The Unknown
1927 · Movie · NR · 68 min · ★ 7.5 · 95% critics
A wanted criminal hides in a circus by posing as an armless knife thrower, using a dangerous disguise to stay ahead of the law. At the same time, the ringmaster’s daughter struggles with a deep fear of being touched, drawing her into a tense romantic triangle that turns increasingly tragic.
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Details
- Years
- 1927
- Release date
- 1927-05-29
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 68 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.5/10 (213 votes)
- Budget
- $217,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy The Unknown if you like creepy silent-era circus thrillers with obsessive romance, especially if you’re drawn to Freaks or The Man Who Laughs; Not for you if dark, disturbing emotional obsession makes you uncomfortable.
Pros: unsettling circus melodrama; standout Lon Chaney; intense love triangle | Cons: edited/shortened versions; some plot clarity gaps; sometimes uneven pacing
Themes
- circus
- love
- knife throwing
- silent film
- carny
- psychotronic
- armless
- circus performer
- suspenseful
- horror romance
- romantic
Cast & crew
Lon Chaney
as Alonzo
Norman Kerry
as Malabar
Joan Crawford
as Nanon Zanzi
Nick De Ruiz
as Antonio Zanzi
John George
as Cojo
Frank Lanning
as Costra
- TA
Tom Amandares
as Gypsy Running to Zanzi's Death Scene (uncredited)
- MB
Margaret Bert
as Fortune Teller (uncredited)
Louise Emmons
as Gypsy Woman (uncredited)
- IF
Italia Frandi
as Girl in Audience Flirting with Malabar (uncredited)
Directed by Tod Browning