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''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 (Jules Raucourt) who comes to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a star, only to fail and become dehumanized, with studio executives reducing him to the role of extra and writing the number "9413" on his forehead. The film's visual style includes abrupt cuts, rapid camera movement, extensive superimposition, dim lighting, and shapes and forms in twisted and disoriented angles. Filmed with a budget of only $97 ($ in today's dollars), it includes a combination of close-ups of live actors and long shots of miniature sets, which were made from such items as cardboard, paper cubes, tin cans, cigar boxes, and toy trains. With no access to Hollywood studios or equipment, most of the filming took place in the filmmakers' residences, with walls painted black for use as a background. The story was inspired by Florey's own experiences in Hollywood, as well as the George Gershwin composition ''Rhapsody in Blue''. It was one of the first films shot by Gregg Toland, who later received acclaim for his work on such films as ''The Grapes of Wrath'' (1939) and ''Citizen Kane'' (1941). The film serves as a satire of the social conditions, dominant practices, and ideologies of Hollywood, as well as the film industry's perceived mistreatment of actors. Douglas Fairbanks assisted with the development of the film, and Charlie Chaplin and Joseph M. Schenck helped promote it. Unlike most experimental films, it received a wide public exhibition, released by FBO Pictures Corporation into more than 700 theaters in North America and Europe. The film was well received by critics, both in its time period and in modern day; film historian Brian Taves said "more than any other American film, it initiated the avant-garde in this country". The entirety of the film has not survived. It has been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry, and Florey co-wrote and directed a remake, ''Hollywood Boulevard'' (1936). ==Plot== Mr. Jones (Jules Raucourt), an artist and aspiring movie star, arrives in Hollywood and is immediately star-struck by the glitz and glamour of the film industry. He speaks with a film studio representative, presenting a letter of recommendation and attempting to speak on his own behalf, but the representative cuts him off and writes the number "9413" on his forehead. From this point on, 9413 speaks only in unintelligible gibberish and moves in a mechanical fashion, mindlessly following the instructions of film directors and studio representatives. He goes on a series of casting calls, but is unable to find any success, constantly being confronted with signs that read, "No Casting Today". A series of images are interspersed throughout these scenes, including shots of Hollywood, cameras filming, the word "DREAMS" written in the stars, and an endlessly repeating loop of a man walking up a stairway toward the word "SUCCESS", without ever reaching the top. Unlike 9413, other extras around him begin to find success. A woman (Adriane Marsh) with the number "13" on her head constantly kneels and stands back up at the behest of a film director, and eventually succeeds in landing a part, greeted by a "Casting Today" sign. Another extra (Voya George) with the number "15", who unlike 9413 has expressionless and unenthusiastic facial expressions, holds paper masks in front of his face, symbolizing his performances. He is greeted with enthusiasm by the cheering masses, all of whom speak in the same gibberish as 9413. His number 15 is replaced with a star and he achieves tremendous success. 9413 admires this new movie star and attempts to mimic him, presenting his own, much more impressive-looking mask. But the star is unimpressed and disregards 9413, who sadly cradles his mask like a baby, lamenting his inability to achieve success. Time passes and 9413 remains unable to find work in Hollywood. Despite constant phone calls to studio representatives begging for work, he is repeatedly confronted by "No Casting Today" signs. He cannot afford to buy food, and bills that he is unable to pay are constantly slipped under his door. A series of images symbolizing his mental anguish are shown, including twisted trees blowing in the wind, and a man laying on the stairway leading to "SUCCESS", still unable to reach the top. He falls to the ground, starving, exhausted, and in a state of despair over his failures. Finally he dies, and after images are shown of the other actors laughing at him, his tombstone is revealed to read "Here Lies No. 9413, a Hollywood Extra", next to the words "No Casting Today". After his death, 9413's spirit leaves his body and is pulled by a platform into the sky. As he gets higher, he grows angel wings and ascends into heaven, a place with glittering crystal towers and bright blinking lights. A hand removes the "9413" from his forehead, and he smiles happily before flying further into heaven. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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