The Least Among You (2009)

Director:

Mark Young

Writer:

Mark Young (screenplay)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Pain is a holy angel...

Plot:

Inspired by a true story about a black college graduate forced to serve probation after the 1965 Watts...

Plot Keywords:

Racism | Probation | Period Piece | Based On True Story

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Cedric Sanders	...	Richard Kelly
Lauren Holly	...	Kate Allison
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Samuel Benton
William Devane	...	Alan Beckett
Cory Hardrict	...	Roscoe
John Brently Reynolds	...	Fred Leak
Starletta DuPois	...	Bessie Benton
Carter MacIntyre	...	James
Siena Goines	...	Ruth Kelly
Bernardo de Paula	...	Nick Giffuni
Nicolas Charles	...	Bill (as Nicolas Levene)
Scott Waara	...	Prof. Powell
Ricco Ross	...	Marvin Kelly
Maddy Curley	...	Kimmy
Kelicea Meadows	...	Lisa Kreemack
Jean-Emmanuel Casséus	...	Richard Kelly -- age 12
Jay Arlen Jones	...	Jojo
Christian Pikes	...	Bobby Kelly - age 6
Caroline Langford	...	Cynthia Beckett
Gary Hudson	...	Attorney
Adam McEwen	...	Roscoe age 12
Kwame Boateng	...	Bobby - age16
Julia Verdin	...	Dr. Anderton
Brian Swette	...	Brian Thomas
Clement von Franckenstein	...	Stansfield Tremaine
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Bill Dunn
Marilyn Sue Perry	...	Big Woman
Martez Covington	...	Inmate
Jonathan Wolf	...	Jonathan
John Wesley	...	Shotgun
John Shires	...	Student #1
Stephen Cloud	...	Matthew
Josie Gammell	...	Secretary
Emerson Brooks	...	Kaleem
Damon Blak	...	Skinny
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richardson Chery	...	Roscoe's Friend
David Cohen	...	Faculty Seminary Member
Kris Edwards	...	Student #2
Kyle T. Heffner	...	TV Announcer
Rene Napoli	...	Professor

Directed by
Mark Young

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mark Young		screenplay & story

Produced by
Christian Kinde	....	associate producer
Bill Kravitz	....	associate producer
Matt Malouf	....	executive producer
Ric Smith	....	line producer
Lynn Stevenson	....	post-production producer
Brian Swette	....	executive producer
Julia Verdin	....	producer
Mark Young	....	producer

Original Music by
Mark Kilian
Otis Taylor		(original music by: "Be My Frankenstein, " "Something in Your Back Pocket, " "Momma Don't You Do it.")

Cinematography by
Zoran Popovic

Film Editing by
Omar Daher

Casting by
Ricki Maslar

Production Design by
Chris Giammalvo

Set Decoration by
Nashon Petrushkin

Costume Design by
Alycia Belle

Makeup Department
Ayla Dew	....	makeup artist
Rhonda Dobbins	....	special makeup effects artist
Rochelle Kneisely-Fisher	....	special makeup effects artist (as Rochelle Kneisley)
Myke Michaels	....	effects makeup supervisor
Galaxy San Juan	....	makeup department head

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Dean	....	second assistant director
Artie Glackin	....	first assistant director
Paul Lindsay	....	second assistant director
James O'Keeffe	....	second unit director
Rick Walls	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Bernard Cistrunk	....	swing gang
Keith Davidson	....	property master
Keith Davidson	....	set dresser
James Eubank	....	swing

Sound Department
Lee Ascher	....	sound mixer
Burnie Neal	....	boom operator
Glen Alger Schricker	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Matt Dean	....	digital compositor
Robert W. Morgenroth	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Lou Simon	....	stunts
Nils Allen Stewart	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Dimitris Bogiantzis	....	gaffer
Amanda Marie Campbell	....	best girl electric
Amanda Marie Campbell	....	electrician
Corey Giann Antonio	....	electrician
Adam Golomski	....	electrician
Skip Haswell	....	key grip
Kaiyoti	....	grip
Dominick Kypragoras	....	gaffer best boy
Josh Markvan	....	dolly grip
Jon Myers	....	Steadicam operator
Paul Samaniego	....	second assistant camera
Hunter Sandison	....	first assistant camera
Marlen Schlawin	....	second assistant camera
Michael Skor	....	first assistant camera
Robert F. Smith	....	additional camera operator
Randy Vega	....	best boy grip
Warren Yeager	....	camera operator
Jack L. Zeman	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Carmen Betancourt	....	extras casting
John Milton Branton	....	casting assistant
Rachel Christensen	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Heather Schneiter	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Michael Cioni	....	digital intermediate supervisor
Tim Craig	....	first assistant editor
Ian Vertovec	....	digital intermediate colorist

Music Department
Delly Ramin	....	music supervisor
Matt Shelton	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Matthew Ballard	....	transportation coordinator
Shay Morgan Brook	....	driver
David Lee Haggerty	....	driver

Other crew
Jeff Andrus	....	script consultant
Paula Hunziker	....	script supervisor
Nadine Jolson	....	publicist
Crystal 'Sue' McGraw	....	production coordinator
John Santos	....	set supervisor
Brett Talmadge	....	production assistant
Gordon Timothy	....	stand-in: Cedric Sanders (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Witenuckle Films
• Rough Diamond Productions

Distributors

• Lionsgate

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Jolson Creative Image PR  publicity
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Ramo Law PC  production legal (as Law Offices of Elsa Ramo)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence, thematic elements and brief drug material

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #46152)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Witenuckle Films

Soundtrack:

A FEW FEET AWAY

Not bad but just OK

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I saw this last month at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. This marks the debut feature film of writer/director Mark Young who was at my screening for an audience Q&A. following the 1965 Watts riots, Richard Kelly (Cedric Sanders), a young black man with a promising career ahead of him in the corporate world finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is sentenced to serve probation at an all-white seminary that is looking to break the color barrier. The president of the seminary is Alan Beckett (William Devane) who is not looking for black church leaders of the future but simply black followers to break the color barrier at his school and help woo financial support for a large campus building extension from a philanthropic benefactor. Kelly reluctantly agrees to attend so he can get it over with and eventually get back on track to his job offer in the corporate world with a large firm. He, of course is met with prejudice and resistance by the other students. He finds a friend and life coach in the school grounds caretaker and building janitor Samuel Benton (Louis Gossett Jr.) With Lauren Holly as professor and former missionary Kate Allison this has an excellent cast in Gosset, Devane and Holly but the script is a little weak and clichéd and Sanders in the lead role is over the top at times and very weak at other times. It's an interesting story based on the true life experiences of Rev. Dr. Charles Marks who was the inspiration for the Richard Kelly character and inspired writer/director Young to craft the story after he heard Marks speak at at young's church several years ago. It's a good film for a first time director but I wouldn't expect this to be a box office draw. It would make a good TV movie, especially during black history month, and I would expect to see it eventually on something like BET, Hallmark, AMC or the Lifetime movies channels and I would give it a 7.0 out of 10.