two of early cinema suspense and ghoul master be in fine form in this travel circus story about an armless knife thrower and the woman he make the ultimate sacrifice for . lon chaney be once again unlucky at love a alonzo the armless and a mysterious man with plenty to hide . he love his assistant nanon and who through unexplained hang ups of her own ( she be repulse by the touch of a man ) rebuff the advance of malabar the circus strongman and instead prefer alonzo . alonzo get in an argument with the circus owner and strangle him . he then in reality have his arm amputate to throw the police off his trail . a short while later nanon be treat and cure of her phobia . she then hook up with malabar . a devastated alonzo plot revenge . lon chaney have the most intimidating face in the history of silent film . in unknown there be less make up and body part than in phantom and hunchback but no less menace of character a he seethe and explode with volcanic ferocity on more than one occasion . joan crawford a nanon display a decent silent act style and great leg . there be a softness about her in this film that would soon disappear behind the hard joanie of the 30 and 40 . writer and director tod brown would return to the circus set with even great critical success when he would make freak ( it be a box office disaster ) in 1932 but unknown hold it own with the classic in many way . his script be fill with freudian implication and scene suggestive of ritual sado masochism . combine with chaney penetrate revenge drive performance brown delivers a provocative thriller and a little more .