The Exiles

The Exiles begins with a series of fantastic monochrome photographs of 19th Century Native American Indians looking proud and forbidding at first but increasingly weighed down with concern and oppression, reflecting the determination of the ‘White Man’ to put them in what was considered their place; the tribal reservations. During the 20th century, some of these Indians – a term I use for convenience and which is not intended to be provocative - moved out of the reservations into urban environments such as Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles, an area most familiar to filmgoers from its appearance in films such as Kiss Me Deadly. The area underwent considerable redevelopment in the mid-1950s and The Exiles captures it in a moment of transition, one reflected by that of society as rock and roll begins to take hold. During the period, there was a vast division between rich and poor with the Indians, needless to say, suffering considerable hardship.

Although it is not a documentary per se, The Exiles is centred around voiceover narrations taken from interview material with young Indians and chronicles twelve hours in the lives of a small group of them. We first meet Yvonne and Homer, a young couple expecting their first baby who are battling despair with the aid of false hope and booze. We fall for Yvonne at first sight – her face takes the camera wonderfully – and her disintegration is hard to take. Homer is less lovable but more rambunctious and some of the funnier moments in the film belong to him and his deeply daft friend Tommy. Meanwhile, the voiceovers continue, introducing us to a variety of characters all of whom are trapped in an increasingly affluent capitalist society which has no place for them. As the night wears on, dancing mixes with fighting and the beat of the rock and roll soundtracks tolls a bell which heralds these people’s inevitable doom.

Yet this film, desperately sad as it is, isn’t really depressing because it’s full of life and moments of comedy – the dancing is particularly hilarious. The ambition is truly Shakespearean – to encompass the whole life through a pointed extract. The director, Kent Mackenzie who died in 1980, was a USC graduate who spent three years of his life on the film assisted by fellow students and strongly influenced by the Nouvelle Vague. The result of his labours didn’t find a distributor at the time and in a way it’s not surprising, because The Exiles is strong and powerful stuff. In 1961, John Cassavetes was just beginning his first period of filmmaking and it’s possible that a couple of years later, Mackenzie’s film might have received a fairer hearing. But at the time it just wasn’t going to happen.

Throughout the film, the cinematography is stunning, giving a strong sense of cinema verite while simultaneously capturing a certain epic and romantic quality which is found in these small and unassuming lives. In describing this, one is aware of falling into the trap of suggesting that poverty is somehow particularly pure or beautiful but there’s something real and gritty here which is rare in filmmaking of the period and still extremely powerful. The settings – decaying yet grand houses, seedy bars, downtown streets reminiscent of American Graffiti - carry a powerful sense of nostalgia which contrasts potently with the decidedly un-nostalgic nature of the material. Mackenzie and his crew create something thoroughly alive – never more so than in the extraordinary night exterior scenes. The imagery is often astoundingly moving – there are static shots of Homer’s face which suggest all manner of things but specify little, allowing us to read our own emotions into it – and there’s sense of loss ; the loss of a city and the loss of a people.

But the reason the film resounds in one’s memory is the basic fact that, perhaps for the first time, we’re seeing young Indians on screen in a manner which is totally un-stereotypical and neither sentimental nor hokey. None of these people are around anymore to see their young selves, as one look at the amount of booze they consume will instantly confirm. But this film is a powerful testament to the fact that they did live and that, even if only for twelve hours, they seemed like the centre of the world.

The Disc

Milestone Films have built up an entirely justified reputation for being one of the best friends that movies have and The Exiles is a particular triumph for them. It’s a film which few people had heard of until fairly recently but one which no-one who sees it is likely to forget.

The restored print comes from the UCLA archive and it’s a miracle. The monochrome images are sharp, detailed and full of striking light/dark contrasts. The DVD is interlaced which results in some combing artifacts, but, on the whole, it’s pleasing. The 2 channel mono soundtrack is generally clear, although the problems with the original materials are evident.

There are numerous extra features on this 2-disc release. The first DVD contains an exceptional commentary track from Sherman Alexie and Sean Axmaker along with a trailer and a short film by Kent Mackenzie. Bunker Hill, an 18 minute documentary about the area which features fascinating interviews with a selection of local people, is in pretty rough shape but well worth watching. There’s also an excerpt from Thom Anderson’s documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself dealing with the film ,which demonstrates how bad it looked before the restoration, and some audio material from the film’s 2008 premiere at UCLA.

The second disc features more of Mackenzie’s short work; A Skill For Molina, about Indians being trained to be welders, The Story Of A Rodeo Cowboy, a fairly conventional documentary on the life of a rodeo rider, and Ivan And His Father, which is an account of group therapy which is very much a product of the early 1970s. The picture quality on all of these is mediocre, although the colour on the last one looks pretty good. However, it’s good to see these at all since they are pretty rare.

Robert Kirste’s Last Day Of Angels Flight is a short account of the final day of the vertical railway in Bunker Hill, and Bunker Hill: A Tale of Urban Renewal looks at the history of the area and its redevelopment from the perspective of local resident and filmmaker Greg Kimble. White Fawn’s Devotion, meanwhile, is the first American Indian film; dating from 1910, it’s rather moving in a very naïve sort of way.

Also on this second disc are two audio-only features; an 18 minute extract from the WNYC Leonard Lopate Show with Sherman Alexie, Charles Burnett and Dennis Doros; and an interview with Sherman Alexie and Sean Axmaker. These are interesting bonuses but the latter interview doesn’t add much which isn’t on the commentary track. Finally, we get a selection of publicity and behind-the-scenes stills.

You’ll also find a treasure trove of DVD-ROM content on this DVD release including scripts, brochures and background information on Kent Mackenzie.

My only major criticism about this package is the lack of subtitles on the main feature.

The Exiles is a beautiful, moving and groundbreaking work which demands as wide an audience as possible. Milestone’s DVD is the perfect way to become acquainted with it.