The Unknown

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The Unknown

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1h 5m

Drama

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100%

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12 Reviews

88%

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1,000+ Ratings

On the run from the law, Alonzo (Lon Chaney) hides in the circus as The Armless Wonder -- a performer who uses his feet to hurl knives. Alonzo actually has the use of his arms but keeps them concealed so that his true identity remains under wraps. Meanwhile, Alonzo falls in love with another performer, Nanon (Joan Crawford), who has a phobia against being touched by a man. But when the circus owner (Nick De Ruiz) discovers Alonzo's true identity, the performer makes a tragic decision.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

With its undercurrents of frigidity and castration anxiety, the story was excellent material for Browning, and the film races along with the awful momentum of a bad dream.

Jul 14, 2022

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Globe Staff

Boston Globe

[The Unknown] is scarcely a film which children should see, but to the average mystery lover it is gripping and extremely well acted.

Jun 24, 2022

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Browning and Chaney were allowed to pursue the dark corners of this twisted melodrama without restraint, resulting in one of the silent cinema’s great precursors to the horror genre

Rated: 4/4

Nov 12, 2023

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Each one, by nature of the period in which they were released and how audiences responded to them, have a legacy that must be explored, mulled over, and come to terms with if cinema is going to tell honest stories without exploitation.

Oct 17, 2023

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Freakish and fascinating.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 14, 2023

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Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

The unknown is a real moving picture... It is Tod Browning, with his fine sense of pictorial values, who makes it so.

Oct 5, 2021

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DanTheMan 2

If there was one thing I wanted to do this Spooky Season, it was to pop my Lon Chaney cherry and, by god, did I pick a good one to do so. Pursuing the dark corners of deception, murder, disfigurement and sadomasochistic obsession, The Unknown is fascinatingly perverse, exploring the undercurrents of frigidity and castration anxiety, wringing every last frisson from its lurid premise. Standard love triangle stuff? Sure, but it races along with the awful momentum of a bad dream thanks to Tod Browning's macabre atmosphere and engrossing direction. Shots are filmed through a heavy gauze that gives the entire composition the look of an oil painting, with visible brushwork, adding a softness and intimacy to the proceedings. Drawing a wrenchingly physical and remarkably haunting performance from Chaney, his agony is horribly apparent as he feels his life crumble around him; his natural charisma shines, although we probably sympathise with his character more than he deserves. Packing in a lifetime's worth of passion, bad life-choices, sexual fetishes, and unruly, dangerous bodies, The Unknown acts as a stirring, merciless jest upon the mutilated artiste and the icy muse, one that is equally fatalistic, hopeless, and utterly glorious in its sick dramatic irony.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/01/25

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Leaburn O

A great Silent film. Short but fun throughout. Daft but brilliant. Watched on Amazon Prime.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

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Valerii Ege D

I adore Lon Chaney because he never plays simple roles. He likes to push himself. Phantom of the Opera, The Penalty, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Unknown. Always weird and compelling roles.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/02/23

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William L

Witness, as Lon Chaney wiggles his toes with malicious intent! As a drama, The Unknown is quite firmly in the territory of "strange" trying to provide a macabre twist on a classic formula of obsession, but it does provide ample opportunity for the Man of a Thousand Faces to flex his artistic muscle, grimacing and scowling with evil intent. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/18/20

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andy f

Anything with Lon Chaney Sr is worth watching and this macabre love story is a fine testament to the silent era. Atmospheric and disturbing, Chaney as ever, steals the show.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Lon Chaney at his very best. The characters are memorable and the final scene is cringe worthy throughout. There are no wasted moments and is fast moving, very fun to watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Tod Browning

Director

Lon Chaney

Alonzo

Norman Kerry

Malabar

Joan Crawford

Nanon

Nick De Ruiz

Zanzi

John George

Cojo

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Synopsis

On the run from the law, Alonzo (Lon Chaney) hides in the circus as The Armless Wonder -- a performer who uses his feet to hurl knives. Alonzo actually has the use of his arms but keeps them concealed so that his true identity remains under wraps. Meanwhile, Alonzo falls in love with another performer, Nanon (Joan Crawford), who has a phobia against being touched by a man. But when the circus owner (Nick De Ruiz) discovers Alonzo's true identity, the performer makes a tragic decision.

Director: Tod Browning
Producer: Irving Thalberg
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 1h 5m

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