THE EXILES chronicles a night in the life of young Native Americans who fled reservation life to roam the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles. Outside filmmaker Kent Mackenzie crafted this narrative depiction of a real L.A. community by involving his cast in the writing and filming process, a bold choice that resulted in a gritty and poetic piece of cinema, but lost Mackenzie his chances of U.S. distribution. Now, THE EXILES: THE DELUXE EDITION returns with a wide range of bonus features and exclusive insight into the making of this unique classic.

For thoughts on The Exiles, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/XVdHVOn5xZ0?si=TTCk3KRI9_r6m-0D&t=3133]

Video Quality

The Exiles makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Milestone Films with a new 1080p master derived from a restoration completed in 2008 by the USC Moving Image Archive and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. For a film that was not exhibited for nearly 50 years before being rediscovered, this is a truly stunning presentation. The lovely black-and-white photography dazzles in high definition with natural grain intact. There is an impressive amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design.

The transfer shows some minor blemishes, but it is clear that it has been cleaned up immensely. The restoration shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are deep with no egregious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is properly defined, and the track only experiences a slight amount of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Milestone Films has done some marvelous work here.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a great DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie incredibly well considering its age and release history. The ambient music never overshadows the dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and background noises are represented in harmony with all competing elements. This track avoids most instances of age-related wear and tear and hissing and crackles. Admittedly, the track sounds a bit thin during some bustling moments that reach their peak, which likely dates back to the source elements. All in all, most will be pleased with this audio presentation. There are optional English SDH, French, and Portuguese subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Sherman Alexie and Sean Axmaker provide an engaging commentary track in which they casually offer insights as Native individuals into the depiction of the characters on film, what the film gets right and wrong, and much more that is well worth a listen.

Audio of The Exiles’ Los Angeles Opening Night at UCLA: A nearly 52-minute audio demonstration of the UCLA screening over 50 years after it was completed complete with a great Q&A with various individuals who offer insights and analysis into the film and its creation.

Bunker Hill – A Tale Of Urban Renewal (2009): A 23-minute documentary is provided here that takes a closer look at the urban development of the Bunker Hill neighborhood.

Kent Mackenzie Short Films: A selection of short films from the director is included here which showcases some of his work around the period of The Exiles.

- A Skill For Molina (1964) (15:37)

- Bunker Hill 1956 (1956) (17:28)

- Ivan and His Father (1970) (13:49)

- Story Of A Rodeo Cowboy (25:49)

Robert Kirste’s Last Day of Angels Flight (1969): A two-and-a-half-minute video about the final days of the public transportation system.

The Leonard Lopate Show with Sherman Alexie and Charles Burnett: An 18-minute radio program is provided in which the host talks to some of the individuals who helped bring this film back into the public consciousness.

Re-Release Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided.

Sherman Alexie and Sean Axmaker – Second Interview: A 38-minute interview with the commentary participants discuss their relationship to the film and why it is such a substantial achievement.

White Fawn’s Devotion (1910): A 12-minute film from one of the first Native American directors is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Exiles is a film that one admires equally for its historical and societal importance in addition to its artistic merit. The way in which the characters are captured is natural in a way that many Native Americans never got to experience previously. Kent Mackenzie allows these individuals to exist in all of their complexity, which sometimes means that characters are abrasive or frustrating at times. There is always someone interesting to watch, and the runtime is used effectively to keep you engaged. Milestone Films and Kino Lorber have delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a formidable A/V presentation and a substantial selection of special features. If you want a realistic depiction of authentic Native life, this is worth your time. Recommended

The Exiles is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Milestone Films and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.