The Unknown

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Movie
German title The unknown
Original title The Unknown
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1927
length 70 minutes
Rod
Director Death Browning
script Waldemar Young ,
Tod Browning
production MGM
camera Merritt B. Gerstad
cut Harry Reynolds
occupation

The Unknown (OT: The Unknown ) is an American horror film from 1927 with Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford in the lead roles. It was directed by Tod Browning .

action

Alonzo works as a circus performer, where he appears as an armless knife thrower who throws knives with his feet. In fact, Alonzo still has both arms that he can tie behind his back. The reason lies in his past as a thief. He has two thumbs on his right hand that would immediately give him away to the police. Alonzo falls in love with Estrellita, the daughter of the circus operator. Malabar, the strong man of the circus, is also in love with Estrellita. However, the young woman is afraid of being touched by other people. She has a friendship with the allegedly armless Alonzo. She feels safe never to be touched physically by him. By chance, Estrellita witnesses the murder of her father. She can't see the killer's face, but she can see a hand with two thumbs. Alonzo, the perpetrator of the crime, is afraid of being exposed. Under the pretext of being ill, he leaves the circus and has both arms amputated. Meanwhile, Estrellita overcomes her fear of contact and falls in love with Malabar.

Alonzo returns to the circus and learns from the enthusiastic Estrellita that she has fallen in love. Alonzo plans to kill his rival during a performance by making the circus horses shy and trying to throw Malabar between the animals. Estrellita tries to save her lover. Alonzo, who fears for her life, pushes her aside, but gets under the hooves of the horses himself and is killed.

background

Lon Chaney had risen to become one of the most popular movie stars since the early 1920s. In 1924 he moved from Universal Pictures to the newly founded MGM . However, the hope of getting good scripts in addition to a higher fee was quickly dashed. While Universal still invested up to 1 million US dollars in its films such as The Phantom of the Opera or The Hunchback of Notre Dame , the roles at MGM were limited to the constant repetition of gangsters and dodgy characters. Chaney and his permanent director Tod Browning shot mostly inexpensive horror stories and macabre tales from the underworld in quick succession, which Chaney presented in sometimes extreme make-ups.

For Joan Crawford, who had rapidly risen to Lead Lady status since her debut in 1925 , working with Lon Chaney, also known as the "Man with 1,000 Faces", was a challenge. Crawford had no acting training and her acting in front of the camera has so far been limited to a few, rehearsed gestures. Crawford had never played such an artistically demanding role before and she quickly reached the limits of her acting skills. It was Chaney who took great care of the young colleague and gave her valuable tips and tricks on how to interpret the Estrellita.

Even decades later, she explicitly praised her partner:

“Lon Chaney was my introduction to acting. The concentration, his absolute empathy for the role he had to play, impressed me so much that I hardly dared speak to him ... watching him made me want to become a real actress. "

For a long time the film was only available as a gloomy 9.5 mm copy. It was not until 1973 that it became known that Henri Langlois was able to save and archive a complete copy as early as 1968.

Theatrical release

At a total cost of $ 217,000, the film averaged for a Lon Chaney film of the time. It was very popular at the box office, grossing $ 578,088 in the United States and another $ 269,000 in foreign markets. A cumulative total of $ 847,000 and a high profit of $ 367,000 made The Unknown a profitable rental for the studio.

Reviews

Most of the reviews have been accommodating, praising Chaney's way of focusing on his role with complete dedication. At the same time, however, they warned about the adult issue.

Mordaunt Hall wrote in the New York Times on June 13, 1927 :

"Although it has its strengths and undoubtedly attracts attention," The Unknown "[...] is anything but a pleasant film. He is cruel and at times shocking and the central character changes from more or less personable to an arch-villain. [..] Miss Crawford is not only beautiful, she also gives an extremely competent portrayal as an Estrellita. "

Langdon W. Post found in the New York Evening World :

“When Lon Chaney is in a movie, you can be sure that it's worth watching. If Joan Crawford and Norman Kerry are also there to help Mr. Chaney, the score is far higher. [...] Joan Crawford is an accomplished actress and every film backs this up. In any case, their portrayal in this film is really impressive. "

literature

  • Roy Newquist (Ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford. Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9 .
  • Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk : The Complete Films of Joan Crawford. Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell: Joan Crawford. The Essential Biography. University Press, Lexington, KY. 2002, ISBN 0-8131-2254-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lon Chaney was my introduction to acting. The concentration, the complete absorption he gave to his characterization filled me with such awe I could scarcely speak to him ... watching him have me the desire to be a real actress.
  2. ↑ Although it has strength and undoubtedly sustains the interest, "The Unknown" [...] is anything but a pleasant story. It is gruesome and at times shocking, and the principal character deteriorates from a more or less sympathetic individual to an arch-fiend. [..] Miss Crawford is not only beautiful but she gives a most competent performance as Estrellita.
  3. ↑ When Lon Chaney is in a picture, one can rest assured that that picture is worth seeing. When Joan Crawford and Norman Kerry are also present to help Mr. Chaney put it over, its value is that much enhanced [...] Joan Crawford is one of the screen's acknowledged artists and each picture seems to merely justify this characterization. Certainly her performance in this picture is a most impressive one.