Experimental Films from Los Angeles

The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra, Robert Florey and Slavko Vorkapich, 1928, 11 minutes

Meshes of the Afternoon, Maya Deren, 1943, 14 minutes

Fireworks, Kenneth Anger, 1947, 14 minutes

Water and Power, Pat O’Neill, 1989, 54 minutes

The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra is an American short, silent experimental film. The film tells the story of a man who comes to Hollywood to become a star, charting his failure and dehumanization as he becomes identified by only the number 9413 written on his forehead.

Meshes of the Afternoon is a short experimental film directed by the husband-and-wife team of Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid. One of the most important experimental films in American film history, through its creative editing, distinct camera angles, and slow motion capture, this surrealist film depicts a world in which it is more and more difficult to understand reality.

Fireworks is a homoerotic experimental film by Kenneth Anger, one of his most representative works. In his synopsis of the film, Anger said, “A dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a ‘light’ and is drawn through the needle’s eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.” The movie was filmed in his parents’ home in Beverly Hills over a long weekend while they were away.

Pat O’Neill’s 35mm feature Water and Power explores the complex battle for natural resources waged between Los Angeles and Owens Valley through a series of visually and aurally dense tableaux created with advanced motion control, optical printing, and animation techniques.