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.
The devil imitates God and writes crookedly with straight lines.
Alonzo is a whole notebook of crooked lines. On it is written the foolish love story between Malabar and Nanon, the Harlequin and Columbine of this tragedy. Alonzo, of course, is mad, but not profoundly mad. Alonzo's madness isn't in his mind, it's in his skin; it pushes and stretches it, threatens to break it. He molds his face as if he were wearing a clay mask.
Tod Browning must have had something of the devil in him. He uses splendid direction, an actor at his peak, and beautiful cinematography to tell a circus tale rotten with love. Almost 100 years later, it remains a mystery why The Unknown still retains its power to send shivers down your spine. The same is true of Freaks. Perhaps it's the devil's power, which doesn't allow any of the demons of time to pass. Terribly modern.
The devil imitates God and writes crookedly with straight lines.
Alonzo is a whole notebook of crooked lines. On it is written the foolish love story between Malabar and Nanon, the Harlequin and Columbine of this tragedy. Alonzo, of course, is mad, but not profoundly mad. Alonzo's madness isn't in his mind, it's in his skin; it pushes and stretches it, threatens to break it. He molds his face as if he were wearing a clay mask.
Tod Browning must have had something of the devil in him. He uses splendid direction, an actor at his peak, and beautiful cinematography to tell a circus tale rotten with love. Almost 100 years later, it remains a mystery why The Unknown still retains its power to send shivers down your spine. The same is true of Freaks. Perhaps it's the devil's power, which doesn't allow any of the demons of time to pass. Terribly modern.
mimi
7.0★ · 03/23/26
alonzo the armless with the suspiciously arm-shaped lump under his shirt: no i don't have arms
alonzo the armless with the suspiciously arm-shaped lump under his shirt: no i don't have arms
Luz
9.0★ · 03/17/26
"Hands! Men's hands! How I hate them! Men! The beasts! God would show wisdom if he took the hands from all of them!"
"Hands! Men's hands! How I hate them! Men! The beasts! God would show wisdom if he took the hands from all of them!"
JPA
7.0★ · 01/25/26
70 An interesting film, but it doesn't come close to Tod Browning's "Dracula".
70 An interesting film, but it doesn't come close to Tod Browning's "Dracula".
Adam Murray
8.0★ · 01/14/26
I really wanted this to end with his arms getting ripped off by horses + Lon Chaney is so good in this
I really wanted this to end with his arms getting ripped off by horses + Lon Chaney is so good in this
