Have the fans of Tod Browning and Lon Chaney ever stopped to consider the utter absurdity of the premise of THE UNKNOWN? A fugitive from the law must hide deformed thumbs that would give him away. The best idea he can think of is to pretend to be armless and get a job in the circus throwing knives with his feet. Before he can carry out this ideal plan, he only needs to manage enough pedal dexterity to be able to miss by inches his female partner played by Joan Crawford. And he does! After he overcomes this one small obstacle, he masters all the other tasks he had once performed with his hands: smoking, eating, and drinking. It boggles the mind!
As for Chaney's acting, he could be great; he could also be God-awful. In THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA he at least had that wonderful make-up to hide behind. In this film his emotionalism is annoying and schmaltzy.
As for Chaney's acting, he could be great; he could also be God-awful. In THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA he at least had that wonderful make-up to hide behind. In this film his emotionalism is annoying and schmaltzy.