The opening credits include the following written statements: "We wish to thank [Malcolm X's wife] Betty Shabazz for granting us the rights and for her invaluable technical assistance" and "Substantial portions of the biographical sections of this film relating to the early part of Malcolm X's life were obtained from stock film and newsreel sources due to the non-existence of actual film depicting these events in his life." Rev. Jesse Jackson's name is misspelled "Jessie" in the opening credits.
       The film mixes black-and-white footage of the speeches and interviews of Malcolm X (1925—1965), newsreel footage of historical events and interviews with other civic and political leaders, with newly created scenes, shot in color, of urban streets. Numerous public figures are glimpsed in the archival footage but not credited onscreen, including Fidel Castro, Stepin Fetchit, Jacqueline Kennedy, U Thant, Ralph Bunche, Rev. Galamison, Clayton Powell and Louis Lomax.
       Malcolm X begins with a black screen over which is heard Billie Holiday singing “Strange Fruit,” whose lyrics protest the lynching of Black people. After this, Malcolm X is shown reciting a famous speech that states, in part: “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.” Parts of the statement are repeated in voice-over several times throughout the film. The final image is a repeat of the first scene, with Malcolm X reciting the entire statement again. After the first speech, The Last Poets are heard performing their song “N--s Are Scared of Revolution” over a collage of images of contemporary Black people; The Last Poets were a group of African-American poets and musicians, formed in 1968 during the height of the Civil Rights movement, who are often considered to be the progenitors of hip-hop music.
       Throughout the film, portions of The Autobiography of Malcolm X are read by James Earl Jones in voice-over narration. The book was written by Alex Haley based on in-depth interviews with Malcolm X conducted over many years, and each chapter was edited and approved by Malcolm X. Prior to the book's publication, on 12 September 1964, Saturday Evening Post ran an article based on the interviews, entitled "I'm Talking to You, White Man: An Autobiography of Malcolm X." As represented in the film, the book covered the activist’s life from birth through the pilgrimage to Mecca that began to change his teachings. After Malcolm X's assassination, Haley added an epilogue to the book, which was published in 1965.
       The book follows closely the events of Malcolm X’s life. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, the son of Earl Little, a Baptist minister who supported Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. After Little was murdered by white supremacists, Malcolm’s mother had a mental breakdown and Malcolm was sent to a detention home, soon moving to Harlem to work as a thief, drug dealer and numbers runner. He was arrested in 1946 and, during his seven years in prison, learned about the Nation of Islam (NOI) and converted to the Muslim religion. Adopting the surname X, abandoning what he considered the slave name of Little, he soon rose to the position of minister and national spokesman for the NOI.
       Malcolm X’s intelligence and charisma soon gained him international attention, while his separatist and incendiary speech in favor of Black militancy made him a controversial figure. In addition to the intense media interest he engendered, he was also a target of Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance. As shown in the film, when he made remarks about President John F. Kennedy’s death that many considered insensitive, the leaders of the NOI suspended him. Malcolm X then learned that the religion’s head, Elijah Muhammad, had several children out of wedlock, information that spurred him to break formally from the organization in 1964.
       Later that year, Malcolm X made a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and during that trip, as recounted in his autobiography and in the film, met white Muslims who inspired him to reconsider his separatist philosophy. Back in America, he urged his followers to work with any group that shared the goals of racial equality and Muslim ethics. After several death threats, including the burning of his home on 14 February 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated on 21 February 1965 during a speech at New York City’s Audubon Ballroom. The murderers were later found to be Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, all NOI members.
       In April 1966, Hollywood Reporter reported that Elia Kazan had bought the rights to the autobiography and planned for James Earl Jones to star and Ossie Davis to write the adaptation. Marvin Worth was named by an October 1967 Daily Variety new item as the current owner of the rights to the film version of the book, with Sidney Poitier and James Baldwin mentioned as possible actors. Then, in November 1967, Daily Variety noted that CBS Theatrical Films planned to produce a film version, with Stuart Rosenberg set to direct. In response, Twentieth Century-Fox announced in a 14 November 1967 Daily Variety article that it owned a “story property” about Malcolm X’s life and would immediately begin production. In that article, CBS Theatrical Films president Gordon Stulberg stated that the report of his company’s interest in the property was false.
       Reports of a fictionalized version of Malcolm X’s life surfaced again the following year. In June 1968, Daily Variety reported that Sammy Davis, Jr. was considering involvement in a Columbia Pictures film about Malcolm X. Worth’s documentary production was announced in September 1968 in Daily Variety, with Columbia still listed as the studio. That article, which named Rosenberg as the director, identified Baldwin as a collaborator on the script, but only Arnold Perl is listed in the onscreen writing credits. Although some sources name Perl as the film’s director, no director is credited onscreen. Malcolm X marked Perl's final film before his death in December 1971. Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz stated in a June 1972 Hollywood Reporter article that she was hired as a consultant after the film was completed.
       Although the Los Angeles Times reviewer criticized the film for failing to make clear that Malcolm X’s assassins were later found to be Muslim people, most reviewers felt the filmmakers presented an even-handed, unbiased treatment of its controversial subject. On 23 May 1972, Hollywood Reporter announced that Warner Bros. planned to contribute ten percent of the film’s net profits to Malcolm X College in Chicago, IL. In addition, the June 1972 Hollywood Reporter article noted that the studio was “letting the film be used as a fund raiser for various community organizations.”
       Malcolm X was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was re-released by Kit Parker Films in 1993. Several documentaries about Malcolm X have been produced, including a 1992 CBS news hour-long special called The Real Malcolm X. In 1992 Spike Lee directed a biographical film entitled Malcolm X (see entry), which was produced by Worth and starred Denzel Washington, who received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal.