Miniature expressionist sets are the real star of Life & Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra (1927), & render this partially a work of animation. It's on the National Registry as a work of cultural significance.
The thirteen-minute story symbolically criticized the maltreatment of Hollywood extras.
Our naive hero, John Jones (Jules Raucourt), arrives in Art Deco Hollywood all smiles & dreams.
He has a letter of introduction that gets him hired by a casting agent (Robert Florey being quite antic in the film he wrote & co-directed).
As an extra he's known thereafter as 9413, the number being printed right on his forehead. Now begins the endless wait for his number to come up.
Other numbers become automatons with fading dreams, but 9413 struggles to remain an individual.
Earning no money, falling deeper in debt for his rent, he is slowly starving to death, while imagining he is surrounded by scorpions.
At last he dies, but continues dreaming even in his coffin. He dreams he is ascending to heaven, or perhaps he really is ascending in the form of a heroic paper cut-out silhouette. In the firmament he becomes a shining star, with wings.
Reportedly filmed for $97.00, one reason it looks so incredible is thanks to cinematographer Gregg Toland, who went on to such amazing camera work on films like Citizen Kane.
The thirteen-minute story symbolically criticized the maltreatment of Hollywood extras.
Our naive hero, John Jones (Jules Raucourt), arrives in Art Deco Hollywood all smiles & dreams.
He has a letter of introduction that gets him hired by a casting agent (Robert Florey being quite antic in the film he wrote & co-directed).
As an extra he's known thereafter as 9413, the number being printed right on his forehead. Now begins the endless wait for his number to come up.
Other numbers become automatons with fading dreams, but 9413 struggles to remain an individual.
Earning no money, falling deeper in debt for his rent, he is slowly starving to death, while imagining he is surrounded by scorpions.
At last he dies, but continues dreaming even in his coffin. He dreams he is ascending to heaven, or perhaps he really is ascending in the form of a heroic paper cut-out silhouette. In the firmament he becomes a shining star, with wings.
Reportedly filmed for $97.00, one reason it looks so incredible is thanks to cinematographer Gregg Toland, who went on to such amazing camera work on films like Citizen Kane.