Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The Unknown: an apt title as far as I am concerned since the film was completely unknown to me until now (as are most of director Tod Browning's silent movies-I must rectify that ASAP). Made five years before the infamous and quite brilliant Freaks, The Unknown is also set amidst the colourful (albeit in B&W) world of carnival folk and stars Lon Chaney as a wanted criminal hiding in a travelling circus, disguised as armless knife-thrower Alonzo.Joan Crawford plays Nanon, the enchanting daughter of circus owner Zanzi (Nick De Ruiz) and part of Alonzo's act, the target not just for the criminal's blades, but also his affection. Alonzo stupidly believes that he's the only one who stands a chance with the cutie because of her fear of men's hands. It is this unusual phobia that has kept the pretty circus girl from committing to strongman Malabar (Norman Kerry), who takes every opportunity to declare his love for Nanon, much to Alonzo's annoyance.Alonzo has forgotten one very important thing, however: in reality, he still has both his arms, his limbs hidden under a corset (strapped up with help from his faithful dwarf assistant Cojo). If, by some miracle, Nanon fell for his charms, she would soon discover his deception. When his secret is discovered by Zanzi, Alonzo strangles the man, with Nanon catching a glimpse of his hands, one of which bears two thumbs.In a bid to solve his problems, Alonzo takes drastic action. blackmailing a surgeon to remove his arms; but by the time he has recovered from the operation, he finds that Nanon has overcome her fear and is head over heels in love with Malabar. Losing what little sanity he had, Alonzo plots revenge.Like a silent blend of Freaks and Santa Sangre, The Unknown is completely demented fun from start to finish, with a superb performance from Chaney, who amazingly uses his feet to perform such tasks as smoking a cigarette and drinking a glass of wine. Crawford is absolutely lovely as Nanon and very believable as the kind of woman one would happily lose their arms and mind over. Kerry hasn't quite got the physique to convince as a strongman, but he is likeable enough and makes for a decent enough hero.On the strength of this bizarre but utterly compelling movie, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of Browning's early work.

"The Unknown" is the first film of Lon Chaney that I have seen. I recognized almost immediately that it would not be the last. Chaney has something that seems wholly unique. He is brutish and civilized, nefarious and pitiable. It can be exhausting to watch him.The film also stars a young, and possibly pre-stardom Joan Crawford, who indeed credited Chaney with starting her career, as his focus in front of the camera inspired her to do better as a performer."The Unknown" is about a troupe of circus performers. Chaney is Alonzo the Armless, who shoots rifles and throws knives with his feet. Joan Crawford is Nanon, the object of his attention on and off the stage. There is also the actor Norman Kerry as Malabar the Mighty, a strongman who also loves Nanon, however, Nanon has a fear of men's arms...Thus the stage is set for a bizarre love triangle in a sideshow world in which everything is turned up the highest: Crawford's beauty and sexiness, Malabar's strength and bravado, and Chaney's ugliness and humanity.The ending, even after all these years, will make you cringe, but it is Chaney you will remember; his indelible, ugly face, alive with cruelty and pain.

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.

I didn't know what to expect with this movie because I had never seen a silent movie before, but yo my surprise I actually liked this film. The plot is interesting if not a bit predictable. I thought it was very weird that the main girl had a fear of hands, but I guess there are weirder things to be afraid of. I was disappointed in the end that there were no twists. I would have liked to have seen the girl find out that he cut his arms off for her, but I guess it was easier to end the film with him dying. I thought the acting in this film was very well done. I think part of the reason I enjoyed this film was because the actors were so expressive that it made it easy to understand what they were thinking or feeling even though they were not talking. I would have liked to seen a few more dialouge cards, but even without them I was able to follow the story. This was definitely a good movie to see for a first-timer viewing a silent film :)