Lord Thing [2014 Preservation Print]
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Produced at the height of the black power movement in the early ‘70s, LORD THING is an insider history into the genesis and transformation of the Conservative Vice Lords gang, one of Chicago's oldest street gangs. Partially shaped and told by by CVL members who also appear in the film, LORD THING is a unique and powerful tool that expresses an effort in self-transformation during a volatile and violent time in US race history. Gritty and rhythmic, this unusual film reflects an under-told chapter in gang history as members from the West Side neighborhood of North Lawndale try to become viable and political agents in their community. LORD THING won a silver medal at the 1970 Venice Film Festival.
Credits
DeWitt Beall (director); DeWitt Beall (producer); Kenneth H. Montgomery (sound); Kaz Ayukawa (cinematographer); Olaf Bergman (contributor); Glen McGowean (editor); Leonard Sengali (narrator); Bobby Gore (participant); Kenneth "Goat" Parks (participant); Eddy "Pepilo" Perry (participant); Don McIlvaine (participant); Richard J. Daley (participant); Edward D. Hanrahan (participant); Leonard Sengali (participant); William Franklin (participant)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: DeWitt Beall Collection
Subjects: Gangs; African Americans; City and town life; Politics and government
Places: North America > United States > Illinois > Chicago > North Lawndale
Language: English
Film notes: In 2012, the National Film Preservation Foundation awarded CFA a grant to preserve LORD THING. A new print was struck from original 16mm elements. This is a transfer of this 16mm restoration.
Cfa elements: Preservation print
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/16286
Subjects: Gangs; African Americans; City and town life; Politics and government
Places: North America > United States > Illinois > Chicago > North Lawndale
Language: English
Film notes: In 2012, the National Film Preservation Foundation awarded CFA a grant to preserve LORD THING. A new print was struck from original 16mm elements. This is a transfer of this 16mm restoration.
Cfa elements: Preservation print
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/16286
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, creator, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:12