The premise is too ridiculous for the film to be truly compelling, but there are some fine acting moments, and Crawford looks stunning as always.

953

91.375

one more of the many completely incomprehensibly ridiculous melodramas that chaney starred in, yet somehow it had an unduly charming appeal. especially at the end.

#983

evlenme haberini almasi

Possibly Browning's finest hour. Twisted and unforgettable blend of high melodrama and horror. Chaney is brilliant.

A fantastic build-up to the ending with a great performance from Lon Chaney.

This is quite bizarre. The plot is very creative and macabre and Lon Chaney is pretty great as the main character. I was surprised at just how dark the movie was; it ends with the main character losing everything that matters to him. Granted, he was a bit of an evil bastard but the movie is framed to make us sympathize with him quite a bit, and it's usually pretty effective. I wonder how much that vest Chaney was wearing to keep his arms restrained must've hurt. Looked like a bitch to wear.

A strange but very entertaining and effective movie. The expressive acting almost serves as monologues that let us see what isn't being said. It's short but surprisingly developed given its limitations and the ending is very well executed.

# 958

1000

The premise is too ridiculous to be taken seriously. The stuff of nightmares, but kind of boring nightmares.

Well, this was just ridiculous. Besides the goofy premise, there were some questions that continually nagged at me. They're not plot holes, necessarily, but stuff that didn't add up to me (really? not one person in the circus notices that his fucking arms are just tucked into his shirt? really?). Chaney's performance didn't particularly impress me, either. At least the film is short. But the whole thing is so damn silly, I had more fun just filling in my own crude dialogue.

The Unknown is one of a slew of circus/sideshow silent era films with an anti-hero protagonist, after Sjostrom's He Who Gets Slapped (also with Chaney in the lead) but predating The Man Who Laughs and Browning's own Freaks. It's at least as good as the first but lesser than the last two. What makes it stand out as a tragedy is just how starkly Alonzo's sympathetic resonance contrasts with his evil and stupidity (vs. the dislikability of the basically good-hearted antagonists).

Pure tragedy, starring a criminal who becomes a circus freak to win the love of a woman not really interested in him. The brilliance here is that Browning is able to evoke empathy for what in reality is such an unlikable character. That said, the central plot turn of him having his arms removed seems excessive, when all he really needed to do was get rid of that third thumb.

It was alright, not Browning's best and not even Browning's best circus movie! Chaney was average, I think that's my main beef.

An amazing silent film, filled with sadistic comedic undercurrents and a fantastic ending that works against your expectations, all without losing the pathos that seeps throughout the narrative.

What a dark sense of humor Mr.Browning!

Funny and sad with a great ending.