The Exiles
Directed by Kent McKenzie
Written by Kent McKenzie
1961/USA
Pathe Contemporary Films
First viewing/Netfix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] “Like a man who has been dying for many days, a man in your city is numb to the stench.” ― Chief Seattle[/box]
This is an interesting, if depressing, semi-documentary look at the alienation of Native Americans adrift in the big city.
The action takes place from late afternoon to early morning of a single day in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles. We first meet the profoundly lonely Yvonne who is expecting a longed for baby, fathered by a man whose primary interest in her appears to be getting fed and cadging loans. We then meet the men, who long for nighttime when the real drinking can begin. Yvonne is dumped at a movie theater.
The men proceed to get as drunk as possible and start to pick up women. Fistfights and run-ins with the law ensue. When everybody is loose enough they proceed to Hill X where, after the bars close, the Native Americans drum and dance with abandon.
This was made on a low budget and the sound was post-dubbed which can be a little disconcerting. It didn’t mar the experience too much for me. I thought McKenzie did quite well at capturing a way of life and bringing the best out of his amateur actors. The aimless, hopeless existence portrayed is both heart-wrenching and depressing.
I grew up in Greater Los Angeles and enjoyed the images of a lost time.
