Combining contemporary video interview footage with notable scientists such as Edward Teller and Hans Bethe and intellectuals such as psychoanalyst/author Bruno Bettelheim and publisher Helen Wolff, with archival stills, newsreel footage, and dramatic re-enactments, the film's multitude of visual styles clash more often than mesh, adding to the thrown-together feel of the documentary. Initially, the story of the "University in Exile" (created in New York as a haven for immigrant academics, and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation) provides some interest, but before long "The Exiles" turns into more of a who's who of exiles (Thomas Mann, Marc Chagall, Alfred Eisenstadt, etc.) during the first half, and a paint-by-numbers look at achievements in both the physical and social sciences during the second half. Ultimately, "The Exiles" lacks both visual flair and a strong narrative drive, though some of the stories are intrinsically interesting in and of themselves. (www.videolibrarian.com)

Scene by scene summary at:
http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/schoenberg/videv040.htm

Received an EMMY-Award.