The Unknown

Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford star in this bizarre and peverse work of supreme irony by early horror maestro Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks). Alonzo (Chaney) is an apparently armless knife-thrower in a Spanish gypsy circus who yearns after the ringmaster's daughter, Nanon (Crawford). In reality howevere, he's some sort of murderous criminal who must pretend he has no arms in order to disguise his distinguishing (and weird) double-thumb. Malabar, a good-natured strongman (played by Norman Kerry), also doggedly pursues Nanon, but she has a near-pathological hatred of being touched by hands (originating from her experiences of men 'pawing' over her). This is ideal for Alonzo's armless disguise, and as he starts to get closer to Nanon it leads him to take rather drastic measures.

The Unknown is a short, tight and twisted fairytale. The way the film uses and builds suspense is quite accomplished, though anyone squeamish about wilful amputation may want to avoid it altogether. The sense of anticipation and dread made me feel quite sick as the action that Alonzo takes is quite shocking. The subsequent scenes where he realises he has made a big mistake is superbly played out upon his face - the ambivelance couldn't be clear or more excruciating to watch. Lon Chaney is absolutely mesmerising in this role, his face is so controlled or convincing. He also cuts a memorable figure as the armless villain, gliding around in a dark cape and almost always accompanied by his strange, dwarven sidekick.

This is a silent-era classic that combines romance and horror in an effortless and entertaining fashion. A strange and unique film.

DIRECTOR: Tod Browning
WRITER/SOURCE: Written by Waldemar Young from a story by Tod Browning, titles written by Joseph Farnham. Based on a book by Mary Roberts Rinehart
KEY ACTORS: Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry, Nick De Ruiz, John George

RELATED TEXTS:
- The novel K, written by Mary Roberts Rinehart in 1915 is considered to be the inspiration for The Unknown.
- Director Tod Browning and Lon Chaney also made London After Midnight the same year that they made The Unknown. It's a silent vampire film and has been considered lost since 1965.
- Tod Browning's later film, Freaks, also concerns carnival folk.