happytrigger-64-390517 ... and my favorite Tod Browning, yes better than "Freaks", because Lon Chaney really creates and plays his handicap (as in "Freaks", the actors already have their handicap). "The Unknown" is the most terrific and weird story I've ever seen on screen and Lon Chaney plays his most desperately insane character of his career, just remember the scene in the armchair. And the all the apocalyptic ending ...I'll always remember seeing a french 16 mm print showed by a friend in a garden in Burgundy, and I jumped when I saw a never seen close-up of Lon Chaney's foot doing something special. I hope to see again someday that close-up, another "tour de force" by Lon Chaney.

Eric Stevenson I guess this was one of the last movies released into mainstream theaters that was under an hour long. Then again, there were some movies in other countries that occasionally do this, especially with the "Dragonball Z" movies. Anyway, the weirdest thing about this is probably the title. I have no idea what it means. It's not about anybody discovering anything. Since I don't know the meaning, maybe it is an appropriate title! Anyway, this movie tells the story of a guy who infiltrates a circus disguised as a sort of sideshow freak to get with the woman he loves.The length works very well. There really is surprisingly a lot of things that go on here. As one of the latter silent movies, it's actually cool to see how the technology did in fact advance! The screens that say the words actually look a lot nicer than in previous silent movies! Even the atmosphere is better and a lot more organized. We got strong performances by everyone as well as some really intense scenes. For a film that's really old, this doesn't shy away from violence, even if it isn't graphic. I think the acting at least holds up very well. ***1/2

classicsoncall Director Tod Browning sets up an interesting dynamic in presenting his main characters. Alonzo the Armless (Lon Chaney) is introduced as quite the sympathetic character suffering through the unrequited love for the woman he loves. His romantic rival Malabar (Norman Kerry) is the circus strongman and appears to be a flamboyant, narcissistic individual who openly declares his admiration for Nanon (Joan Crawford), daughter of circus owner Zanzi (Nick De Ruiz). For her part, Nanon has an obsessive fear of being touched, much less being held by any man, though the reason for her distress is not adequately explored.From that starting point, Browning juxtaposes the characters and their relationships to each other through various interactions. Malabar redeems himself as a heel by saving Alonzo from a savage beating by Zanzi, while later, Alonzo enacts his fearsome revenge by strangling Nanon's father for his earlier brutality. As the viewer, one is consistently shocked by the utter unpredictability of Browning's revelations - Alonzo is not the armless wonder we were led to believe, he has a physical deformity consisting of a 'double' thumb on his left hand, and in what proves to be a mind bending consequence of his plan to win Nanon, he has his arms amputated to prove that his love for her goes beyond physical touch. This self mutilation aspect of Alonzo's character elevates the silent film to near horror, and even though tragic, manages to dispel any feelings of sympathy one might have had for the conflicted individual.Until I read some other reviewers here, I would not have known that it wasn't Chaney doing his own stunt work using his feet. The way those scenes are shot, the effect appears to be virtually seamless, except as an afterthought when one considers some of the odd positions Chaney had to assume for the intended results.And then there's Joan Crawford, really quite sensuous and exotic in an early screen role. Very much the opposite of the on screen alcoholic lush she turned into while filming a travesty of a 1970 picture titled "Trog" playing opposite a half-man, half-ape missing link. Thinking about it now, that was the kind of picture Tod Browning could have really made a go of had he lived long enough; it would have been some kind of career arc.

e-bradley I didn't know what to expect with this movie because I had never seen a silent movie before, but yo my surprise I actually liked this film. The plot is interesting if not a bit predictable. I thought it was very weird that the main girl had a fear of hands, but I guess there are weirder things to be afraid of. I was disappointed in the end that there were no twists. I would have liked to have seen the girl find out that he cut his arms off for her, but I guess it was easier to end the film with him dying. I thought the acting in this film was very well done. I think part of the reason I enjoyed this film was because the actors were so expressive that it made it easy to understand what they were thinking or feeling even though they were not talking. I would have liked to seen a few more dialouge cards, but even without them I was able to follow the story. This was definitely a good movie to see for a first-timer viewing a silent film :)