February 26, 2026
The Unknown
USA 1927 • 68 min (1.33:1)
Directed by Tod Browning
Starring Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford
Venue: Analog Wine Library
About the film
Director Tod Browning and Lon Chaney’s most satisfying collaboration is a bizarre tale of one loved too well but not wisely. That would be Alonzo, an armless circus performer with no arms who throws knives with deadly accuracy. Crafted by Tod Browning (“Freaks”) at the height of his fascination with outsiders and obsession, the film exemplifies a pre-sanitized Hollywood willing to venture into genuinely disturbing psychological terrain. Long revered by cinephiles and midnight audiences alike, this film has become a cornerstone of silent-era cult cinema — praised for its intensity, its taboo-challenging imagery, and its fearless emotional extremity. Seen with an audience, its shocks and silences land with renewed force, making this bold statement one of the most unsettling and uncompromising films of the 1920s (download poster).
#SilentCinema #ClassicFilm #FilmHistory #TodBrowning #LonChaney #EarlyHollywood #PreCode #DarkCinema #BigScreenExperience
Presented by Chuck Koplinski
"My name is Chuck Koplinski, and I’m a film critic and contributing writer to the Library of Congress. Growing up in Kankakee, Illinois, my first exposure to movies was via WGN-TV out of Chicago. My father loved film and as 80% of the station’s programming consisted of old movies, the channel was always on. As a child, I was fascinated with their Friday and Saturday night program Creature Features, which consisted of old horror films, primarily the seminal features from Universal Pictures. While I watched these mostly through my fingers, I was fascinated by their focus on things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, one that would only grow as I got older.
"One thing leads to another and in addition to Creature Features, the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine proved to be a key source of information regarding the horror genre and its roots. It was in these pages that I first learned about Tod Browning and Lon Chaney Sr. Having made ten films together, the director and actor were a perfect fit, each drawing inspiration from the other, their collaborations proving to be furtive ground for each to become masters in their respective fields.
"The duo began with a series of crime films, each becoming darker in tone and more outlandish in execution. However, Browning’s perverse sensibilities ultimately emerged, his protagonists becoming more grotesque, both physically and morally. Chaney relished these roles, especially if he was given the opportunity to transform himself physically, through makeup or extreme physical contortions.
"Their 1927 feature, The Unknown is considered their greatest collaboration and it’s easy to see why. Seeing pictures of an armless Chaney in Famous Monsters, throwing knives with his feet boggled my young mind. My curiosity about the film and so many others grew during the pre-VCR years when seeing silent movies was a rarity. However, once I did see it in college, it didn’t disappoint. Its lurid story was surprising at every turn, Chaney, both poignant and hysterical, was fascinating, while Browning’s unflinching eye reveled in rendering one of the most perverse love stories to grace the screen.
"The less you know about the movie, the better. The surprises are plenty, as the story’s morbid events defy logic. Yet, despite its sensational elements, its examination of obsessive love is what sticks with you. After its grandiose moments fade, it’s Browning and Chaney’s portrayal of unrequited love that comes to mind. My first experience with The Unknown left me dazzled by its audacity but moved by its ironic poignancy, feelings I suspect other first-time, and even repeat viewers, will be grappling with when the end credits roll."
Film-Fanatic.Club • Analog Wine Library
129 N Race St, Urbana, IL 61801