Malcolm X Page #25

INT. A DINGY ROOM - DAY

A knock on the door rouses Archie, by now an old and dying

man. All the vigor is gone, all the life has ebbed out.

ARCHIE:

Git the hell away, you b*tch, I'll

pay you tomorrow.

Door opens, Malcolm enters.

MALCOLM:

Hello, Archie.

Archie sits up from his bed and stares. He tries to bring

back some of his old juice, tries to stand up.

ARCHIE:

My man, Red. Come on in, man.

(then giving up)

Hey, I can't make it.

Malcolm has to help him lie back.

MALCOLM:

Take it easy, baby.

ARCHIE:

That really you, Red?

The contrast is shocking: Malcolm tall and straight; Archie

ruined.

MALCOLM:

You saved my life, Archie. Running

me out of Harlem. When I think how

close we came to gunning each other

down, I have to thank Allah.

ARCHIE:

I wasn't gonna shoot you, baby. It

was just my rep, that's all. And

don't sh*t me now, but did you have

that number? Tell me.

MALCOLM:

I don't know. It doesn't matter. The

thing is we got to get you back on

your feet.

ARCHIE:

Yeah. I got a couple a new angles

ain't been figured yet. All I need's

a stake and a chance --

MALCOLM:

Can you use a few bucks? I ain't got

much, but --

ARCHIE:

No, man, I'm doing okay. Thanks.

MALCOLM:

Take it easy. Lay down and don't

think about it.

ARCHIE:

Yeah.

MALCOLM:

You could of been something, Archie,

but the devil got to you.

The old man is asleep.

MALCOLM:

You know all the angles except how

to live.

EXT. A STREET IN HARLEM - NIGHT

Malcolm walks thoughtfully down the street; Archie is still

on his mind, as he passes prostitute after prostitute. Once

beautiful women now selling their bodies. He passes Laura,

she has been turned totally out and she looks the part, there

is no way he can recognize her. We do though.

CLOSE - LAURA

She has just gotten a white John and leads him into an alley.

MALCOLM'S VOICE

Women who could be mothers, teachers,

scientists...

ANGLE - ALLEY

Laura kneels down to unzip her John's pants.

MALCOLM'S VOICE

Who is going to raise our children?;

men who might have been astronauts,

composers, engineers; Who is going

to be the head of the households? --

INT. TEMPLE #7 - NIGHT

Malcolm is addressing a HUGE AUDIENCE. His tone is more

intense, more personal than before, because of his recent

encounters. In the audience, sitting with Bembry, is BETTY,

a lovely dark-skinned woman.

Her interest in Malcolm (true, also, for most of the other

unmarried sisters) is more than religious.

MALCOLM:

-- and what has the white devil made

of them:
dead souls. Oh, my he has

no conscience. He should fall on his

knees and say, "My kind commits

history's greatest crime against

your kind every day of your life."

But does he? No. He scorns you, splits

your head with his nightstick and

calls you n*gger. If you've had it,

then stand up and come forward. If

not us, then who? If not now, then

when?

ANGLE - THE AUDIENCE

Many stand, some walk toward the podium speaking his name:

"I'm with you, Brother Malcolm," "Praise Allah," "Me, Brother

Malcolm."

There is applause; some of the audience get to their feet --

Malcolm acknowledges their approval, trying to quiet them,

but caught up in the heady excitement of leadership.

CLOSE - BETTY AND BEMBRY

Both are moved by Malcolm's performances.

BETTY:

(whispering)

He ought to try to make it a little

easier, Brother Bembry.

BEMBRY:

Why don't you try telling him that,

Sister Betty?

INT. A LARGE ANTEROOM IN TEMPLE #7 - NIGHT

The Muslim movement has grown enormously. The activity in

this anteroom, leading to other rooms off it, shows that.

Betty and Bembry stand before a Directory announcing

activities in the Temple: MONDAY - Fruit of Islam Meeting;

TUESDAY - Unity Night; WEDNESDAY - Student Enrollment;

THURSDAY - Muslim Girls Training; FRIDAY - General

Civilization Class; SATURDAY - Swahili, etc.

A stir of people and activity as Malcolm enters the anteroom.

He excuses himself from a group of MUSLIMS, making his way

toward Bembry.

MALCOLM:

(little out of breath)

Brother Bembry, can we fix it so our

loudspeaker is heard on the street?

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