The Unknown (1927) User Reviews (127)

Armed and dangerous

[BrandtSponseller · 9/10 · 6 June 2005]

The Unknown is one of the more interesting Lon Chaney collaborations with director/writer Tod Browning, as Chaney's typically physically malleable performance is often executed here in conjunction with "stunt double" Peter Dismuki. It also features a great, early appearance by Joan Crawford, a complex, gripping, allegorically deep but economically told story by Browning, and it is an excellent instantiation of themes found throughout Chaney and Browning's other work. It even strongly presages Browning's 1932 film, Freaks.

Chaney is Alonzo the Armless, a performer in Antonio Zanzi's circus. Alonzo is in love with Nanon (Crawford), Antonio's daughter and Alonzo's assistant in his act, which consists of him using his feet to shoot guns and throw knives around Nanon with precision aim. In a typical Chaney film complicated love triangle, Nanon and Zanzi Circus strongman Malabar are also attracted to each other, but Nanon has an aversion to being touched and keeps distancing Malabar and any other man who wants to be intimate.

Alonzo is the perfect complement for Nanon then, since he cannot manhandle her. She feels safe with him. But Antonio objects to Alonzo's approaches towards Nanon. Complex confrontations and a number of fabulous twists ensue, and Chaney fans will likely expect the resultant profound tragedy with the reciprocally bittersweet "happy ending" consequences.

I probably made that synopsis sound more soap-operatic than it should, since it doesn't very well convey the overall twisted, creepy atmosphere that Browning achieves in The Unknown. Like Freaks, this isn't exactly a horror film, but it has all the unsettling, macabre attitude of one. Alonzo is one of Chaney's more demented, sinister characters, as almost every move he makes has a nefarious, ulterior motive. This even includes the reason that he joined the Zanzi Circus in the first place. It becomes quickly clear that Alonzo will stop at nothing to have Nanon all to himself. But because the character has no arms, he can't very well resort to physical bullying. Instead, Chaney paints a subversive and deviously manipulative character. Even the character's love for Nanon feels wicked--it's more of an unhealthy obsession than love.

Browning makes good use of his largely pared down sets and cast. Except for the opening circus scene, most of the film takes place among only four characters, in only a handful of circus wagon (used later for both Freaks and Chaney's 1928 film Laugh, Clown, Laugh) and apartment locations, with the ending, set in a theater, symmetrically reflecting the opening of the film. A single scene in a formal courtyard provides a nice, symbolic contrast, as does the use of the "extended technique" of a thin piece of gauze placed over the camera lens for some of Nanon's scenes.

Equally economical is Browning's complex story, which tells as much--with the aid of the performances--through implication of various backstories as it does through direct action. The (heavily allegorical) subtexts are fascinating. Nanon is frigid, so her most intimate relationship is with a man who has been effectively castrated. He is so obsessed with her that he'll physically sacrifice himself to enable a relationship. She secretly desires a normal love, but can't have one until she falls into it, or is tricked into it in a way. No one is quite honest with anyone else except for a man who is a relative simpleton, there to be manipulated. But he's the one who ends up coming out ahead, even though he never quite knows what is going on.

Browning had to construct a number of elaborate set-ups to produce the illusion that Chaney had been using his feet to do everyday activities for a long time. We often see Chaney's body but Peter Dismuki's feet, such as when Alonzo is playing guitar, smoking, drinking, and so on. Occasionally, Dismuki just stood in for Chaney, usually when Alonzo has his back to the camera, but at least in one wider shot, we can see Dismuki's face.

The 1997 score on the Turner Classic Movies version of the film by the Alloy Orchestra is occasionally excellent--especially during the climax of the film, and occasionally a bit pedestrian. When it's only pedestrian it's at least unobtrusive. The score has a modern, occasionally "rocky" feel that meshes surprisingly well.

There are a few scenes missing from the print transferred to the TCM DVD, but for many years, The Unknown was thought to have been lost, similar to Browning and Chaney's 1927 film London After Midnight. A print was found at the Cinémathèque Française, mixed in with a lot of other films marked "unknown" because the contents were (at least temporally) unidentifiable. The missing scenes do not hurt the coherency of the film, which is a must-see at least for any Chaney or Browning fans.

You can't do a movie like that anymore

[nagi_of_bohemia-filmkunst · 9/10 · 18 October 1999]

One of the strong points of silent movies is that they are naive in the positive meaning of the word: they are creative.

If anyone does a story like that today, one has to choose to do a drama, a thriller or a black comedy. Browning did not have to choose... he just made a very strange film.

Another plus is the use of running time. No fillers. Just 60 minutes of strange ideas. The film is not perfect; and not anyone will enjoy it. But it features a great performance by Lon Chaney and nice photography (incl. creative use of backprojection). And if you like FREAKS, you have to see this one... the background of Browning as a circus assistant really shows up (though I hope, it wasn't that bad).

Sorry, no story details. I don't want to ruin your fun.

Another Chaney Love Triangle!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 18 November 2003]

"The Unknown" returns to a theme common in many of Lon Chaney's films, that of a man hopelessly in love with a woman he can never have.

Alonzo, the armless man is performing in a gypsy circus as a sharpshooter/knife thrower working with the lovely Nanon (Joan Crawford) as his assistant. He is of course in love with her. Rounding out the triangle is circus strong man Malabar (Norman Kerry) who is also in love with Nanon. Nanon it seems cannot bear to have a man's hands touch her (Joan Crawford?).

Alonzo is not what he seems to be. It turns out that he is a fugitive on the run and it is revealed that he actually does have arms and has created the armless man to hide a deformity that would identify him as the criminal the police are seeking. And given that Nanon cannot stand for a man to touch her, she repels Malabar's advances and places her trust in Alonzo.

Nanon's father, Zanzi (Nick DeRuiz) wants his daughter to stay away from Alonzo and confronts him on the issue one night. Zanzi discovers Alonzo's secret so Alonzo murders him. Alonzo then re-confirms his intention to marry Nanon. Alonzo's trusted friend Cojo (John George) points out to Alonzo that should he marry Nanon, she would surely discover that he has arms on their wedding night. So, Alonzo sure that Nanon will marry him, arranges to have his arms amputated.

When Alonzo returns from his ordeal he discovers that Nanon has gotten over her fear of men's hands and now plans to marry Malabar. Alonzo devastated, plots his revenge.

Chaney plays an unsympathetic character in this film, so much so that he doesn't evoke the usual audience pity that he had in other films. His scenes as the armless man are outstanding and the things he does with his feet are truly amazing. And he could express so much emotion with just his facial expressions. Crawford was just getting her career into going and went on to a lengthy career spanning over 40 years. Kerry had also appeared with Chaney in both "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923) and "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925). The running time of the film varies depending on your sources. The version I saw runs about 50 minutes. The Citadel Book, "The Films of Joan Crawford" lists it at 65 minutes. IMDb lists running times of 61 and 49 minutes respectively. Despite the short running time it nevertheless presents a complete and riveting story. I would like to know what was cut out though.

Chaney Masterpiece

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 20 June 2004]

A circus performer ventures into THE UNKNOWN regions of fate when he allows love to be twisted by hatred.

Master actor Lon Chaney and his friend, acclaimed director Tod Browning, took their love of the macabre and fashioned this weirdly entertaining & suspenseful little silent film, made wonderful by Chaney's powerful over-the-top performance. Playing the armless wonder in a gypsy circus, Chaney's face is a casebook of emotions as he longs for the chieftain's daughter. After making a tremendous, indeed, outrageous, sacrifice for her, he discovers it is all an utter waste. Chaney's agony is horribly apparent as he feels his life crumble around him. The actor uses his superb physical conditioning to great effect, his feet as facile as any hands--the extreme punishment undergone to play the part enormously impressive.

In an important early film role, Joan Crawford is both sultry & disarming as the object of Chaney's desires; her intense neurotic phobia concerning men's hands certainly makes her character more interesting. Norman Kerry is affable & tender as the circus strong man who also loves Crawford. John George as Chaney's dwarf accomplice and Nick De Ruiz as the brutal circus chief are quite effective in their colorful roles.

MGM gave the film fine production values, especially in the circus scenes--a milieu dear to Chaney's heart.

And strange it certainly is -- almost defiantly so.

[Ziggy5446 · 10/10 · 27 June 2007]

Tod Browning is one of the great mysteries of film history. His life story is filled with contradictions (some he created himself). No one argues the fact that he was the architect of the classic American horror film Dracula (1931), with Bela Lugosi as Dracula. His success is one that is grounded in his macabre but decidedly non-supernatural silent works. Beyond that the story gets cloudy. The "official" line is that he went on to make Freaks (1932) and the results were so horrific that it virtually destroyed his career, making the studio keep a tight rein on his subsequent genre efforts.

At the top of the list for strangeness is The Unknown (1927), one of the great silent films of all time. It was also one of the most offbeat psychological dramas ever produced by a major studio, especially one such as MGM. The collaboration between director/writer Tod Browning, himself a one time circus performer, and the intense performance by Lon Chaney, was a thing of magic.

The focus of the story is Alonzo (Lon Chaney) is an armless knife-thrower in a gypsy circus, known as "Alonzo, The Armless Wonder." He's really not armless, but has his arms strapped to his sides to appear limbless since he wishes to hide his identity from the cops. He's a career criminal on the run who with his cohort Cojo (John George), and continues to commit robberies while touring with the circus. Cojo is the only one who knows his secret and is the only friend he has. Alonzo is able to fling the knives with the toes of his feet, and his assistant Nano (Joan Crawford) is the target. She's the beautiful daughter of the circus owner and ringmaster, Zanzi (Nick de Ruiz).

Alonzo has become obsessed with Nano, and would do anything in the world for her love. He would also, he tells Cojo, do anything he could to someone who takes her away from him. Nano has a bit of a psychological problem, she can't stand any man who puts their arms around her or who tries to touch her. She feels very safe with Alonzo and they develop an affectionate bond of friendship, where she feels good hugging him. The circus strongman Malabar (Kerry) also compulsively loves her and won't take no for an answer, but he keeps putting his arms around her as she pushes him away.

Zanzi doesn't trust Alonzo and when he sees his daughter alone with him again, his anger builds because he feels he is putting "ideas" in his daughter's head. In a fit of rage he beats Alonzo with a whip until Malabar puts a stop to it and receives the thanks of Alonzo. But one evening Zanzi again confronts Alonzo, this time in the dark shadows nearby Nano's wagon and he notices that Alonzo has arms. This causes Alonzo to strangle him to death, but Nano could only see that the strangler had two thumbs on one hand.

Realizing that he can't marry her if he has arms, Alonzo decides to have them cut off. Alonzo blackmails a doctor (Lanning) into doing the procedure. But when he returns to see Nano, she tells him that she overcame her fear of having a man put her arms around her and will marry Malabar. The scene in this film when he realizes that he's cut off his arms for nothing is one of the most emotional in all of silent film (perhaps all of film), and it consists mostly of a closeup of his face as the horrible irony registers. Chaney's performance, and maybe our instinctive support of the underdog, has the odd effect of making you hope that he wins in the end, even though he's a murderer and he plots to have Malabar's arms ripped from his body by horses.

We get a glimpse of the pain that Chaney must have felt with his arms strapped to his chest day after day on the set. Mirroring that is a scene when he distractedly lights a cigarette with his feet, an intricate process that was aided by Peter Dismuki, a real armless man who served as a stunt double for many of Chaney's actions. Cojo (John George), Alonzo's dwarf assistant, looks on with growing mirth until he bursts out, reminding Alonzo that his arms aren't bound.

In the late silent period, filmmakers were advancing their art at an astonishing pace. Over at Fox, F.W. Murnau was making the most elegant of all silent films, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which seemingly liberated the camera from gravity and demonstrated breathtaking in-camera optical effects. Browning and cinematographer Merritt B. Gerstad were not so precocious, but their experiments with filters and camera placement are nearly as intriguing. In a beautifully composed scene, Nanon grieves over her father's death and struggles between her love for the strongman Malabar and her fear of his hands; Malabar enters the room and confesses his undying love for her and his willingness to wait until her fear subsides. The shots are filmed through a heavy gauze that gives the entire composition the look of an oil painting with visible brushwork; it adds a softness and an intimacy that's similar to the effect later directors desired when they used soft-focus closeups of smiling women's faces, but there's nothing silly about its use here.

With that being said, Lon Chaney always played wild, scary and intriguing roles that garnered our pity and our sympathies no matter how horrifying they were. Part of the reason is because Chaney could play the agony of unrequited love like nobody else. His ability to lose the girl, when the movie hero would usually win her, was remarkably heartbreaking. This is just one reason why Chaney made an indelible impression on the history of cinema. The other was that he had a creepy presence on screen – even when he played the good guy.

Lots of unknowns here

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 1 November 2023]

This movie survives with about ten minutes missing, mainly the story of Alonzo (Lon Chaney) the criminal before he hides at a circus as "Alonzo The Armless" where he uses his feet to accurately throw knives at Nanon (Joan Crawford) without hitting her. He has his actual arms strapped to his sides, making himself appear armless, thus deceiving all except his confederate Cojo, who helps Alonzo in and out of his restraining outfit at night. Alonzo involves himself in this elaborate subterfuge because he is known to have two thumbs on one hand. If that hand was seen he'd be instantly identified as the murderer that he is. He falls in love with Nanon, and she conveniently can't stand to have a man's arms around her. She feels safe around Alonzo because of his "armless" state, and only considers Alonzo a friend, but then he has never disclosed his feelings to her.

When the circus strongman, Malabar, falls in love with Nanon, suddenly Alonzo has a competitor. One day, alone in his room, ruminating over the possibility that he could lose Nanon to the strongman, Alonzo absent mindedly lights a cigarette with his feet, even with his hands freed. Suddenly, Alonzo comes up with a horrible solution to his dilemma, one that would allow him to marry Nanon and not be forced to disclose his true identity.

So many unknowns, some likely explained in the missing footage. Where did Cojo, the dwarf, who assists Alonzo come from? Was he an accomplice in Alonzo's past crimes? Why does he stick around? Why did Nanon fear having a man's hands on her? How is it that Alonzo conveniently knows the criminal past of a talented surgeon who can give him what he wants? And, most importantly of all, why didn't Alonzo just have that double thumb amputated in the beginning rather than get involved in this complex plan that culminates in such a rash solution? I guess because we'd have no movie.

Even in its abbreviated state, this early example of body horror is worthwhile and completely creepy. Plus I've found that anything Lon Chaney stars in is interesting. Joan Crawford is only third billed at this point, with Norman Kerry as Malabar getting second billing. Kerry was one of the many casualties of the transition to sound film due to his thick accent.

A Very Weird Movie

[gbheron · 8/10 · 13 April 2003]

"The Unknown" has to have one of the strangest plots of any movie I've seen, but I can't describe it without spoiling it. Suffice to say; coming from the mind of Tod Browning who set the story in a traveling carnival, you know it's going to be delving into some heavy weirdness.

"The Unknown" is a silent film starring Lon Chaney, Sr., as carnival star Alonzo the Armless, an expert with gun and knife, who, because of his condition, must use his feet instead of hands. His assistant and unrequited love interest is Nanon, played by a very young and beautiful Joan Crawford. There's a love triangle between these two and the carnival strong man, and oh, what Alonzo won't do to win his ladylove.

My only regret is that I saw the 49-minute version taped off of Turner Classic Movies, and the movie does go by quickly. Short as it is though, it's a weird and entertaining trip.

A thrill if you can look the other way now and then--Crawford comes alive

[secondtake · 7/10 · 27 January 2010]

The Unknown (1927)

We can see The Unknown today and say, wow, look at the young Joan Crawford. And she does help make this movie come alive, more than even Lon Chaney, who was the big draw for audiences in 1927. Crawford's spark (inspired by Chaney, by her own account), and her character's phobia of men's hands (which she explains quite reasonably, having been groped too many times against her will) make her curious and very sympathetic. She's terrific to watch, and the metaphor of abuse against women is not lost on anyone paying attention.

But Crawford was essentially unknown back then, and the movie depended on the name, and the high dramatics, of Chaney and the other lead male, the charming, somewhat overly chipper strong man in this huge sideshow of a movie. Both are good enough in their roles, Chaney pulling out all the stops in a performance that might be bravura or might just be virtuosic indulgence, probably a bit of both.

And the movie depends on the story itself, the plot, the strange and gruesome series of events, which are gripping at times even if you know what's coming all too well. For viewers then as much as now, there is also the whole milieu, director Tod Browning's leaning to the macabre and the small time circus. This will see a more amazing fruition five years alter in Freaks, shortly after his very successful Dracula (with its self-sustaining sideshow of bizarre, legendary types). But here we have Browning at the end of the silent era, pushing gestures and expressions outward in the place of sound. It's a bit strained, and with the sensational plot, the whole movie lacks subtlety and depth.

What it doesn't lack is high drama, though, and a few surprises. At times touching, at times simply shocking (in its own way), it's enjoyable, and never really flags, which some "better" silent films like Broken Blossoms can't claim. So forget beauty, or elegance or emotional insight and you might really like this.

Oh, and Chaney? He is a marvel of his time, and this film shows him in one of his best roles as an actor, one of many. The armless man is yet another echo of the horrors of mutilated soldiers coming home from World War I and their inability to really assimilate and be accepted. The fact that his character is obsessed with Crawford's we might understand, but it's a love that we don't sympathize with after awhile.

Creepy, unsettling masterpiece!

[peteykins666 · 9/10 · 19 May 2004]

I've heard so much about this movie, and it was not a disappointment. The surviving print seems to be missing some scenes, which accounts for its short length, but I doubt it takes away much from this twisted, sadistic "Gift of the Magi" gone bad. Chaney's performance is remarkable and, at times, genuinely alarming, and the very young Joan Crawford is a typical, but nevertheless appealing silent film heroine. Parts of this film really had me squirming, particularly towards the end. Browning's visual sense is the most beautiful I've seen in any of his films other than Dracula, with a full range of greys, whites and blacks and painterly compositions. It's available on TCM's excellent Lon Chaney Collection DVD.

One of Tod Browning's silent masterpiece of the macabre

[Jasper-18 · 3 December 1999]

This silent classic from the embryonic stages of the horror genre was filmed by Tod Browning about four years before directing Bela Lugosi in the first sound version of 'Dracula' (1931). By this stage he had already shot a large number of two reelers since starting his directorial career in 1915. Browning's background was as a carnival barker, clown and and black-faced minstrel before joining DW Griffith in 1913 and, as with this film, a number of his films utilise carnival characters and the circus milieu, from 'The Show' (also 1927) to 'Freaks' (1932).

Set in Spain, Lon Chaney Senior plays Alonzo, an 'armless' knife-thrower who is passionately in love with the circus owner's daughter, Nanon (played by a young Joan Crawford). Nanon has a pathalogical fear of being touched by men, so one would have thought she need look no further, were it not for the attentions of Malabar, the circus strongman (Norman Kerry). However, Alonzo is not as he seems; a mass murderer who hides his arms and his trademark bifurcated thumbs strapped beneath a corset. As his dwarven Lautrec-like sidekick Cojo (John George) points out, should they ever marry it would not be too long before Nanon discovers his secret. Alonzo therefore bribes a surgeon to remove his arms, only to discover that the object of his obsession has overcome her phobia and has found relief from her condition in the bulging arms of Malabar.

The rather grotesque story of amour fou unfolds steadily and surely, with a neat sting in the tail at the end, but it is Chaney, the 'man of a thousand faces' that really makes the piece. Born in 1896 to deaf deaf-mute parents perfected his skills of mime by necessity, so was a natural for the silent screen where he became the first major star of the genre in films such as 'The Miracle Man' (1919), 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1923) and 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1925). Browning and he made a total of ten films together, starting with 'The Unholy Three' (1925) and including 'London After Midnight' (1927) and 'West of Zanzibar' (1928). What is most impressive here is the way in which he contorts his body, expressing the role through his posture. Scenes such as him smoking a cigarette with his feet while his arms lie draped over the sides of his armchair, or twiddling his toes with an empty glass of wine in front of him when his beloved fails to turn up to an arranged rendez-vous are just mind-boggling.

Unfortunately for Chaney, in the same year as this film came 'The Jazz Singer', the first ever talkie, and the following year, the all-talking horrors of 'The Terror' (Roy del Ruth). Chaney only ever made one sound film, a remake of 'The Unholy Three' in 1930, but was recovering from a throat cancer operation when it was shot and died shortly after. His son, Lon Chaney Jnr, took over his mantle to become one of Universal's early major horror stars, and later a prolific B-movie fixture in the likes of 'The Alligator People' (1951) and 'Al Adamson's 'Dracula Vs. Frankenstein' (1971).

one of the last silents

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 15 October 2012]

Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford star in "The Unknown," a 1927 film written and directed by Tod Browning.

Chaney, who often suffered great physical pain getting into his roles, plays Alonzo, an armless man who uses his feet to throw daggers at Nanon (Crawford) as part of his circus act. In truth, though, only his pal Cojo (John George) knows that Alonzo has both arms, corseted behind him while he's working. He's a burglar hiding from the police. Since one of his thumbs is deformed, it seems to him a good disguise.

But Alonzo finds it difficult to hide his love for Nanon. Nanon seems frightened of any man's touch, although she is attracted to Malabar (Norman Kerry). One night, her father Zanzi (Nick de Ruiz) sees that Alonzo has arms, and Alonzo has to kill him. Nanon sees the murder, but not the face of the killer; she does, however, see his deformity.

Alonzo decides it's best to have the arm with the deformed finger amputated. When he recovers and returns to work, he discovers that Nanon and Malabar are now an item. It's not something he's willing to take lightly.

Weird, bizarre, strange, all these words and more describe this twisted story, typical Tod Browning fare. Joan Crawford looks a little different in this film than she does in other early movies. She may have had her nose altered at some point. Nevertheless, with those tremendous flashing eyes, beautiful figure and vibrant presence, it's not hard for her to earn the love of two men. Unfortunately one of them is nuts.

Chaney was a master at facial expressions and physical changes, and he gives a compelling portrait as Alonzo, desperately in love with Nanon, who swears he will have her no matter what. I wasn't familiar with Norman Kerry before this film; he seems to have been a potential Fairbanks replacement, very dashing.

All in all, a fascinating silent. I saw it on TCM and like so many other silents, it's not in great shape, but that shouldn't distract from the viewing.

Another Browning Masterpiece

[wbhickok · 9/10 · 22 July 2001]

This is a truly spellbinding movie, one of the more bizarre you are likely to see. With Lon Chaney hiding from the law pretending to be an armless circus performer. Joan Crawford is stunningly beautiful as Nanon, the girl he loves. A well done serpentine story that tells more in under an hour than most films made today can tell in two hours. Chaney is the best film actor of all time, he really was the man of a thousand faces. It is a shame that some Browning/Chaney films have been lost forever, but this is one that should be watched by all, it is fantastic.

Seattle International Film Festival - David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 7/10 · 14 June 2006]

Friday June 16, 9:00pm The Moore

"Hands! Men's hands! How I hate them!"

In the final years of the silent era as feature films reached their zenith, few actor/director teams achieved the success and notoriety of Tod Browning and Lon Chaney. Beginning with The Wicked Darling in 1919 and ending with Where East Is East in 1929, their collaborations typically involved a character seen at first as sympathetic. In the course of the story he would reveal his true monstrous nature, only to once again be seen with some sympathetic qualities in the end. Chaney himself said, "Tod Browning and I have worked so much together he's called the Chaney director." Released in 1927, The Unknown was the sixth of their ten collaborations and is considered by many to be their very best.

Alonzo the Armless (Chaney) is the knife thrower in a traveling Spanish circus. He hurls razor sharp blades with his feet at the beautiful Nanon (Joan Crawford) in their act. The Circus Strongman, Malabar the Mighty (Norman Kerry) makes no secret of his deep desire for Nanon, who responds with revulsion to his slightest touch. "Alonzo, all my life men have tried to put their beastly hands on me … to paw over me." Alonzo is a sympathetic friend to her and the one man Nanon knows will never hold her in his grasp. "You are the one man I can come to without fear." She is unaware of Alonzo's true feelings and his obsessive longing for her. " ... no one is going to have her! No one but me!" One fantastic secret stands in the way of Alonzo's plans. His bizarre and macabre attempts to win Nanon later on become even more grotesquely shocking and horrific. It has been said that Chaney's exquisite talent for physical expression came from growing up in a home with deaf parents. His gesture and movement remains unmistakable, even when concealed by the costumes and makeup of his many characters. Much of his performance in The Unknown is remarkably conveyed using his facial expressions alone. Chaney's biographer Michael Blake recounts an interview with Burt Lancaster, who described the climactic scene of The Unknown as "The most emotionally compelling scene he'd ever seen an actor do." It is a moment of realization, both gripping and overwrought, as Alonzo teeters on the very brink of insanity.

A solid silent film with some issues.

[jhill8 · 5/10 · 20 January 2010]

"The Unknown" deals with themes of trust, jealousy, and sacrifice while tying the three together with a tragic, while predictable, sense of irony. This predictability can make some scenes drag, even with the film's meager 63 minute running time. The film also covers the topic of amputation, something I'm sure many post-WWI moviegoers had an interest in.

I found the cinematography to be the strongest aspect of the film. Shots of the carnival are beautifully constructed and lit with a warm, inviting glow.

The score was lacking, especially considering how recently it was recorded. Every cue is a horror soundtrack cliché.

I was a bit confused with the pacing and editing of the film, as it doesn't explain everything outright and could have benefited from more exposition (what is the history between Alonzo and the surgeon?, who or what is the titular "unknown"?). Between the lack of explanation and the length of the film, I am led to believe a reel of the film might have gone missing somewhere along the way. Considering every other point is made perfectly clear, I doubt the ones I mentioned were meant to be open to interpretation.

The acting was solid all around, with Chaney being the obvious standout. He brought a very modern level of emotion and depth to a role that could have been a caricature in the hands of a lesser talent.

The film utilizes a stylized, fantastical visual approach in the earlier scenes, which slowly devolves into a more realistic style as we see Alonzo's fantasies fall apart, culminating in a shot of an operating room whose fluorescent lights and white walls stand in stark contrast to the darker, more romantic lamp-lit scenes inside caravans earlier in the film.

The film uses a pretty straightforward narrative, with almost every scene containing Alonzo as he executes his plan one step at a time.

When a Man Loves a Woman: Chaney, Crawford, and the Fear of Touch.

[nycritic · 9/10 · 5 November 2005]

A very weird film much in the style of Tod Browning, THE UNKNOWN, while not being a horror film, has nevertheless been considered one of Lon Chaney's more distinctive work. The story is just too eccentric: Alonzo the Armless, played by Chaney, is a carnival performer who uses his feet for his stunts and has come to believe that Nanon Zanzi, played by Joan Crawford, who hates being touched by men, may eventually fall for him. While concealing his own arms, he propels her to Malabar the Strongman, but Malabar's gentle nature wins Nanon over. Alonzo resorts to extreme measures to make sure he can win Nanon back, but in true Browning fashion, he meets a particularly gruesome ending.

Right at the end of the silent film era, THE UNKNOWN came around with its typical Twenties' setups and wild overacting, and it benefits from its time; if it had been made only a year or two later, it would have been unbelievable. There is a very dream-like quality to this film, even in scenes with Norman Kerry and Joan Crawford just walking under the sunshine. Tod Browning loved the strange, and with the exception of FREAKS, this is a very strange movie. Chaney is -- surprise -- chilling even without makeup and holding his arms together under his clothes. All anyone has to do is to watch his expression when he has come back, sans arms, and Nanon tells him she is in love with Malabar.

It's not surprising that films that initially repel are later re-discovered and even praised. THE UNKNOWN is no exception to the rule. The thought that a man would go to chopping off his arms to make a woman love him is just disturbing. That the MacGuffin in the movie is her fear of being touched makes his ultimate choice even more disturbing. Chaney gives his usual tour-de-force performance, Crawford shows the girl she still was, and the last sequence, involving an attempt by Chaney to murder Malabar in which two horses, rigged for a performance, run out of control as Crawford, is short, bloodless, but spellbinding.

Lon the o.g. gypsy king

[funkyfry · 9/10 · 9 May 2001]

The Unknown is a fabulous film; I didn't like the comments on the main page for this film so I thought I'd write some about this film itself, instead of a biography of Lon and Browning. The Unknown is fresh and horrifying almost 80 years later -- the only audiences who'll be thrown will the the ones who have gotten so used to "realistic" cinema that they don't appreciate a story whose very reason for being contains nothing conclusive. This is only a surface melodrama, for, like Lon's other great triumphs in film, this film presents a story in which the pains and tribulations of Lon's character are only too predictable.... broken by moments of complete shock. It is a story of desperation and a man who believes he is righteous in his vengeance. The scene where Lon's eyes well up with tears of joy in anticipation of seeing Joan Crawford's boyfriend torn to pieces is priceless. As usual, Lon appeals to our best sadistic instincts while also eliciting genuine sympathy for his impossible love. This movie is a dark fairy tale that it is impossible to resist unless you have grown too old in heart to appreciate the dark pools that contain true human magic.

edited to add spoilers warning

If you thought you couldn't enjoy watching a silent film you are wrong

[ckhw · 6 November 1998]

I was raised watching films for the "Golden Age of Film" the thirty's, 40's and fifty's on television.My exposure to this film has convinced me that the true golden age was before the advent of sound. Mr Chaney acting and developing the plot of this film without the use of dialogue was truly remarkable he also invoked a sense of terror and impeding doom with special effects and cut a away camera angles anyone who enjoys great acting must see this film I am hooked on silent films. It was also interesting to see the extremely young Ms Crawford in a different type of role than those who love her later work have come to love.

One of Lon Chaney's most fascinating silent films...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 1 October 2006]

As Leonard Maltin remarks, "ultra creepy" even by Tod Browning's standards. It's the story of a seemingly armless circus man on the lam from the law who hides out in a gypsy wagon. LON CHANEY, of course, plays the man who's in love with showgirl Nanon, JOAN CRAWFORD. The bizarre story is based somewhat on Browning's own circus background as a youth.

Chaney is Alonzo the not so Armless man who throws knives at gypsy girl Crawford with his feet. Alonzo loves the girl and vows to protect her from the grasping arms of other men. He's jealous of the attention paid to her by NORMAN KERRY. When the armless man commits the murder of another gypsy, he's able to conceal his guilt by hiding behind his armless disguise.

The plot takes a weird turn when Alonzo decides to have a doctor amputate his arms so Nanon will still love him when she discovers him to be truly armless on their wedding night. A doctor is bribed to perform the operation and Alonzo returns to the gypsy camp weeks later. What he doesn't realize is that Nanon has fallen in love with the strong man he was jealous of and is planning to marry him.

Without spoiling the rest of the plot, that's as far as I'll go with the outline--but as you can see it's quite an unusual story and it gets the full treatment from Lon Chaney. He's marvelous in the scene where he realizes his great sacrifice has been for nothing.

Well worth viewing.

Thumbs Up!

[Spondonman · 8/10 · 1 April 2005]

I give this one 8/10 simply for uniqueness. It's not a horror film, but if you can follow and swallow it The Unknown certainly is an unsettling experience. I don't think anyone has spoiled it yet for the unwary so for an explanation of why, the best thing to do is watch it! Suffice to report it's a tale of twisted love and the lengths a man's passion goes to ... to get his hands on the woman. Alonzo didn't understand women however!

Tod Browning sailed close to the edge as usual, and Lon Chaney put in a fine performance as a murderer on the run - I presume he was, from extrapolation of events in the 47 minute TCM UK TV version. Joan Crawford looked very pretty, before Hollywood really got hold of her and uglified her.

There's obviously many bits missing from this print, but by paying attention it's fairly straightforward to understand. I think it's worth it too, especially if you like silent films as I do. The scenes photographed through gauze were striking, but what was that all about?! Overall, different and slightly depressing - is the moral we men are all so desperate when infatuated with a woman?

Nice direction from Browning **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 2 July 2004]

Lon Chaney gave a heartfelt and moving performance, and the story was interesting. I don't know if this film is considered incomplete or not, but it kind of felt to me that some information may have been missing, such as more detail on Chaney's criminal past, for example.

The most amazing thing I was struck by was the direction by Tod Browning. It was very well crafted, and so now I'm beginning to wonder about those stories by David Manners saying that Browning actually did not direct most of 1931's "Dracula" after all. Because with THE UNKNOWN here is earlier proof that the director could do very interesting work. Considering that THE UNKNOWN, FREAKS and even MARK OF THE VAMPIRE are all better directed than "Dracula", it now seems to me more than ever that Dracula was either: A.) intentionally filmed slow and methodic, or B.) that Karl Freund actually directed most of "Dracula", since its slow and draggy style was almost identical to his THE MUMMY. People have said that Browning "couldn't make the transition to talkies," yet FREAKS and MARK OF THE VAMPIRE prove otherwise, I think.

Lon Chaney Gets Two Thumbs Up

[wes-connors · 9/10 · 20 October 2007]

Lon Chaney (as Alonzo the Armless) is a criminal posing as an armless circus knife-wielder; he amazes by throwing knives with his feet, notably at assistant Joan Crawford (as Nanon Zanzi). Actually, Mr. Chaney's arms are tightly girdled to his chest; he suffers from an obvious deformity, which would identify him to authorities - he has two thumbs on his left hand. Evidently a victim of sex abuse, Ms. Crawford has an unusual fear of arms; so, she rejects the advances of circus strongman Norman Kerry (as Malabar the Mighty). Instead, she warms up to the armless Chaney. He mistakes Crawford's affection for love, and decides to make himself her ideal, by amputating his arms! While Chaney recuperates, Crawford overcomes her fear, and begins to enjoy Mr. Kerry's muscular arms. When he returns, Chaney is understandably upset…

Chaney and director Tod Browning are superb in this disturbing, horrific drama. Browning builds great suspense in the wonderful ending, wherein he winds up disturbing images in your mind, and teasingly leaves them on the verge of exploding - as usual, the horror unseen is the most unsettling. Crawford excels in one of her best early roles; she plays falling in love with Kerry exceptionally well. Of course, no one can match Chaney; though great throughout, his scene realizing Crawford never truly loved him is emotionally wrenching. Great character actor John George (as Cojo) has a fine role as Chaney's helper - the scene where he first unwraps the girdled "Alonzo" should have your eyes glued to the screen. There appear to be some portions of "The Unknown" missing, but the amputation of footage hasn't spoiled the film.

********* The Unknown (6/4/27) Tod Browning ~ Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry, John George

A must see movie from the Silent Era

[B-Seide24 · 7/10 · 3 February 2010]

I watched the unknown in my History of American Cinema course and was amazed by how creepy the movie was and how disturbed I really was by the end of the movie. It crossed boundaries for a film of such an early time and their use of color and background sound was far beyond it's year, while they didn't speak you could feel the pain and anguish in Lon Chaney(Alonzo)as the movie went forward. . Tod Browning used a pulse-binding, mind-spinning score that makes you wonder, What will Alonzo do next?It was my first silent film I ever watched and i believe it will be one of the best i will ever watch. The level of realism isn't exactly likely because this movie really takes itself into a whole other realm of movie genre, into the Unknown consciousness and really gets you thinking about how far people can go for Love or for a woman. Joan Crawford and Norman Kerry also put in great performances. Norman Kerry as the Malabar the Mighty and Joan Crawford as a good looking innocent woman named Nanon in which both Alonzo (chaney) and Malbar played by Norman Kerry want her love. I felt like the three main characters synced together and put in a performance i won't forget. Truly a must see movie.

The damsel and the "No Armed Man" would have done even Hitchcock proud.

[cada123 · 9/10 · 23 July 2001]

(potential spoilers) The music accompaniment to this silent gem (at least, the version I heard on TCM) underscored the problems that envelop the self-described Gypsy Circus, and was well synchronized to the action. I have to wonder if the movie would have had the same impact without it. Nevertheless, the visuals were disturbing enough.

It is wonderful to see Lon Chaney Sr. near the end of his career, and Joan Crawford at the beginning of hers. But the real star is author Tod Browning for his ironic plot twists and especially his advanced psychological insights, considering that this film was produced in 1927.

Some of these are somewhat overstated, but that can be excused on the grounds that this is a silent film. The fact remains that the psychodynamics ring true today for syndromes that did not even have names in the 1920's. The film deals well with an early Joan Crawford's phobic post traumatic stress. Lon Chaney shines. His character develops into what turns out to be a truly evil predator, in the form of a psychopathic stalker. Nevermind that he claims to want to marry her. She has given him no encouragement, He has built up a doomed-to-fail fantasy about her, and it is stalking, pure and simple. And yet -- as so often with real life sociopaths -- we unaccountably have a degree of empathy for him that he never feels toward others.

I found it a bit disconcerting that Mr. Chaney -- supposedly armless -- too obviously had real arms trussed up under his shirt... until it was revealed that his CHARACTER had real arms trussed up under his shirt! The reasons for this bespeak an unsavory past. And there need be no lingering questions about the future -- for even if things in the present unfold the way he wants them to, he would yet continue a path of destruction. Just when you think that this person can sink no lower...he does.

What is more, Miss Crawford's character is not even aware that she is being stalked -- she who is so fearful of the touch of men. In one disturbing scene in particular, the lovely young lady joins in his laughter, innocently never realizing WHY he is laughing. Aside from the audience, few really find out the truth about the man, usually to their demise.

The suspense would give even the great Hitchcock a run for his money. I found myself cringing and gripping my chair, especially in the final moments. 9 out of 10.

Chaney is brilliant!

[jem132 · 7/10 · 24 April 2008]

My second Chaney film! Despite it's huge reputation as one of "the" silent films, I think I preferred LAUGH, CLOWN, LAUGH to this. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. It's a very good film, and Chaney is again amazing as tortured circus performer Alonzo, who is hopelessly in love with young Nanon (Joan Crawford), who doesn't like to be touched by men. Alonzo, of course, is the armless performer who actually has arms, and after killing Nanon's father (she sees his deformed hand), he decides to have them removed so he can be with her. Things are not so simple. Crawford has suddenly gotten over her fear of being touched, and has fallen in love with the (boring) hero, Norman Kerry.

The film is coated with irony and it is remarkably perverse. I'm undecided about Browning as a director- he contributes some excellent moments, and some very dull, flatly directed scenes. His best asset is his star, Chaney. Crawford is less likable than Loretta Young in LAUGH, CLOWN, LAUGH- in fact, I found her rather unattractive and forgettable when compared to Young's sweet charm. I saw this over youtube (it's the TCM version) and it must be missing a few scenes, because the official running length has it at 65 minutes, and the version I watched ran under an hour.

Ludicrous contrivance shows Browning's & Chaney's weaknesses

[mhesselius · 2/10 · 26 July 2010]

Have the fans of Tod Browning and Lon Chaney ever stopped to consider the utter absurdity of the premise of THE UNKNOWN? A fugitive from the law must hide deformed thumbs that would give him away. The best idea he can think of is to pretend to be armless and get a job in the circus throwing knives with his feet. Before he can carry out this ideal plan, he only needs to manage enough pedal dexterity to be able to miss by inches his female partner played by Joan Crawford. And he does! After he overcomes this one small obstacle, he masters all the other tasks he had once performed with his hands: smoking, eating, and drinking. It boggles the mind!

As for Chaney's acting, he could be great; he could also be God-awful. In THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA he at least had that wonderful make-up to hide behind. In this film his emotionalism is annoying and schmaltzy.