The Unknown
Directed by	Tod Browning
Produced by	Irving G. Thalberg
Written by	Tod Browning (story) Waldemar Young
Starring	Lon Chaney Norman Kerry Joan Crawford Nick De Ruiz
Cinematography	Merritt Gerstad
Release date(s)	June 4, 1927
Running time	63 min
Language	Silent
Budget	$217,000
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IMDb profile

The Unknown (1927) was a silent horror film directed by Tod Browning and featuring Lon Chaney as carnival knife thrower Alonzo the Armless and Joan Crawford as the scantily clad carnival girl he hopes to marry. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 386 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (772 × 1200 pixel, file size: 117 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Film poster for The Unknown. ... Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899–September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. ... Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... Lon Chaney, Sr. ... Norman Kerry Norman Kerry (June 16, 1894 - January 12, 1956) was an American actor whose career spanned over twenty-five years in the motion picture industry beginning in the silent era at the end of World War I. Born Arnold Kaiser in Rochester, New York of German parentage, he changed... Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed, iconic, Academy Award winning American actress. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (156th in leap years), with 210 days remaining. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... See also: 1926 in film 1927 1928 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events January 10 - The film Metropolis by Fritz Lang premieres. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... DVD cover showing horror characters as depicted by Universal Studios. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... Lon Chaney, Sr. ... Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed, iconic, Academy Award winning American actress. ...

The Unknown is by far the most intense and demented of director Tod Browning's films (which include Dracula and Freaks). Joan Crawford always said that she learned more about acting from working with Chaney in this movie than from everything else in her long career put together, and critics often cite Chaney's performance as one of the greatest ever captured on film. Burt Lancaster always maintained that Chaney's performance in The Unknown was the most emotionally compelling film performance he had ever seen an actor give. Chaney also did remarkable and convincing collaborative scenes with real-life armless double Peter Dismuki, whose legs and feet were used to manipulate objects such as knives and cigarettes in frame with Chaney's upper body and face. Charles Albert Browning, Jr. ... Dracula is a 1931 horror film produced by Universal Pictures Co. ... Freaks is a Pre-Code 1932 horror film about sideshow performers, directed by Tod Browning. ... Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed, iconic, Academy Award winning American actress. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

As with Freaks, contemporary reviewers were sometimes less appreciative. "A visit to the dissecting room in a hospital would be quite as pleasant," opined the New York Evening Post, "and at the same time more instructive." Modern viewers can discern the same macabre style of this film (and other Browning-Chaney collaborations) in later productions ranging from the 1930s Universal Studios horror films to the 1960s Twilight Zone programs. The first edition of The New York Post of July 6, 2004 incorrectly declared that U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry would choose U.S. Representative Dick Gephardt to be his vice-presidential running mate that day (in reality, Kerry chose John Edwards). ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or, officially, Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Note, this page is about the television series and its two revivals. ...

For many years the film was available only in an incomplete 9.5 mm copy, until a much higher quality 35 mm print was found preserved in a French film archive in the early-1970s. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

For those planning to see the film, stop reading this article at this point in order to preserve the full effect of the unique plot twists.

Plot

Alonzo the Armless (Chaney) is a circus freak who, while armless, uses his feet in place of arms. This includes tossing knives in the circus show. Alonzo, however, is an imposter and fugitive. He still secretly has both of his arms, but keeps them bound to his torso, with the aid of a friend, to keep his real identity secret (as one of his hands is disfigured and would be easily recognizable.)

While at the circus, he falls for Nanon, the daughter of the circus owner. The local circus strongman is also attracted to Nanon, but she cannot stand being touched by a man, and shuns him. She keeps a friendship with Alonzo, whom she believes to be armless and therefore unable to touch her.

When the circus owner discovers Alonzo's secret, Alonzo kills him with his bare hands. Nanon views this from outside a window, but does not know Alonzo is her father's killer. Later, Nanon and Alonzo begin living together, but Alonzo quickly realizes she will not love him as long as he still has his arms. Alonzo leaves under the guise of an illness, however, he secretly visits a surgeon and has both of his arms removed. While he is away, Nanon overcomes her phobia about being touched and falls in love with the circus strongman.

When Alonzo (now truly armless) returns to Nanon, she excitedly tells him about her love for the strongman. Alonzo is shocked and horrified, both laughing and crying, confusing the couple. He then learns the strongman and Nanon have a new act where the strongman's arms are pulled by two horses on treadmills with Nanon whipping the horses on from atop a large platform. During one of the performances, Alonzo speeds up the treadmills in an attempt to maim or kill the strongman. When Nanon jumps from the platform to calm down one of the horses, Alonzo tries to save her from injury by pushing her out of the way. The horse, however, knocks Alonzo to the ground, stomps on him and kills him.

In the original film script and some discarded filmed sequences, Alonzo murders both the doctor who removed his arms and his own loyal assistant Cojo, to eliminate them as witnesses before he returns to claim Nanon.