The Exiles

FORGOTTEN FILM ENDS ITS EXILE Homer Nish's all-night outing is chronicled in "The Exiles." By V.A. MUSETTO .. Rating: stars Last updated: 7:50 am July 11, 2008 Posted: 1:27 am July 11, 2008 IT took nearly 50 years, but an important piece of film history is finally getting its due. "The Exiles," a moody black-and-white chronicle of 12 hours in the life of American Indians trying to survive off the reservation, was shot from 1958 to 1961 by Kent Mackenzie. He had just graduated from USC, and this was his first time directing. "The Exiles" was shown at the 1961 Venice Film Festival, where it won praise. Even so, the film and Mackenzie were soon forgotten. He got to direct one more feature before dying in 1980, at age 50. Now "The Exiles" is receiving its first commercial run, after being restored at UCLA. It follows three Native American residents of LA's working-class Bunker Hill neighborhood from Friday evening into Saturday morning. The pregnant Yvonne (Yvonne Williams) spends the time in an all-night movie house. Her shiftless boyfriend, Homer (Homer Nish), joins friend Tommy (Tommy Reynolds) for boozing, gambling and womanizing. When the sun comes up, little has changed in these people's dead-end lives. The noirish black-and-white lensing and close-up-heavy composition are grabbers, and the '50s rock on the soundtrack adds flavor. The nonprofessional cast post-synced the dialogue, but that does nothing to lessen the film's brutal authenticity. THE EXILES Worth the wait. Running time: 72 minutes. Not rated (mature themes). At the IFC Center, Sixth Avenue and Third Street. vam@nypost.com