Starring Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Norman Kerry
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
The circus comes to town with all of the standard acts. Horses fly around the ring. The strong man impresses with feats of strength. And the ringmaster keeps the show moving along.
There is one very unique act. A rotating plank is brought to the center of the tent. At one end, the beautiful Nanon stands. At the other, Alonzo sits with a gun and knives. Alonzo takes aim with the gun and, after pulling the trigger twice, Nanon's gown falls to the floor. Then, the knives fly and bury themselves in the board around the scantily clad woman, narrowly missing her. The crowd goes wild.
Not impressed?
What if I told you Alonzo had no arms?
Yes, the circus sharpshooter is accomplishing all of these feats with his feet.
We learn Alonzo is in love with Nanon. For her part, the girl likes Alonzo, but she's settling for him. Nanon has spent her life being pawed by man after man due to her beauty and now is repulsed by the notion of being touched. A guy without arms is a convenient way around her bizarre phobia.
That doesn't stop Malabar, the circus strong man, from making passes at Nanon at every opportunity. Unfortunately, he doesn't know about Nanon's fear and is constantly grabbing her arms. She recoils in terror.
Alonzo has a secret of his own. When he undresses, we find two perfectly usable arms bound tightly to his body. He's a criminal on the run from police and has a disfigurement that is easily identifiable: two thumbs on his left hand. The armless circus performer gives him the perfect cover.
Alonzo's love for Nanon is complicating things. If she even hugs him, his secret may get out. Mix in a nosy circus owner and Alonzo seems to be living on borrowed time.
Just how far will Alonzo go to protect his secret? And what will he do if Nanon overcomes her phobia and falls for another man?
So here is my recipe for awesome soup:
- Start with a base of Tod Browning, director of Dracula and Freaks
- Stir in Lon Chaney and bring to a boil
- Top with a pinch of early Joan Crawford
- Serve
This film is pure fun with a ridiculous plot that seems plausible thanks in large part to a brilliant lead performance from Chaney as Alonzo. Part of the joy is seeing how the character uses his feet convincingly throughout. The character's feet become hands, holding cigarettes and forks and absentmindedly stroking his chin when he is thinking.
More than that however, Chaney's face gives us everything we need to know about what the character is thinking. The performance is so controlled in many ways, but any hint of restraint restraint is more like a wild tiger on a leash. Even when he casually smiles, you can see the utter disgust floating in his eyes. This is easily one of the best performances of the 1920s.
Browning's approach with the camera is straightforward and static, but with Chaney in the lead, it's the right approach. Camera moves would distract from the constantly changing landscape of his lead actor's face.
The Unknown is short at less than an hour, but paced like a great episode of The Twilight Zone. To say anymore is to spoil the tale's fun twists. Sometimes you just need to scratch a genre itch. The Unknown is a perfect remedy.
***** out of *****
NOTE: A word of warning: there are a lot of reviews that ruin the most fun parts of this one. Definitely recommend going in cold.
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