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The Unknown

1927 · 68 min

A silent carnival noir that tightens like a vise, blending grotesque romance with a slow, inevitable dread.

Tagline
Don't miss this startling spectacle!
Overview
On the lam, criminal Alonzo hides in the circus as The Armless Wonder—a performer who uses his feet to hurl knives. Alonzo keeps the arms he really has concealed to hide his identity. Meanwhile, ringmaster's daughter Nanon has a phobia of being touched by men, but is romantically pursued by not only Alonzo but the strongman Malabar. Alonzo's desperation to remain with Nanon will only end in tragedy.

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Stream in the UK
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Bloodstream
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • deception
  • betrayal
  • love
  • identity
Places
  • small town
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language none
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action4
Horror6
Humour2
Realism4
Romance6
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity5
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Bloodstream
Free
  • Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
  • Plex
  • Bloodstream
  • Filmtap
Rent or buy
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, romance, horror
Directed by
Tod Browning
Written by
Joseph Farnham, Waldemar Young
Starring
Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, Nick De Ruiz, John George, Frank Lanning, Tom Amandares, Margaret Bert
Cinematography
Merritt B. Gerstad
Runtime
68 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
No Language

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