The Unknown (1927)

Director:

Tod Browning

Writers:

Tod Browning (story)
Waldemar Young (scenario)
(more)

Release Date:

4 June 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Alonzo is an apparently armless knife thrower who uses his feet to encircle Estrellita with blades....

Plot Keywords:

Love | Circus | Freak | Horse | Surgery

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Lon Chaney	...	Alonzo the Armless
Norman Kerry	...	Malabar the Mighty, Circus Strongman
Joan Crawford	...	Nanon Zanzi
Nick De Ruiz	...	Antonio Zanzi, Nanon's Father
John George	...	Cojo, Alonzo's Assistant
Frank Lanning	...	Costra
Polly Moran	...	Landlady (scenes deleted)
Bobbie Mack	...	Gypsy (scenes deleted)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Venezia Frandi	...	(unconfirmed)
Louise Emmons	...	Gypsy Woman (uncredited)
Italia Frandi	...	Girl in Audience flirting with Malabar (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	Man in Audience (uncredited)
Billy Seay	...	The Little Wolf (uncredited)
John St. Polis	...	Surgeon (uncredited)

Directed by
Tod Browning

Writing credits
Mary Roberts Rinehart		(novel "K") uncredited
Tod Browning		(story)
Waldemar Young		(scenario)
Joseph Farnham		(titles)

Cinematography by
Merritt B. Gerstad		(as M. Gerstad)

Film Editing by
Harry Reynolds
Errol Taggart

Set Decoration by
Richard Day		(settings)
Cedric Gibbons		(settings)

Stunts
Paul Desmuke	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Clarence Sinclair Bull	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucia Coulter	....	wardrober

Music Department
Jack Feinberg	....	set musician (uncredited)
Sam Feinberg	....	set musician (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1927) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Network Enterprises (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Alonzo the Armless (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

63 min (23 fps) | UK:49 min (BFI print) | USA:49 min (alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

For many years this film only existed in murky 9.5mm dupes on the black market. In March 1973, at a screening of this film at George Eastman House, archivist James Card said that Henri Langlois and his staff at the Cinematheque Francais discovered a copy of it in 1968 among other miscellaneous cans of film marked "l'inconnu" (films "unknown" due to missing titles, etc.).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Alonzo and Cojo are drinking wine, the glass suddenly fills between shots.

Quotes:

Malabar the Mighty, Circus Strongman: Why do you always draw away from me?
Nanon Zanzi: Why isn't he different from other men! Why doesn't he keep his hands off me?
Nanon Zanzi: Hands! Men's hands! How I hate them!
Nanon Zanzi: Men! The beasts! God would show wisdom if he took the hands from all of them!
Nanon Zanzi: Forgive me, Alonzo... I did not mean you.
Nanon Zanzi: You are the one man I can come to without fear.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Santa sangre (1989)

Worth seeing for Chaney and Crawford

Lon Chaney plays Alonzo, a supposedly armless knife thrower with a gypsy circus. He DOES have arms though (one with two thumbs)--he just straps them to himself. He then uses his arms to rob jewels at the towns they play in. He loves Nanon (Joan Crawford). But he strangles her ridiculously cruel father to death one night. She doesn't see his face but notices one of the hands has two thumbs...He has his arms amputated...but she falls for circus strongman Maldabar (Norman Kerry).

Not really a horror film (as it's often called)...more of a tragedy. The plot is OK (and not as convoluted as my synopsis makes it sound :)) and the direction is solid but uninspired (Tod Browning has always been overrated). It's worth seeing for Chaney and Crawfords acting. Crawford is incredible--so young, beautiful and full of life. Chaney is just incredible--the expression on his face when he tries to hide his anger and sadness at Kerry is truly extraordinary. He does carry on the sneering a little too much (I started giggling at it towards the end) but that's a minor complaint.

The only version I've seen is on TCM and it IS short (less than an hour), but it's the exact same one I saw back in the late 1980s when revival theatres were showing it. And it SEEMS complete to me--there are no gaps in story or continuity.

So, well worth catching. One of Chaney's best.