film studios were based at the beginning of the 20th century. Filming was scheduled to accommodate the many cast members who had commitments on Broadway. Principal photography wrapped in late February 1931 and post-production was completed in March. A preview screening was successful and the film premiered at the Lafayette Theater in May to sold-out crowds and positive reviews. Reception In 2008, film historian Richard Koszarski wrote: "Although some critics later described The Exile 'a disaster,' its technical quality is certainly no worse than [[Mother's Boy (1929 film)|Mother’s Boy]] (1929) and Howdy Broadway (1929), or other low-budget eastern productions of the period. Indeed, Micheaux’s sober analysis of racial distinction with and without the black community marks The Exile as far more ambitious and interesting than most other independent films of the day. The Exile was a highly personal statement that Micheaux dramatized as stock melodrama, a very difficult project to pull off in the 1930s. If the film was the critical and commercial failure some historians suggest, then its fate may be seen as prefiguring the negative response to D. W. Griffith’s The Struggle (1931), shot in the Bronx a few months later." Notes External links http://www.rhythmforsale.com/ http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-2N3Y/the-exile/ https://www.amazon.com/Rhythm-Sale-Grant-Harper-Reid/dp/0615678289 http://www.filmcaptures.com/the-exile/ https://nypost.com/2000/02/14/he-roots-out-granddads-past/ http://www.streetswing.com/histmai2/d2leonard_harper01a.htm http://cinema.theiapolis.com/movie-2N3Y/the-exile/ http://www.rhythmforsale.com/home.html 1931 films American black-and-white films American drama films Films directed by Oscar Micheaux 1931 drama films Race films Films set in Chicago Films based on American novels Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey 1930s English-language films 1930s American films