from tilted angles, edited into rapid juxtapositions to reflect the falsity and excess of the film industry. The protagonist's trip to heaven at the end of the film is both a satisfying conclusion and a satire of Hollywood's desire for happy endings. Heaven is in the opposite direction from Hollywood, another poke at the industry. James wrote that the image of heaven as an escape from film-industry brutality "figures the avant-garde's recurrent utopian aspirations". A Hollywood Extra also touches on the mistreatment of women. Although the actors wear masks—symbolizing their ability to act—the female extra #13 does not; she is expected to simply obey the (male) filmmakers, and her only role is as an object for men to look at. Her success in this simple role, contrasted with the protagonist's inability to succeed despite hard work, reveals how differently the film industry views male and female actors. Release Most commonly known by its proper title, The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra has been released and advertised as Hollywood Extra 9413 and $97 (a reference to the film's budget). Other titles include The Rhapsody of Hollywood (a name suggested by Charlie Chaplin) and The Suicide of a Hollywood Extra, a misnomer created by distributor FBO Pictures Corporation. Although many experimental films from the period were screened in the filmmakers' homes to audiences of families and friends, A Hollywood Extra had a wide release. Florey described the film at the time: Sources differ about when and where the film premiered. According to film critic Daniel Eagan, Florey premiered the film in a movie club in Los Angeles; according to Anthony Slide, it opened at New York City's Cameo Theatre on June 17, 1928. David E. James said that the film had its true premiere at Charlie Chaplin's Beverly Hills villa. Chaplin, who had become disenchanted with many aspects of Hollywood filmmaking, was so impressed with the film that he watched it five times and screened it for guests at his home. His audience included film-industry elites including Douglas Fairbanks, John Considine, Harry d'Arrast, D. W. Griffith, Jesse L. Lasky, Ernst Lubitsch, Lewis Milestone, Mary Pickford, Joseph M. Schenck, Norma Talmadge, Josef von Sternberg, and King Vidor. Chaplin's screening was accompanied by a record of Rhapsody in Blue and the comedian playing the organ. Florey was so concerned about a negative reaction to the film's satire of Hollywood that he