San Francisco Silent Film Festival
Official Selection
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The Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra1927
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The production was made on a shoe-string budget reported by the filmmakers to be a meager $97 and shot mostly in a corner of Florey's kitchen and at several public locations in Los Angeles. The highly entertaining results received wide exposure at little art cinemas then in vogue across the country, and generated much discussion among the public and cinephiles. Florey, Toland and Vorkapich went on to have exemplary Hollywood careers, each producting significant contributions to film art. Sadly the same can't be reported for its star Jules Raucourt, who like the film's namesake "9413" saw his acting career slowly unravel. - Bruce Posner
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Starring
- Robert Florey - Casting Director
- Adriane Marsh - 13
- Jules Raucourt - 9413
- George Voya - The Star
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Member Reviews (7)
top reviewer
The Life & Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra is meant to have the soundtrack of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHORT FILM. But it is not the same film without the proper soundtrack. Vorkapich pissed of the Gershwin's so the rights were never legally obtained. But if you just turn off the soundtrack and sync up the film with the beginning of Rhapsody in Blue, all is good. Apropos of an earlier review, I did see the last original 16mm print of the film which was owned by one of Slavko's students, who happened to be my acting teacher at the time. We set up a screening at my Gramercy Park loft in NYC for a small group of film lovers. To see it projected in all its black & white finesse that only film can capture to a soundtrack of Rhapsody in Blue was beyond sublime. However, I am very happy to see it captured on video and easily available -- as it is a cinematic masterpiece. Jane L.
5 members like this review
top reviewer
Must-see for fans of avant-garde silent cinema.
1 member likes this review
Wow. I have heard so much about this film. I wish I could see it on an actual film print, but here it still exemplifies the amazing expressionistic art direction, rapid editing (that wasn't popularized until the late 90's) and impressionistic acting. And the ending is obviously referencing the Great Incline of the Angeles Mountains.
A brilliant piece of early cinema and even back then there was tremendous loathing towards the Hollywood machine.
1 member likes this review
Satire both abstract and sharp; both lampoon and cautionary tale. Jazzy, Modernist experimentation with shadow and silhouette; eccentric use of light, and a knowing and oddly comical/dead-serious performance by Raucourt.
Very strange but visually quite compelling.
I guess you had to be there...
Fantastic example of early cinema experimentation.