Clarke and Mackenzie's 1960s Films on Broken America Resurface

An essay by Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer, published on Afterall on November 19, 2008, examines two recently resurrected independent films from the early 1960s: Shirley Clarke's The Cool World (1964) and Kent Mackenzie's The Exiles (1961). Both black-and-white films depict marginalized communities in New York and Los Angeles, addressing race relations, economic struggles, and social divisiveness. Clarke's The Cool World, shot in Harlem with non-professional actors, follows a 15-year-old boy's quest for a gun to lead his gang. Mackenzie's The Exiles documents 12 hours in the lives of Native Americans in Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, using improvisation and non-professional actors playing themselves. The films blend documentary and drama, employing location shooting and jazz/rock 'n' roll soundtracks. They were screened in Los Angeles in 2008—The Cool World at the Silent Movie Theater on July 18, and The Exiles at the Hammer Museum on August 15, after restoration by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. The essay contextualizes the films within the protest culture of the 1960s and the politicized climate of the 2008 presidential election.