User Reviews

Virginia Valli is the heroine. Christine Mayo is the vamp, the Caucasian looking "Queen of Chinatown" who blackmails an old flame who smartly dumped her. Valli is the daughter of the old flame, a small town banker, befriending Mayo's underling, the handicapped Lon Chaney, who falls in love with her and shows signs of reforming. But tragedy rears its ugly head, forcing Chaney to take some drastic steps.

While the print of this silent classic is half an hour shorter than the official running time, it all seems complete, including a climactic earthquake sequence that has some truly impressive effects. Sure, the basic story is beyond outlandish, but it's a lot of fun. Chaney is allowed to give his shady character some shadowing, and Mayo is a more glamorous version of the wicked witch of the west with a bit of Snow White's wicked queen and Maleficent thrown in.

I'll be looking for this one in repertoire as I'd like to see the complete version on the big screen, hopefully with the beautiful score from the Alpha video attached.

This Lon Chaney melodrama has him playing a character called Wilse Dilling. He is a feared but crippled gangster from Chinatown in L.A. Queen Ann, his female crime boss, sends him to a sleepy town where he is to wait for further orders. While there, he meets a young woman who he falls in love with. This changes his outlook on life to the extent that he renounces his evil ways. He keeps his dark past to himself though and things are complication further when his sweetheart's bank manager father is implicated in an embezzlement scheme orchestrated by Queen Ann. This compromises Dilling's position badly; he tries to sort things out by blowing up the bank but this action unfortunately mains his sweetheart in the process.

This is first and foremost a Lon Chaney vehicle. He isn't in heavy make-up like some of his other famous roles but similar to his character in The Penalty he does portray a physically handicapped criminal. Chaney's great physical acting is once again called to the fore. Aside from this the other main attraction I suppose is the recreation of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which is done via model work both small and large scale. It's pretty impressive it has to be said. Story-wise and stylistically, there isn't an awful lot that makes this one stand-out though. It's fairly run of the mill I guess. But it is another chance to see the great Lon Chaney in action and that's enough for this to be of interest.

Dope-peddler, safe-cracker, gun-man and crippled Lon Chaney (as Wilse Dilling) works in the "cesspool" of "vice and intrigue" known as Chinatown. He leaves poppy-land on orders from mob boss Christina Mayo (as "Queen" Ann Cardington) to lower the boom on a San Francisco banker. Then, Mr. Chaney meets the banker's daughter, lovely and fetching Virginia Valli (as Gertrude Hadley). Ms. Valli treats Chaney nicely, overlooking his deformed limbs and dependence on either crutches or a wheelchair. She gives him a Bible. The Lord enters Chaney's life. He is attracted to Valli, then learns she is engaged to able-bodied Jack Mower (as Jack Cooper). Expect Chaney to shake things up on screen and at the box office.

****** The Shock (6/10/23) Lambert Hillyer ~ Lon Chaney, Virginia Valli, Jack Mower, William Welch

"The Shock" was a Universal Jewell Production, meaning it was an "A" movie of its time and place. Chaney is undoubtedly the star, and those who have only seen him in his later 20s films (i.e. "Phantom of the Opera") will be surprised at how much screen time Chaney receives here in this film (it seems the brighter his star shone the more sparingly he was used). As the "dope peddling" thief Wilse Dilling, Chaney goes through a process of moral regeneration with the help of a lovely virginal young woman named Gertrude (Virginia Valli), whose father (sad-faced William Welch) has been implicated in a robbery scheme by Wilse's employer Ann (Christine Mayo). Even though Gertrude is engaged to marry the deceptively genteel Jack (Jack Mower), Wilse is willing to risk his life to free her father from Ann's clutches. Jack turns out to be a cowardly heel who is easily cowed into helping Ann kidnap Gertrude, but Wilse's faith in God ends up saving all the innocent and punishing the wrongdoers in a fiery apocalyptic finale.

It can't be denied that this is one of those films that basically combines effects with extreme characterizations within the context of a religious conversion tale, and as such may seem very hokey today in some ways. Gertrude is a bit too much of a prude to be believed, I suppose, but really this should be taken more as a fable of good vs. evil than as a nuanced character study. However I found some of the story elements refreshing and interesting compared to other films of its type. Chaney was an expert in this kind of film, having played variations on this theme in "The Penalty", "Shadows", and his breakthrough part in the lost "Miracle Man", so his casting seems an obvious choice. But the film plays with our expectations, especially for those of us who have seen previous Chaney films (and assuredly audiences in 1923 were becoming increasingly familiar with the master of pantomime and future "Man of a Thousand Faces"). I really expected that Wilse (the Chaney character) would end up sacrificing himself so that the "good girl" and "good guy" could ride off into the sunset. But instead the "good guy" who seemed like such a solid character (he even initially rebuffs his father's suggestion that he abandon Gertrude after she is maimed in an accident) turns out to be a total loser who the audience can hate even more than "Queen Ann" of Chinatown. In an early scene Wilse threatens Jack by saying he will always stand behind him if he's good to Gertrude but that "no power on earth" can save him if he treats her poorly. When Jack reveals to Wilse that he has abandoned Gertrude because of her accident, I started practically jumping for joy in anticipation of Chaney's revenge, which comes in the manner of the spectacular 1906 earthquake that destroys San Francisco. And then Chaney actually "gets the girl" – how often do we see that? So it was a very fulfilling and, for me, surprising resolution.

Unfortunately the style of the direction doesn't rise to the level of some of the better films Chaney was making around that time with Victor Sjostrom, Maurice Tourneur, and others, and the photography and staging of shots in general are very straightforward almost to the point of being dull. However the production values are pretty good with convincing Chinatown sets and two powerful effects scenes – the explosion of the bank with a horrific shot of Gertrude being buried beneath the rubble (I actually yelled in shock when they showed this – still powerful 84 years later!) and the earthquake finale which actually includes falling buildings (reasonably well done miniature shots) and shots of the earth tearing open. Ana's house is suitably austere in the style of the times. For some reason, I think it was mostly the direction, it felt and looked more like a film from the late teens than the early 20s, and that I think is it's only serious flaw.

Of course the real reason anyone wants to watch this movie today is to assess and enjoy the acting of Lon Chaney, the American silent era's most accomplished and admired character actor. I thought he was wonderful in this film both at portraying Wilse as a man who believes his love is doomed but still wants to do the right thing for her and in his angrier moments when he shows some sense of what could happen to those who cross him. He uses the crutches to great effect; for example when he first threatens Jack he "accidentally" breaks his crutch in anger and subtly tries to disguise the damage afterward. In the more visually audacious scenes he's ambling down stairs in long awkward strides and trying to climb a chair to fetch the precious signatures that will free Gertrude's father. He does some very impressive acting with his features as well; in this film he's done his eyebrows almost in a hard straight line and he moves them in various ways to convey emotion. As we reach the climax his face first becomes a visage of mixed anger and indignation and he impressively transitions into a prayer and a visage of anguish mixed with hope. As the building falls around him, Chaney does an impressive stunt dive into a hole while bringing an entire section of railing with him (I watched in slo-mo just to make sure Chaney himself did the stunt).

One final note -- Chaney was a smoker and probably deliberately designed his gangster persona in films like "Outside the Law" so that he wouldn't have to stop smoking during filming. But in this film smoking seems to be a sign of moral decadence; Chaney smokes in the early scene before his reformation, and then we see Jack smoking in their scene together but Chaney does not light up.

This Lon Chaney film was released on DVD along with another silent Chaney classic, "Nomads of the North". Both are exceptionally entertaining and a bit different, as Chaney was cast in the role of the lover in both films even though he had a face that certainly wasn't handsome in any sense. But, it did work--mostly due to Chaney's excellent acting and decent scripts.

Before watching this film, it's best that you understand that by today's standards the script is very schmaltzy and old fashioned. I didn't mind this too much, as I've seen hundreds (or more) of silents and accept that at the time this sort of script was the norm. Plus, despite this, the film is darned entertaining.

Chaney plays Wilse--a career criminal and all-around jerk. He works for an evil white woman who runs her criminal empire from San Francisco's Chinatown. She has plans for Wilse but merely tells him to head to a small town and wait. He is afraid to do anything else and waits. During this wait, Wilse is captivated by a young woman whose sweetness and acceptance of his being unable to walk without crutches (and then, still very poorly) makes him think about renouncing his criminal ways. But, he is also later heart-broken when he finds out she is in love with another man. This is very sad, as you want to see Wilse get the fair Gertrude (Virginia Valli).

Later, the evil boss lets Wilse know his assignment--he is to expose Gertrude's father for the embezzler that he is! But, Wilse knows that the man was forced to do this and can't stand to hurt Gertrude, so he decides to blow up the father's bank--thus hiding the shortage of funds! Now THAT'S being creative! But, where things go from here are quite unexpected--and I won't say more, as it would definitely spoil the film. Needless to say, Wilse proves himself to be a very worthy and totally reborn man. And, while not at all believable, the ending is touching and sweet.

This is a corny old romantic film that I thoroughly enjoyed. And while the cynic within me COULD just laugh the film off because the plot has many difficult to believe aspects, the wonderful acting and gentle direction carried it off! I know the film has some shortcomings, but I sure liked it.

"The Shock" was a melodramatic crime thriller that tried to combine elements from his earlier hit "The Penalty" but failed to find that film's chilling suspense. Lon Chaney starred as Wilse Dilling who is introduced by the title that although "police have a long dossier on him and have marked him as "dangerous", he is still a mystery". Again he plays a cripple, but instead of being "king of the underworld" he is only an operative of "Queen Anne" (Christine Mayo) who rules San Francisco's Chinatown with a ruthless hand. When she orders him to a sleepy hamlet, Fallbrook, to take charge of a telegraph office and make friends with the locals, he grudgingly agrees but when he arrives there, under the influence of Gertrude Hadley (Virginia Valli), Wilse realises true happiness as she introduces him to a higher power and positive thinking. Dilling's happiness comes crashing down however when he finds out she is to marry Jack Cooper and when the two men are alone, Wilse gives Jack to understand that if she isn't treated right no power will stop his vengeance.

There can't be a Lon Chaney movie without a coincidence and it soon comes out. There are shady doings down at the local bank where Gertrude's father is the President. He has embezzled bank funds to pay a blackmailer - yes "Queen Anne"!! and Wilse is the operative who has been sent to town to nail Hadley when the time is right but he is torn between his love of Gertrude and his fear of Anne. When he visits the bank to try to help, Hadley turns on him in wide eyed terror, knocking him out. Actually the actor who plays Hadley, William Welsh, spends the whole movie acting as if he had just been caught with his hand in the biscuit jar, proving not every actor was a potential star. When Wilse comes to, he blows up the bank, destroying all the ledgers that point to the father's guilt but in doing so, Gertrude is caught in the blast and could face life as a cripple. With her fiancé now shown as a spineless coward (he has taken his father's advice and broken the engagement) Hadley turns to Wilse and confesses that he was once engaged to "Queen Anne" but then, realising she was a criminal, unwittingly sent her to prison. She has always vowed revenge. The finale is played out in Chinatown in a thrilling climax that sees the 1906 earthquake (pretty unconvincingly depicted) coming to the aid of both Wilse and Gertrude.

That Chaney can shine through a mainly sentimental story with a thick brushing of piousness, is a tribute to his masterful acting. Walter Long also has a bit as - what else, a menacing tough!!

Not another incredible performance from the incomparable Lon Chaney...

Not that his performance was sans heavy character makeup...

Not even that this was a film of his I'd scarcely heard of before today, but rather...

It was seeing his good guy finally gets the girl for himself instead of sacrificing his own broken heart for her to be with someone else! YAY!! :-)

Lon Chaney, who's earned my utmost admiration and respect, was perhaps the greatest character actor - EVER! No other performer had the effect of keeping me scared out of my wits at even just the THOUGHT of seeing a picture of him (as Erik "The Phantom")!

It took me over 20 years to get over that fear, having come to love the "Phantom" character partially from films & recordings of the great Michael Crawford as the original "musical" Phantom. Silly as that may sound, I think it's quite a tribute to Lon Chaney, who first scared audiences with his "Phantom" nearly EIGHTY-EIGHT years ago!

Of course, it was this very role (and that of the Hunchback of Notre Dame) that has Chaney mis-labeled today as a "horror" actor, but OH, he was so MUCH more, and this movie, "The Shock", is just one fine example of why he was!

The Shock may not be one of Lon Chaney's best but is certainly memorable. Lon Chaney plays Wilse Dilling, a cripple with a mysterious past. He is sent to a small town by Queen Ann, a crime boss. Sent there for reasons not revealed to him. He is simply told to make friends and he will be contacted at a later date. While in this town he meets Gertrude, a beautiful lady that shows him kindness and compassion. She also teaches him it doesn't matter "what you were, BUT what you are that counts". The kindness Gertrude has shown him make him want to be a NEW and better man until he finds out that Queen Ann has a score to settle with Gertrude's father. Wilse must now choose between the woman he loves, and the woman he fears. It's truly is a wonderful movie. I highly recommend seeing it.

SPOILER SPOILERS SPOILERS

I won't add much to what have said the other comments, except, yes, that's a turn in Chaney's career, as in this one, he doesn't die in the end but instead meets a merry fate.