2005 featuring director Spike Lee, Dickerson, editor Barry Alexander Brown, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter
• New conversation between Lee and journalist and screenwriter Barry Michael Cooper
• New interviews with actor Delroy Lindo and composer Terence Blanchard
• Program about the making of the film, featuring Lee, Dickerson, Brown, Blanchard, Carter, filmmaker Martin Scorsese, actor Ossie Davis, Reverend Al Sharpton, former Warner Bros. executive Lucy Fisher, producers Preston Holmes and Jon Kilik, production designer Wynn Thomas, casting director Robi Reed, and Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz
• Malcolm X (1972), a feature-length documentary produced by Marvin Worth and Arnold Perl and directed by Perl, narrated by actor James Earl Jones
• Deleted scenes with introductions by Lee
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by Cooper, excerpts from Lee’s 1992 book By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of “Malcolm X” . . ., and Davis’s eulogy for Malcolm X
  
  New cover by Eric Skillman

11-22-2022

 

[Robert Crawford]

See on Amazon

 

[titch]

Good that they got this one, since they missed Do The Right Thing.

 

[benbess]

Imho this is a great film. Outstanding performance by Denzel Washington. This is one of those movies that, like Gandhi, I seem to pull out every few years and watch. My extended family members somehow hadn't ever seen it, and so one by one I've been slowly introducing them to it. I have the out of print digibook from 2012, and pq on the blu-ray for that is good, but I'm hoping this will be even better. As long as the reviews at Home Theater Forums pan out this is a likely purchase for me.

In 1983, when I was just starting as an undergraduate, the first book I was assigned, a few weeks before classes even started, was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley. It was a first edition paperback, as pictured. Heavy reading. It's a pretty big book, and this movie does an impressive job of condensing it down and telling the story. It's like there are at least four different people in the book (and the movie) as the years ago by....Denzel Washington does an impressive job of portraying the different stages. I'm a big fan of Al Pacino, but feel that DW would have gotten my vote for the Oscar for that year.

 

[bujaki]

Definitely agree that Washington's performance was the best of the year, far better than the hammy one delivered by Pacino (sentimental win). For the definitive take on what a true performance of the Scent of a Woman character should be, visit Vittorio Gassman's original Profumo di donna (Scent of a Woman).

 

[Robert Crawford]

Added Pre-Order Link!