ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Eric Stevenson I guess this was one of the last movies released into mainstream theaters that was under an hour long. Then again, there were some movies in other countries that occasionally do this, especially with the "Dragonball Z" movies. Anyway, the weirdest thing about this is probably the title. I have no idea what it means. It's not about anybody discovering anything. Since I don't know the meaning, maybe it is an appropriate title! Anyway, this movie tells the story of a guy who infiltrates a circus disguised as a sort of sideshow freak to get with the woman he loves.The length works very well. There really is surprisingly a lot of things that go on here. As one of the latter silent movies, it's actually cool to see how the technology did in fact advance! The screens that say the words actually look a lot nicer than in previous silent movies! Even the atmosphere is better and a lot more organized. We got strong performances by everyone as well as some really intense scenes. For a film that's really old, this doesn't shy away from violence, even if it isn't graphic. I think the acting at least holds up very well. ***1/2

Mr_Ectoplasma "The Unknown" focuses on a traveling circus in which an "armless" knife-thrower, Alonzo (Lon Chaney), who is actually a runaway criminal in hiding, relentlessly pursues the circus owner's young daughter, Nanon (Joan Crawford). One of the other circus members, Malabar, interferes, leading Alonzo to vie for Nanon's affection at dire costs.By contemporary standards this a fairly straightforward and unsurprising plot scenario–a love triangle, if you will–but in spite of conventionality, there is a lot of action, suspense, and utter weirdness packed into this hour-long feature. Tod Browning, a director legendary for his affinities toward the bizarre, would direct the sound film "Freaks" several years later, another dark proto-horror film set amongst circus people.The film is beautifully shot, and Lon Chaney's unmatched facial communication is absolutely captivating on screen; he conveys the character with an innocence and simultaneous sinister quality, endearing Nanon's affections and yet possessing macabre intentions that bubble beneath his veneer. Joan Crawford is equally dazzling–this is among her earliest roles, and one can really see her cutting her teeth on the character. She's incredibly emotive and is able to play off of Chaney extremely gracefully. The film has a wacky circus spectacle of a conclusion in which order is restored and the chaos of the "unknown" comes to a resolution. It's a predictable plot trajectory, but it is crafted with great care.Overall, "The Unknown" is a playful and sinister take on a fairly conventional plot arc. Outstanding performances from Chaney and Crawford elevate the proceedings considerably, and the film is also a point of intrigue in terms of influence, as it does undoubtedly qualify as a precursor to the contemporary horror film. 9/10.

utgard14 Tod Browning and Lon Chaney classic about a knife thrower named Alonzo (Chaney) who pretends to have no arms. He uses his feet to throw knives. He falls in love with a gypsy girl named Nanon (Joan Crawford). She has a fear of being touched so she rebuffs the advances of men, including a circus strongman who is in love with her. Alonzo will do anything to have Nanon and takes drastic measures to ensure she never finds out his secret.One of Chaney's most memorable performances. He learned to use his feet as hands to throw knives, light cigarettes, scratch his head, etc. You can bet none of today's stars would go to the kinds of lengths Chaney would for a role. Director Tod Browning was Chaney's favorite collaborator. They worked on ten movies together and this is one of the best. A creepy, suspenseful film with an exciting finale.

trahwerdna The unknown is a great story of love, obsession, and personal identity. You can really see in the expression of Alonzo's (Lon Chaney) face that he loves Nanon and despises anyone who comes between himself and Nanon. Since Alonzo is a fugitive and wanted for murder, he covers up his hand deformity. It was interesting to see Lon Chaney's amazing acting skills and his complete mastery of his feet. You can see why in older movies, the stars had eye liner to accentuate the passion, fear, love, etc. I believe that the theme of this movie is how love is blinding. Alonzo cut off his own arms to marry a woman for crying out loud. Another key theme in the movie was justice. You could tell through Alonzo's ruthlessness that he would be the one to pay in the end.