The Exiles (1961)

Follows a family of Native Americans living in the City of Angels.

Director:

Kent Mackenzie (as Kent MacKenzie)

Writer:

Kent Mackenzie (as Kent MacKenzie)

Stars:

Yvonne Williams, Homer Nish, Tom Reynolds

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yvonne Williams	...	Yvonne
Homer Nish	...	Homer
Tom Reynolds	...	Tommy (as Tommy Reynolds)
Rico Rodriguez	...	Rico
Clifford Ray Sam	...	Cliff
Clydean Parker	...	Claudine
Mary Donahue	...	Mary
Eddie Sunrise	...	Singer on Hill X
Eugene Pablo
Jacinto Valenzuela
Matthew Pablo
Ann Amiador
Sarah Mazy
Delos Yellow Eagle
Gloria Muti

Storyline

Native Americans in Los Angeles. For 12 hours one Friday night, from late afternoon until dawn, we follow a handful of urban Indians. Yvonne is pregnant, commenting on her life and dreams as she shops, walks home, cooks dinner, and watches her husband Homer leave with his friends. Homer and his pals go bar hopping, play some poker, and end up, bottles in hand, with other Indians on a hilltop. During the night, the men pick up women, there are fights, there's camaraderie, and Homer reflects on life in the city versus life on the reservation. At dawn, Yvonne watches Hector from a window as he and two pals and two women head somewhere. "Let's do it again tonight," says one.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | dawn | dinner | reservation | poker | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2009.

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Goofs

In a scene where an older man is heard singing and playing an instrument under a tree, he is not doing corresponding actions in a long-shot.

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Connections

References Tank Commandos (1959)

User Reviews

a nice film to watch deep into the night

The premise is simple-we follow a group of young, modern day Native American men and women in Los Angeles over 24 hours. We experience their daily rituals, conflicts, and pleasures, and, for the most part, I found this rather simple film to be highly interesting. Although it remains virtually plot less throughout, there are some moments of conflict and surprising intensity that save it from being "boring" or overly mundane. The tragedies as well as the comedies of life are explored, as personalities, feelings, and opinions are revealed and studied.

The highlights of the film are the dazzlingly beautiful voice over sequences, in which a random character will voice their perspective on their way of life or their friends or their hopes and aspirations, and so on. They transform the every man into a wise and lovable poet. We understand and learn about our characters more and more not only through their subtle actions, but also their words and ways of communicating.

However, there are moments of boredom here. I think this movie would have worked better as a lengthy short film that would be, say, 35-40 minutes long. That would be perfect. Either that or a little bit more conflict or humor or just flat out interesting events.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

De rodløse

Filming Locations:

Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$539 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,448, 13 July 2008

Gross USA:

$30,945

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$30,945

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1