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By Any Means Necessary: Trials And Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X
The director of Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever describes the troubles he encountered while making Malcolm X, a film based on the life of the slain African-American leader. Original.
- GenresNonfictionFilm
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Spike Lee
80 books96 followersShelton Jackson Lee, better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 12, 2017
Spike gives a rough-and-ready commentary on the whole process of making his crucial movie Malcolm X, between September 1990 and just before it opened on 18 November 1992. The book itself was issued a couple of weeks after the movie opened and it’s a shame they didn’t wait just a few weeks so Spike could have commented on its reception.
But he sure enough comments on a whole lot anyhow. I have never read a book like this before, where well known real people are berated, badmouthed, cursed at, called out, trounced, sneered at, verbally battered and thrown under the bus so vibrantly, thrillingly and often.
For instance, a run-in, even before the shoot started, with the writer and activist Amiri Baraka
out of nowhere, even before we began principal photography, here comes Baraka on a blitzkrieg, saying that the masses of Black people didn’t want Spike Lee directing this film, that I was a petit bourgeois Negro who had no claim to the legacy of Malcolm – some serious blathering. What really hurt me about the whole thing with Baraka was that you never heard a peep out of him as long as Norman Jewison was directing the film. Not one peep out of him. He didn’t say shit then, but now he’s going to take me on?
(Note – the idea for a movie based on Malcolm’s autobiography had been kicking around for years, and Norman Jewison at one point had been in the frame to direct it. This is the way it goes with Hollywood and its “properties”.)
But as King Claudius in Hamlet says “When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions!”
So in quick succession Spike was dumped by his girlfriend Veronica Webb and Spike’s father, Bill Lee, jazz session musician, was busted for heroin possession and that became a story in the news. Then, a woman who had been hired to be an extra in a crowd scene in the movie was murdered on 135th Street in NYC. Then, in an incident which remained unexplained
one day while we were setting up to shoot exteriors for a Harlem scene, a car came screaming down the block, crashing to the curb. Somebody had tied a brick to the accelerator and gunned it in our direction.
Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on directing during this time. But I had to do it because nobody is going to sit out in the audience and say “Well, cousin, it’s a fucked-up movie true enough, but the brother was going through some hard times, his woman left him, his father is in rehab, and we should cut him some slack. We understand.” Don’t hold your breath waiting for those sentiments. … “Look” they’ll say, “we don’t care if your whole family died during the full moon and left you with a limp dick, when we come to the theatre X better be slammin’. Period.”
Other issues included Betty Shabazz, Malcolm’s widow, disliking the whole project and then the big fight with the studio over the length of the picture (3 hours 22 minutes) and of course the budget – estimated at $33 million, and $5 million over budget. It came down, in the end, to Spike getting on the phone and calling people like Bill Cosby and Oprah to make up the difference – on the understanding that this would be a gift not an investment.
There’s a fantastically interesting interview here between Spike and Farrakhan and some explosive comments about the Rodney King beating which happened in this period, and man, a whole lot of everything to do with being African American in the early 1990s.
Plus interviews with producers, editors, Denzel Washington, all of which gives you a feel of the absolutely remarkable collective chaos that is movie production. Plus the script of the movie itself.
Most hair-raisingly entertaining.
But he sure enough comments on a whole lot anyhow. I have never read a book like this before, where well known real people are berated, badmouthed, cursed at, called out, trounced, sneered at, verbally battered and thrown under the bus so vibrantly, thrillingly and often.
For instance, a run-in, even before the shoot started, with the writer and activist Amiri Baraka
out of nowhere, even before we began principal photography, here comes Baraka on a blitzkrieg, saying that the masses of Black people didn’t want Spike Lee directing this film, that I was a petit bourgeois Negro who had no claim to the legacy of Malcolm – some serious blathering. What really hurt me about the whole thing with Baraka was that you never heard a peep out of him as long as Norman Jewison was directing the film. Not one peep out of him. He didn’t say shit then, but now he’s going to take me on?
(Note – the idea for a movie based on Malcolm’s autobiography had been kicking around for years, and Norman Jewison at one point had been in the frame to direct it. This is the way it goes with Hollywood and its “properties”.)
But as King Claudius in Hamlet says “When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions!”
So in quick succession Spike was dumped by his girlfriend Veronica Webb and Spike’s father, Bill Lee, jazz session musician, was busted for heroin possession and that became a story in the news. Then, a woman who had been hired to be an extra in a crowd scene in the movie was murdered on 135th Street in NYC. Then, in an incident which remained unexplained
one day while we were setting up to shoot exteriors for a Harlem scene, a car came screaming down the block, crashing to the curb. Somebody had tied a brick to the accelerator and gunned it in our direction.
Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on directing during this time. But I had to do it because nobody is going to sit out in the audience and say “Well, cousin, it’s a fucked-up movie true enough, but the brother was going through some hard times, his woman left him, his father is in rehab, and we should cut him some slack. We understand.” Don’t hold your breath waiting for those sentiments. … “Look” they’ll say, “we don’t care if your whole family died during the full moon and left you with a limp dick, when we come to the theatre X better be slammin’. Period.”
Other issues included Betty Shabazz, Malcolm’s widow, disliking the whole project and then the big fight with the studio over the length of the picture (3 hours 22 minutes) and of course the budget – estimated at $33 million, and $5 million over budget. It came down, in the end, to Spike getting on the phone and calling people like Bill Cosby and Oprah to make up the difference – on the understanding that this would be a gift not an investment.
There’s a fantastically interesting interview here between Spike and Farrakhan and some explosive comments about the Rodney King beating which happened in this period, and man, a whole lot of everything to do with being African American in the early 1990s.
Plus interviews with producers, editors, Denzel Washington, all of which gives you a feel of the absolutely remarkable collective chaos that is movie production. Plus the script of the movie itself.
Most hair-raisingly entertaining.
January 6, 2009
A Great book by Spike Lee and Ralph Wiley about the making of "Malcolm X". An unbelievable film that came way too close to not getting finished. One of my favorite films.
March 21, 2021
The main thing I'm left with after watching the film and reading this book is the urgency of the problem of racial injustice, especially in regard to human rights violations in our justice system.
The film depicts a scene of police brutality early in Malcolm X's mission, maybe the early 1960s, as well as a clip of the Rodney King beating in the early 1990s, when the film was made. And now here I am, in 2021, showing the film to one of my senior English classes, and the headlines of the day include the breaking news that officers won't be charged with the killing of Daniel Prude and that the one-year anniversary of the killing of Breonna Taylor is just a few days away.
Decade after decade after decade, we continue to see acts of racist violence carried out by people in power. I hope that by looking at texts such as these we are raising awareness in ourselves and in others so that we are stopping this unacceptable cycle of hatred and violence.
The film depicts a scene of police brutality early in Malcolm X's mission, maybe the early 1960s, as well as a clip of the Rodney King beating in the early 1990s, when the film was made. And now here I am, in 2021, showing the film to one of my senior English classes, and the headlines of the day include the breaking news that officers won't be charged with the killing of Daniel Prude and that the one-year anniversary of the killing of Breonna Taylor is just a few days away.
Decade after decade after decade, we continue to see acts of racist violence carried out by people in power. I hope that by looking at texts such as these we are raising awareness in ourselves and in others so that we are stopping this unacceptable cycle of hatred and violence.
November 25, 2025
I don’t even know why I bought this book about the film ‘Malcolm X’ (1992) but if you ever want to know how hard it is to get a film made in Hollywood ESPECIALLY a period piece epic, this is the book you should read. Even if you’re not that interested in how a movie is made, it is STILL an interesting read as a tale of “Trials and Tribulations”.
By Any Means Necessary is not just a means to piggyback on brother Malcolm’s famous phrase, but it crystallizes exactly the mentality Mr. Lee had in mind when making this film. To me the narratives in this book were just as engrossing as the film itself.
PS: For the record the famous quote is-
"We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary. ” — Malcolm X, 1965
2025 Update
Update Published November 18, 2025, the 33rd Anniversary of the release of the film.
I originally read this book in 1993 after seeing the film Malcolm X in theaters when it opened November 18, 1992 because I was a fan of the film. Before I went to Film School 👨🏽🎓.
I reread this book August- September 2025 and it’s still excellent. A lot of what Spike Lee did to prepare for this film I found extraordinary. He REALLY did his research and interviewed people who really knew Malcolm X . He interviewed Malcolm’s siblings, his close associates and his widow Betty Shabazz.
I finally finished reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X book by Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley in February 2023 (My Review here on Goodreads @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) and I remarked how great a job Spike did on adapting the screenplay. He rewrote a script by James Baldwin and Arnold Perl. (Due to the revisions, the Baldwin family asked the producer to take his name off the credits.)
Then reading about his infamous “budget battles” over the film where the film was shut down in Post Production then saved by donations from affluent African Americans.
All of this including taking a pay cut to direct it. $2 MILLION of his $3 MILLION salary went into the film.
I read all of this in 1992-93, but re-reading it decades later knowing what I know now about the film industry makes it more remarkable.
By Any Means Necessary is not just a means to piggyback on brother Malcolm’s famous phrase, but it crystallizes exactly the mentality Mr. Lee had in mind when making this film. To me the narratives in this book were just as engrossing as the film itself.
PS: For the record the famous quote is-
"We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary. ” — Malcolm X, 1965
2025 Update
Update Published November 18, 2025, the 33rd Anniversary of the release of the film.
I originally read this book in 1993 after seeing the film Malcolm X in theaters when it opened November 18, 1992 because I was a fan of the film. Before I went to Film School 👨🏽🎓.
I reread this book August- September 2025 and it’s still excellent. A lot of what Spike Lee did to prepare for this film I found extraordinary. He REALLY did his research and interviewed people who really knew Malcolm X . He interviewed Malcolm’s siblings, his close associates and his widow Betty Shabazz.
I finally finished reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X book by Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley in February 2023 (My Review here on Goodreads @ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) and I remarked how great a job Spike did on adapting the screenplay. He rewrote a script by James Baldwin and Arnold Perl. (Due to the revisions, the Baldwin family asked the producer to take his name off the credits.)
Then reading about his infamous “budget battles” over the film where the film was shut down in Post Production then saved by donations from affluent African Americans.
All of this including taking a pay cut to direct it. $2 MILLION of his $3 MILLION salary went into the film.
I read all of this in 1992-93, but re-reading it decades later knowing what I know now about the film industry makes it more remarkable.
April 12, 2021
Spike Lee pulls no punches and spares no feeling. No one was exempt from his passionate movie making methodology—which must include a critical eye geared towards the truth and authenticity. From referring to Warner Bros as “the Plantation” to calling out the double-standard of financing for Malcolm X versus JKF (1991, directed by Oliver Stone), Spike Lee has NO chill.
The book documents the experience of working as a Black director during the 1990s and the increasingly mounting difficulties and stress of trying to make a biopic about Malcolm X, one of the most well-known figures of the 20th century.
Spike Lee effortlessly brings the reader along on interviews, meetings, and the overarching journey of the making the movie from James Baldwin script through post-production. The movie, Malcolm X, was released in 1992 and still stands as the gold standard. In 1991 and the years since Malcolm X’s assassination, many of the biographically correct information unabashedly shown on screen was too controversial to talk about even in hushed whispers. Thus, this book is a must read for anyone keen on understanding the risk Spike Lee took and how the movie Malcolm X would have, for some closest to Malcolm X orbit, portrayed a less accurate Malcolm X and a less accurate Elijah Muhammad. Spike lee heeded none of the warnings or threats.
You get the “behind-the-scenes" and “into-the-mind" perspectives of many of the movie contributors (e.g., the Co-Producer, Line Producer, Production Designer, Lead Actor), which provide insight into the experience, preparation, and craft dedication that I found interesting without being too granular or bogged down with details.
The excerpts and details of the Black experience and the ever-present culmination of the past and present for a hopeful future are powerful. For those reasons in and of themselves, this book is worth a read. No punches are pulled and no one is spared as the past and present seem to merge for whites while Black America understands it’s just the times....
Bonus: the book includes the full Screenplay as adapted by Spike Lee.
Bonus: some pictures (I do wish more were included).
The book documents the experience of working as a Black director during the 1990s and the increasingly mounting difficulties and stress of trying to make a biopic about Malcolm X, one of the most well-known figures of the 20th century.
Spike Lee effortlessly brings the reader along on interviews, meetings, and the overarching journey of the making the movie from James Baldwin script through post-production. The movie, Malcolm X, was released in 1992 and still stands as the gold standard. In 1991 and the years since Malcolm X’s assassination, many of the biographically correct information unabashedly shown on screen was too controversial to talk about even in hushed whispers. Thus, this book is a must read for anyone keen on understanding the risk Spike Lee took and how the movie Malcolm X would have, for some closest to Malcolm X orbit, portrayed a less accurate Malcolm X and a less accurate Elijah Muhammad. Spike lee heeded none of the warnings or threats.
You get the “behind-the-scenes" and “into-the-mind" perspectives of many of the movie contributors (e.g., the Co-Producer, Line Producer, Production Designer, Lead Actor), which provide insight into the experience, preparation, and craft dedication that I found interesting without being too granular or bogged down with details.
The excerpts and details of the Black experience and the ever-present culmination of the past and present for a hopeful future are powerful. For those reasons in and of themselves, this book is worth a read. No punches are pulled and no one is spared as the past and present seem to merge for whites while Black America understands it’s just the times....
Bonus: the book includes the full Screenplay as adapted by Spike Lee.
Bonus: some pictures (I do wish more were included).
December 31, 2024
Affirms just how much obligatory fantasy-hokum Neo-conservative/boujee Betty Shabazz strong-armed producers into manipulating her on-screen marital relationship (with Malcolm X) -- As much as I appreciate Malcolm X, I can't help but ponder, "What If..." Lee had opted for sister, Ella Little-Collins's cooperation, rather than pandering to widow, Betty; since Shabazz forced Lee to shut Ella out completely from the project, so she might be the lone "paid consultant"). Moreover, Malcolm took Ella into his confidence in their final year, after Ella bankrolled her brother after his caustic NOI-separation [financing their new home, world travel], while Betty and Malcolm grew farther apart, especially after her infidelity with fellow minister, Charles Kenyatta.
Considering Ella knew Malcolm Little way more than Shabazz -- spending at least three-times as much time together throughout their lifetimes.
Also acknowledges how much NOI cult leader Louis Farrakhan wanted control over the film's narrative (and their on-screen representation), specifically regarding Wallace Muhammad's controversial & debauched leadership (beginning mid-1950s through to the very end, more or less the same timeline featured in the film).
Nevertheless still fascinating to learn Lee ultimately worked from James Baldwin's-authored screenplay (even though Baldwin insisted he go uncredited); And by how much Lee got right with MX's timeline (almost twenty years before Manning Marable's definitive MX biography); Considering we now know just how much Alex Haley inserted his own ideals and outright romanticized his heraldedMX autobiography.
Considering Ella knew Malcolm Little way more than Shabazz -- spending at least three-times as much time together throughout their lifetimes.
Also acknowledges how much NOI cult leader Louis Farrakhan wanted control over the film's narrative (and their on-screen representation), specifically regarding Wallace Muhammad's controversial & debauched leadership (beginning mid-1950s through to the very end, more or less the same timeline featured in the film).
Nevertheless still fascinating to learn Lee ultimately worked from James Baldwin's-authored screenplay (even though Baldwin insisted he go uncredited); And by how much Lee got right with MX's timeline (almost twenty years before Manning Marable's definitive MX biography); Considering we now know just how much Alex Haley inserted his own ideals and outright romanticized his heralded
August 1, 2018
I am giving this five stars, but somewhat like my review of Brokeback Mountain, I feel that I would give separate ratings based on the screenplay and what accompanied it. The screenplay here is a solid five stars. The way James Baldwin, Lee, and the rest of the screenwriters involved bring Malcolm to life through this script is stunning and transitions throughout his life with an incredible fluidity. I would rate the rest of the material here four stars, for the following two reasons: while the sequence of the parts of the chapters that Lee writes transition into one another in an arrangement that makes sense, the rest of the chapters that Lee does not write often feel tacked on; I feel that these sections of each chapter would be better suited as a kind of appendix, and the majority of the people who write these sections do not get credit on the cover at all, misrepresenting the fact that this book is far more collaborative than the cover lets on. As awkward as the arrangement may sometimes be, Lee and his colleagues do provide a useful glimpse into not only Malcolm X’s life and the making of a film based around that life, the authors show a glimpse into what it means to be a black cinematographer in the late 20th century.
March 9, 2023
An interesting and valuable look at the making of Spike Lee’s Malcolm X along with the complete script.
There’s lots of juicy behind the scenes stuff here with plenty of dirt and nastiness about Warner execs, the media, etc. Spike can occasionally come across as full of himself and seeing racism when maybe just greed and incompetence are the reasons, but you can’t say he doesn’t come from a honest point of view or that he didn’t make a great movie. A worthwhile book about a truly excellent movie about a fascinating and important individual.
There’s lots of juicy behind the scenes stuff here with plenty of dirt and nastiness about Warner execs, the media, etc. Spike can occasionally come across as full of himself and seeing racism when maybe just greed and incompetence are the reasons, but you can’t say he doesn’t come from a honest point of view or that he didn’t make a great movie. A worthwhile book about a truly excellent movie about a fascinating and important individual.
May 22, 2018
Amazing because of its honest way of discussing filmmaking, studios, and the subject of the movie itself. Essays from the core team that worked on the film lends to the book’s authenticity and if I may say, charm. Essential reading for cinephiles and non-cinephiles alike. I read the entire book, including the screenplay, in one day.
February 2, 2025
For whatever reason (I have a guess), Spike remains way too underrated as a filmmaker & cultural icon today. He’s such a sensible filmmaker & writer with a balance of wit & severity that’s endlessly compelling. This is an inspirational in-depth look into one of the greatest films of all time & the resonance of its matter with its making.
August 20, 2025
This book is a great artifact about the making of this film - and also updates you on 1992 era NY Knicks basketball.
September 18, 2016
Years ago I saw Spike Lee's film "Malcom X" and have always been a supporter of both Malcom X and Spike Lee. It just happened to be by chance that I came upon a copy of this book about the making of the film including the screenplay when a friend was downsizing before moving interstate.
I am by no means a fan of oppressive white Hollywood but even I was surprised at all the drama trying to get an important film made about an incredible leader killed far too soon. I always agreed with a fair amount of what Martin Luther King Jr. said however more of Malcom X's teachings resonated with me (same with The Black Panthers) and I'm a smart, weird non racist white woman from NZ!
They fought hard like Malcom to get this film made. I enjoyed reading the screenplay.
If you, like me are anti Hollywood and smart and passionate about civil rights, even agree that more needs to change in America (Australia too btw!) then read this book. It was written in the 90's and though there have been some changes mainly Obama, Obama, Obama (greatest US President to date in my opinion) and it breaks my heart that 2016 USA still has far to come but that's another issue all together! I get passionate about civil rights (and animal rights ). Hope this review helps.
I am by no means a fan of oppressive white Hollywood but even I was surprised at all the drama trying to get an important film made about an incredible leader killed far too soon. I always agreed with a fair amount of what Martin Luther King Jr. said however more of Malcom X's teachings resonated with me (same with The Black Panthers) and I'm a smart, weird non racist white woman from NZ!
They fought hard like Malcom to get this film made. I enjoyed reading the screenplay.
If you, like me are anti Hollywood and smart and passionate about civil rights, even agree that more needs to change in America (Australia too btw!) then read this book. It was written in the 90's and though there have been some changes mainly Obama, Obama, Obama (greatest US President to date in my opinion) and it breaks my heart that 2016 USA still has far to come but that's another issue all together! I get passionate about civil rights (and animal rights ). Hope this review helps.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2014
Spike left the diary approach behind for a more constructed personal narrative regarding his experience with making Malcolm X. With that construction comes a larger degree of self-consciousness so some of the more illuminating thoughts regarding his writing on earlier work, like She's Gotta Have It, are harder to come by. Those looking for the full experience of what it was like for Spike to make Malcolm X, there's a much better account in That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It. The inclusion of the full screenplay is another nice bonus from Spike's early career books, and even though I was disappointed at the lack of additional insight there are interesting tidbits of information here and there not directly related to the production of Malcolm X that are worth picking up the book for.
December 8, 2013
The making of section doesn't end as much as stop (a complaint which is quickly becoming a cliche of mine), and I would've liked a bit more fleshing out of the process of getting donations from people to help finish the film, but overall yeah, this is about as warts and all and as open as I've seen a book about the making of film get. Spike's one of my favorites, and I really should find the books about his other films now.
May 1, 2014
This was my prize for donating to his kickstarter. I love books about making movies, especially when they're written by people who were there. It does have some interesting aspects, but I wish he included more tales from the actual filming instead of about Malcolm X's real life and talking to those that new him. It was interesting to read the perspectives from other people involved with the film such as the producer, composer etc. An interesting read I just wish it had more details
March 3, 2016
This book talked about the movie that they made for Malcolm x he is a leader that has been killed for changing the world like it is now so read this book if you want this book is good. It talks why and how they killed him and how his life was in the past. I was thrilled by this book it was a good book it showed photos of the movie with Malcolm x in it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews