The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra is a 1928 American silent experimental short film co-written and co-directed by Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapić. Considered a landmark of American avant-garde cinema, it tells the story of a man (played by Jules Raucourt) who comes to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a star; he fails and becomes dehumanized, with studio executives reducing him to the role of an extra and writing the number "9413" on his forehead.
The film has abrupt cuts, rapid camera movement, extensive superimposition, dim lighting, and twisted shapes and forms at disorienting angles. Filmed on a budget of only $97 ($ in today's (2024+/-) dollars), it includes a combination of close-ups of live actors and long shots of miniature sets constructed from cardboard, paper cubes, tin cans, cigar boxes, and toy trains. With no access to Hollywood studios or equipment, most of the film was made in the filmmakers' homes (their walls painted black to provide a background).
The story was inspired by Florey's own experiences in Hollywood and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. It was one of the first films shot by Gregg Toland, who was later acclaimed for his work on such films as The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Citizen Kane (1941). The film is a satire of Hollywood's social conditions, practices and ideologies, and the film industry's alleged mistreatment of actors. Douglas Fairbanks assisted with its development, and Charlie Chaplin and Joseph M. Schenck helped to promote it.
Unlike most experimental films, it received a wide release by FBO Pictures Corporation in more than 700 theaters in North America and Europe. The film has been well received by contemporary and present-day critics; according to film historian Brian Taves, "More than any other American film, it initiated the avant-garde in this country". Florey co-wrote and directed Hollywood Boulevard (1936), a lighter version of the film.
Plot
Mr. Jones (Jules Raucourt), an artist and aspiring movie star, arrives in Hollywood and is immediately star-struck by the film industry's glitz and glamour. He speaks with a film-studio representative, presenting a letter of recommendation and trying to speak on his own behalf. The representative cuts him off, however, and writes the number "9413" on his forehead. From this point on, 9413 speaks only in unintelligible gibberish and moves mechanically, mindlessly following the instructions of film directors and studio representatives. He goes on a series of casting calls, but is unable to find success; he is repeatedly confronted with signs reading "No Casting Today". A series of images are interspersed through these scenes: shots of Hollywood, cameras filming, the word "Dreams" written in the stars, and a repeating loop of a man walking up a stairway toward the word "Success" without ever reaching the top.
thumb|left|alt=Two men look at each other while applauding in the direction of a third man, who holds a paper mask in front of his face.|Studio executives applaud Extra #15 (Voya George) as he holds paper masks in front of his face, symbolizing his performances.
Unlike 9413, other extras around him become successful. A woman (Adriane Marsh) with the number 13 on her forehead repeatedly sits down and stands back up at the behest of a film director, and eventually succeeds in landing a part after she is greeted by a "Casting Today" sign. Another extra (Voya George) with the number 15, who (unlike 9413) has an expressionless, unenthusiastic facial expression, holds paper masks symbolizing his performances in front of his face. He is greeted enthusiastically by cheering crowds, all of whom speak in the same gibberish as 9413. His number is replaced with a star, and he becomes tremendously successful. 9413 admires the new movie star and can't contain his excitement when the two meet in person. He presents his own (much more impressive-looking) mask to the star to show he is also an actor. The star is unimpressed and turns his back on 9413, who sadly cradles his mask like a baby and laments his inability to achieve success.
Time passes, and 9413 remains unable to find work in Hollywood. Despite repeated phone calls to studio representatives begging for work, he is always confronted by "No Casting Today" signs. He cannot afford food, and bills he is unable to pay are slipped under his door. A series of images symbolizing his mental anguish include twisted trees blowing in the wind and a man lying on the stairway leading to "Success", still unable to reach the top. Starving, exhausted, and in despair about his failures, he collapses and dies. After the other actors laugh at him, his tombstone is shown. It reads: "Here Lies No. 9413, a Hollywood Extra"; the words "No Casting Today" appear next to it.
After his death, 9413's spirit leaves his body and is pulled up a ramp into the sky. As he gets higher, he grows angelic wings and ascends into heaven: a place with glittering crystal towers and bright, blinking lights. A hand removes the "9413" from his forehead, he smiles happily, and he flies further into heaven.
Production
Conception
Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapić, who met after Florey attended one of Vorkapić's American Society of Cinematographers lectures, are credited as co-writers and co-directors of The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra. Although accounts differ about the two men's level of involvement in the film's creation, most identify Florey as primarily responsible. According to film historian Brian Taves, Vorkapić was not involved in the writing or direction of the film; his contributions were limited to set design and miniature lighting, but Florey insisted on equal credit for Vorkapić's role in bringing the film to fruition. Early reports about the film support this view, including a 1928 article about Florey in Hollywood Magazine. Paul Ivano, who did camerawork on the film, agreed: "Vorkapić tries to get credit, but he didn't do much." Florey's work as a publicist and journalist covering the film industry gave him a familiarity with the struggles of aspiring actors, and their disappointment at failing to achieve their dreams, which influenced the writing of A Hollywood Extra. The final inspiration for the film, however, came after Florey attended a performance of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Florey wrote it in precise detail, describing each shot relative to the length of film required (a budget necessity, due to the expense of film stock). Florey recalled, "I say to Slav, 'Slav, I have an idea but not much money. You have a camera and are a clever painter. Let's make the picture in collaboration and we split the benefit. It was a DeVry camera with one lens, a type which Florey said was sold as a "toy".
The film was shot by Gregg Toland (credited simply as "Gregg"), who was also working as an assistant to cinematographer George Barnes at the Samuel Goldwyn Studio. and the cinematographer was later acclaimed for his work on The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Citizen Kane (1941). The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra cost $97 ($ today) to make, paid entirely by Florey. The budget consisted of $55 ($ today) for development and printing, $25 ($ today) for negatives, $14 ($ today) for transportation, and $3 ($ today) for store props (most of which cost five or ten cents apiece). Of the development costs, the salaries for everyone involved in the film totaled $3. Additional camerawork was by Paul Ivano; according to Taves, Ivano was primarily responsible for much of the film's camerawork and Toland primarily handled the closeups. Raucourt later wrote a novel, using the title of the film. however, film historian David E. James said that it was filmed in Vorkapić's kitchen. The film has three basic types of composition: miniature sets, close-ups of live actors, and newsreel-like scenes of Hollywood and film studios. It includes abrupt cuts, rapid camera movement, extensive superimposition, dim lighting, and twisted shapes and forms at disorienting angles. The film has elements of German Expressionism, echoing The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); its opening credits, in particular, are angular and expressionistic. A total of 45 sets were built, none larger than about two square feet and the most expensive costing $1.67. It took days to prepare the sets; Florey removed cardboard from laundered shirts and cut them into squares, which Vorkapić painted impressionistically to resemble buildings.
Skyscrapers were oblong cubes filmed from an angle which exaggerated their height. To create the effect of sunlight reflecting from buildings, one person would stand on one side of the cubes with a mirror; another would stand on the opposite side with a light bulb and swing it back and forth. The mirror would catch the reflection of the swinging light and throw it back onto the skyscrapers. Although no still photos were taken for the film, illustrations of prismatic and kaleidoscopic effects have been obtained by enlarging frames of negative film. The paper prints were considerably softer than the movie print, to avoid graininess. Filmmaking was becoming more expensive and required greater technical resources (particularly with the rise of sound production), making it increasingly difficult for amateur filmmakers to enter the profession. This deepened a divide between amateurs and Hollywood professionals; as a result, a growing number of amateurs began lampooning Hollywood. When it begins, the protagonist has a name (Mr. Jones) and a letter of recommendation outlining his talents; they are ignored and he is reduced to a number, symbolizing his dehumanization.
thumb|right|alt=A photo from a low angle of three men looking ahead, clapping their hands and opening their mouths widely.|Applause for a performance by Voya George's character
The movie star inspires hero worship in American culture, and the painted masks he dons represent his performances. Actors and audience are depicted as unintelligent automatons, their mouths yapping senselessly as they respond to Hollywood films or hand signals from film directors. One scene loops a shot of a man climbing a staircase toward the word "Success", representing an actor's vain attempt to achieve fulfillment and advancement in his career. Film historians William Moritz and David E. James have compared this to a similar scene with a washerwoman in the Dadaist, post-Cubist film Ballet Mécanique (1924).
The film's abrupt cuts, artificial scenery, extreme closeups, and twisted angles metaphorically amplify its somber narrative. Hollywood street scenes were filmed with a wildly-moving camera from tilted angles, edited into rapid juxtapositions to reflect the falsity and excess of the film industry. Heaven is in the opposite direction from Hollywood, another poke at the industry.
A Hollywood Extra also touches on the mistreatment of women. Although the actors wear masks—symbolizing their ability to act—the female extra #13 does not; she is expected to simply obey the (male) filmmakers, and her only role is as an object for men to look at. Other titles include The Rhapsody of Hollywood (a name suggested by Charlie Chaplin) and The Suicide of a Hollywood Extra, Florey described the film at the time: Chaplin's screening was accompanied by a record of Rhapsody in Blue and the comedian playing the organ. A musical score, based on Rhapsody in Blue and played by a live orchestra (featuring the saxophone), was prepared by Hugo Riesenfeld for the showing. with many media reports emphasizing its $97 budget. A Hollywood Extra became one of the first widely-seen American avant-garde films in the United States, the Soviet Union, and Europe (England, France, Germany, and Italy). and aided Florey, Vorkapić, and Toland's careers;