the unknown ( 1927 ) we can see the unknown today and say and wow and look at the young joan crawford . and she do help make this movie come alive and more than even lon chaney and who be the big draw for audience in 1927. crawford spark ( inspire by chaney and by her own account ) and and her character phobia of men hand ( which she explain quite reasonably and have be grope too many time against her will ) make her curious and very sympathetic . she terrific to watch and and the metaphor of abuse against woman be not lose on anyone pay attention . but crawford be essentially unknown back then and and the movie depend on the name and and the high dramatics and of chaney and the other lead male and the charming and somewhat overly chipper strong man in this huge sideshow of a movie . both be good enough in their role and chaney pull out all the stop in a performance that might be bravura or might just be virtuosic indulgence and probably a bit of both . and the movie depend on the story itself and the plot and the strange and gruesome series of event and which be grip at time even if you know what come all too well . for viewer then as much a now and there be also the whole milieu and director tod brown lean to the macabre and the small time circus . this will see a more amazing fruition five year alter in freak and shortly after his very successful dracula ( with it self sustain sideshow of bizarre and legendary type ) . but here we have brown at the end of the silent era and push gesture and expression outward in the place of sound . it a bit strained and and with the sensational plot and the whole movie lack subtlety and depth . what it doesn not lack be high drama and though and and a few surprise . at time touch and at time simply shock ( in it own way ) and it enjoyable and and never really flag and which some good silent film like broken blossom can not claim . so forget beauty and or elegance or emotional insight and you might really like this . oh and and chaney . he be a marvel of his time and and this film show him in one of his best role a an actor and one of many . the armless man be yet another echo of the horror of mutilated soldier come home from world war i and their inability to really assimilate and be accept . the fact that his character be obsess with crawford we might understand and but it a love that we do not sympathize with after awhile .