MovieChat Forums > The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra (1928) Discussion > My favourite film of Kino's 'Avant-Garde...

My favourite film of Kino's 'Avant-Garde-collec tion'

posted 17 years ago by DrMulholland
7 replies | jump to latest

The Life and Death of 9413: A Hollywood Extra is my favourite film of Kino's Avant-Garde-collection and one of the best films I have ever seen. It's really humorous - especially the "Here Lies 9413: A Hollywood Extra - NO CASTING TODAY" in the end - it's a bit strange in a very expressive way and the design is just throughout great.

It uses a lot of reoccurring images/title cards - such as 9413 climbing the stairs, the "Hol-ly-wood"-sign and of course "No casting today". It's very grotesque when they just write "9413" on his head and these metaphors (or whatever you'd like to call them) works very, very good at criticizing the Hollywood-system.

I think it's a very charming film and I must say it's one of the biggest influences to my own work.

--- Kasper.deeFilmRoll.com/ ---

[–] sfdavide 17 years ago

I liked this a lot but my personal favorite was Uberfell.

[–] thao 17 years ago

I think it is good but not great. My problem with the film is that it is to much just into the face. There is little left for the audiance. Everything is spelld out for us. Even the ascending to heaven is written out. The film did not challenge me in any way. It is how ever very well made.

- This comment is most likely authentic and fairly close to what I intended to say -

[–] mangoloid 17 years ago

You're talking about challenging as a narrative? Why would you bother saying that???

Yup, this is one of my favorite shorts of all time, and I would suggest judging it less on its narrative and more on its expressive technical awesomeness. If you want challenging narrative go read a book.

Man, I'm disrespectful today. Sorry, but, seriously, comments like that baffle me. It's a short, experimental film made on with zero cash in the 1920s and you're complaining you weren't challenged. I don't get it.
"There is little left for the audience."
You mean a normal audience. There's a veritable gold mine of subversive (even anarchistic) technique that every film-suave lad/lass can dig through.

[/disrespectful rant]

I proclaim ignorance in everything I say.

[–] thao 17 years ago

Did you read everything I wrote Poppy_field?

I said that I thought it was good and ended with saying that I thought it was well made. And there where many "experimental film made with zero cash in the 1920s" which did also challenge the audience. See for example L'Étoile de mer (Man Ray: 1928)and La Coquille et le clergyman (Germaine Dulac: 1928), just to name two.

And yes you are disrespectful today. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion.

- This comment is most likely authentic and fairly close to what I intended to say -

[–] mangoloid 17 years ago

Yup, I read everything you said, and I thought it was ridiculous.

And I've decided: I don't feel like being disrespectful, I just feel like being disrespectful to you.
Really, I don't know why, but your words bloat me with a sense of dislike. I hope you can understand that. It's not really a personal thing.

I don't know what is so much more challenging about L'Etoile de mer or The Seashell and the Clergyman. Either it's a subjective thing or your full of it. I want to go with the latter, but that's just flat out mean, so I'm saying it's all subjective, and since you haven't defined your subjective notion of 'challenging', I'm completely in the dark as to why you'd put the latter two above the thread one. Yeah?

Now, don't take that as a demand that you define what you're notion of challenging is. I don't really care. I just wanted to say, in my horribly un-humble opinion, that I think your analysis of 9413 is complete trite, and that you oughta reevaluate why you post such worthless comments.

[/bullying]

P.S. I think the problem is not so much your vain motivation to post your opinion as it is my vain motivation to read them and post back. It's a problem for a shrink and not for you (but I still think 9413 is far more amazing than you've given it credit for).

I proclaim ignorance in everything I say.

[–] thao 17 years ago

"but I still think 9413 is far more amazing than you've given it credit for"

Good for you!

- This comment is most likely authentic and fairly close to what I intended to say -

[–] cerealiscool 16 years ago

Call this heavy-handed and obvious all you want, but I thought that for its time it is very intelligent, funny, and innovative--up until he goes to Heaven.

But c'mon, who can't relate to the guy falling all around the middle of the stairway? Lots of other, less obvious images of this period CHALLENGE me just to pay attention.