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The Unknown (1927)

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the3rdman
This was fantastic! Campy but seriously twisted. This is the first Chaney film I've seen and he is really great. He has such an expressive face, perfect for silent cinema. The rest of the cast really hold their own as well, particularly Crawford and John George as Cojo. 10 years 7 months ago
Camille Deadpan
I didn't even recognize Joan Crawford! It seems that make up and hairdo from the 20's can make a person look completely different.

10 years 8 months ago
Siskoid
Five years before Freaks, Tod Browning made another traveling circus potboiler in The Unknown, and it's a strange and beautiful little piece of twist-ending irony. A young Joan Crawford plays a woman torn between three men - her demanding father, the strongman who loves her, and an armless knife-thrower played with increasing intensity by Lon Chaney who is obsessed with her. He's great, and I thought wow, did he really have that foot dexterity, but no, someone else is playing his legs, putting cigarettes in his mouth and so on... I'm still impressed by the dedication and trickery. Crawford's Nanon has a phobia about being held, so this armless man is just about the only man she can stand. As it turns out, Chaney's Alonzo isn't so 'armless after all, and it gets really weird from there, a carnival tale of jealousy, murder and mutilation like no other. It's kind of what O. Henry might have written after a particularly lurid nightmare, and a great precursor to Freaks. 3 years 11 months ago

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This movie ranks #31 in IMDb's Horror Top 50

IMDb's Horror Top 50
31
This movie ranks #35 in IMDb's 1920s Top 50

IMDb's 1920s Top 50
35
This movie ranks #36 in Silent Era's The Top 300 Silent Era Films

Silent Era's The Top 300…
36
This movie ranks #36 in iCheckMovies's 1920s Top 100

iCheckMovies's 1920s Top…
36
This movie ranks #38 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

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This movie ranks #71 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?

David Thomson's Have You…
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This movie ranks #115 in TSZDT's The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films

TSZDT's The 1,000 Greate…
115
This movie ranks #185 in Paul Rotha's Silent but Not Forgotten

Paul Rotha's Silent but …
185
This movie ranks #592 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time

Sight & Sound's The Grea…
592
This movie ranks #871 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films

TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
871
This movie ranks #1453 in The Criterion Collection

The Criterion Collection
1453