Malcolm X Page #44

ANGLE - WILLIAM

He stands up from the fourth row with 12-gauge sawed-off

shotgun blasting.

CLOSE - MALCOLM

Throws up his hands, grabs his chest and is knocked backward.

SHOTS - PURE PANDEMONIUM

People hit the floor, knock over chairs, stampede for the

exits.

ANGLE - BACK OF AUDITORIUM

Wilbur Kinley ignites a smoke bomb.

ANGLE - FIRST RUN

Thomas Hayer and Leon Davis stand up, run toward the stage,

and empty their .45's and Luger into the fallen body of

Malcolm.

ANGLE - BETTY

She is on the floor covering her children.

ANGLE - AISLE

Hayer and Davis charge up the aisle toward the rear exit,

shooting at the crowd.

ANGLE - BODYGUARD

He stands in Hayer's way, Hayer fires, he turns, the bullet

misses and the bodyguard gets off a shot which hits Hayer in

the leg.

ANGLE - HAYER

He stumbles momentarily, then limps on.

ANGLE - STAIRCASE

Hayer is running down the staircase when he is tripped, and

goes flying through the air to the bottom of the landing.

The crowd starts to beat the sh*t out of him, kicking him in

the head, etc., they're about to tear him apart from limb to

limb when a PATROLMAN enters with gun drawn.

He shoots gun into air and the crowd backs off and he takes

custody of Hayer.

ANGLE - STAGE

One of Malcolm's bodyguards, BROTHER GENE, is over him, giving

him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Brother Gene stops, Betty

moves in and hugs her dying husband.

BETTY:

Somebody call an ambulance. Somebody

call an ambulance.

ANGLE - ENTRANCE

THIRTY COPS walk in like it's a spring Sunday stroll in

Central Park.

CLOSE - MALCOLM

His eyes are glazed over.

BETTY'S VOICE

They killed him. They killed him.

SHOT - BROTHERS EARL AND BENJAMIN 2X SITTING ON STAGE

SHOT - MALCOLM IS RUSHED ON A STRETCHER TO HOSPITAL NEXT

DOOR SHOT - HOSPITAL SPOKESPERSON

HOSPITAL SPOKESPERSON

The person you know as Malcolm is no

more.

THE STUNNED FACES OF BLACK PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE AUDUBON

BALLROOM...

--AND IN HARLEM.

OSSIE DAVIS speaking behind the above:

OSSIE DAVIS'S VOICE

Here at this final hour, in this

quiet place, Harlem has come to bid

farewell to one of its brightest

hopes, extinguished now and gone

from us forever.

DOLLY SHOT of the long line of people outside the funeral

parlor, waiting to see Malcolm's body, where it lies before

burial.

OSSIE DAVIS'S VOICE

For Harlem is where he worked, and

where he struggled and fought. His

home of homes, where his heart was

and where his people are. And it is

therefore most fitting that we meet

once again in Harlem to share these

last moments with him. For Harlem

has ever been gracious to those who

loved her, have fought for her and

defended her honor even to death. It

is not in the memory of man that

this beleaguered, unfortunate but

nonetheless proud community has found

a braver, more gallant young champion

than this Afro-American who lies

before us unconquered still. Many

will ask what Harlem finds to honor

in this stormy, controversial and

bold young captain and we will smile

and we will answer and say unto them:

SHOTS - FACES OF HARLEM - PRESENT DAY - THE 90'S

Ordinary PEOPLE in ordinary pursuits of life, BLACK PEOPLE

still struggling to stay afloat in a racist WHITE AMERICA

that does not have their best interests at hand -- 8 years

of Reagan and now at least 4 years of Bush.

OSSIE DAVIS'S VOICE

Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm?

Did you have him smile at you? Did

you ever listen to him? Did he ever

really do a mean thing? Was he ever

associated with violence or any public

disturbance?

SHOT - STREET SIGN - MALCOLM X BOULEVARD - HARLEM

SHOT - YOUNG AFRO-CENTRIC TEENAGERS WITH MALCOLM X T-SHIRTS,

HATS, JACKETS, JEWELRY, ETC.

OSSIE DAVIS'S VOICE

For if you did, you would know him

and if you knew him, you would know

why we must honor him.

SHOT - NEWSREEL FOOTAGE OF THE _REAL_ MALCOLM X

OSSIE DAVIS'S VOICE

Malcolm was our manhood, our living

black manhood. That was his meaning

to his people and in honoring him we

honor the best in ourselves.

FREEZE FRAME - A CLOSE-UP OF THE REAL MALCOLM X SMILING RIGHT

AT US.

CUT TO:

SHOT - INT. CLASSROOM BULLETIN BOARD

A picture collage of Malcolm X. It reads P.S. 153 -- Harlem

honors Malcolm on his birthdate May 19, 1935.

OSSIE DAVIS'S VOICE

And we will know him then for what

he was and is. A PRINCE, A BLACK

SHINING PRINCE who didn't hesitate

to die because he loved us so.

Rate this script:4.0 / 7 votes