Directed by
Bethune, Lebert "Sandy", Jamaican American
Taylor, John
Distributed by
Grove Press, founded 1917
Narrated by
Betaudier
Subject of
X, Malcolm, American, 1925 - 1965
Zedong, Mao, Chinese, 1893 - 1976
Lumumba, Patrice Émery, Congolese, 1925 - 1961
Date
1967
Medium
polyester film
Dimensions
Duration: 22 Minutes
Length (Film): 700 Feet
Caption
Lebert "Sandy" Bethune is a Jamaican American poet, documentary filmmaker, author and educator. His 1967 documentary film, Malcolm X: Struggle for Freedom, co-directed with photographer John Taylor, contains one of the last substantive interviews with the civil rights leader, conducted in Paris just months before his assassination in the United States. Bethune, who studied at the University of Paris in the 1960s, served as a guide for Malcolm X during his visit, introducing him to writers and students in the city. The rare footage offers insight into Malcolm X’s view on global race relations and reflects the new approach to action and organization he was working through at the end of his life.
Description
A documentary short with the title “Malcolm X: Struggle for Freedom.” It consists of a single reel of 16mm black-and-white polyester film with optical sound. The film documents Malcolm X discussing the plight of African Americans and Black people more broadly while on a trip to Paris.
The documentary opens with a still image of filmmaker John Taylor standing beneath a set of flags before an introductory montage including newsreel scenes of police brutality against civil rights demonstrators in the United States, colonialists and liberation forces in Africa, and depictions of the Ku Klux Klan before cutting to footage of Malcolm X addressing an audience at a round table. Four other individuals, two men and two women, are also seated at the table with him. Much of his discussion focuses on the need for a strong, independent African continent and solidarity across the African diaspora. He also states that there is a direct relationship between a nation's ability to progress and the degree of freedom women experience in that nation. As he speaks on this subject, archival footage of women marching is displayed. Later in the film, he discusses his views on China developing nuclear weapons, as archival footage of Mao Zedong plays.
In the final scenes, there is footage of him being chauffeured, as well as footage of him at an airport speaking to reporters. He tells a reporter that he is returning to the United States "to see how [his] family is doing." The film ends with the sound of gunshots and footage of his funeral.
Place filmed
Paris, France, Europe
Collection title
Lebert "Sandy" Bethune Collection
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Movement
Pan Africanism
Black Nationalism
Type
sound films
black-and-white films (visual works)
short subjects
Topic
Activism
Africa
African diaspora
Civil rights
Decolonization
Documentary films
Film
Gender
Independent films
International affairs
Islam
Police brutality
Politics
Race relations
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Lebert "Sandy" Bethune
Object number
2018.37.1.1a
Restrictions & Rights
© Lebert Bethune
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd58aff0dfb-bcce-4bb4-b1b9-25acad62787c

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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