19/6/06 - THE UNKNOWN #844
The Unknown #844
[DVD] [1927 Tod Browning]
A film which runs only 50 minutes long. Lon Chaney, a silent star, plays an armless knife thrower in a travelling circus, where murder and love rules.
Torn between his deadly secret and his circus love (a young Joan Crawford), Chaney takes unprecendented steps to ensure his gets his love, but is unprepared for the sad turn of events that occurs.
Regarded as one of the most fascinating silent films, Lon Chaney's performance is exceptional and utterly convincing, especially his menacing stares. An enjoyable film, albeit some of the TCM score is more obvious than what it should be. 2/5
Film Fact: John George, the midget, who plays Alonzo's assistance (Chaney) would appear exactly 30 years later in 'The Man Of A Thousand Faces' - a film on the life story of Lon Chaney. In that film, he plays an extra in the bullpen.
Film Title: Originally it was called 'Alonzo the Armless' in the draft script. But 'The Unknown' may refer to the mysterious nature of Chaney's character. Interestingly, when this 'long lost' film was discovered in the Cinematheque Francais, because no title card was found it was simply listed as 'unknown'.
[DVD] [1927 Tod Browning]
A film which runs only 50 minutes long. Lon Chaney, a silent star, plays an armless knife thrower in a travelling circus, where murder and love rules.
Torn between his deadly secret and his circus love (a young Joan Crawford), Chaney takes unprecendented steps to ensure his gets his love, but is unprepared for the sad turn of events that occurs.
Regarded as one of the most fascinating silent films, Lon Chaney's performance is exceptional and utterly convincing, especially his menacing stares. An enjoyable film, albeit some of the TCM score is more obvious than what it should be. 2/5
Film Fact: John George, the midget, who plays Alonzo's assistance (Chaney) would appear exactly 30 years later in 'The Man Of A Thousand Faces' - a film on the life story of Lon Chaney. In that film, he plays an extra in the bullpen.
Film Title: Originally it was called 'Alonzo the Armless' in the draft script. But 'The Unknown' may refer to the mysterious nature of Chaney's character. Interestingly, when this 'long lost' film was discovered in the Cinematheque Francais, because no title card was found it was simply listed as 'unknown'.
posted by Rhett (rhettrospective@hotmail.com) at 11:32 PM
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