Don't miss this startling spectacle!
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 Unknown (1927) is a drama, thriller, romance and horror film directed by Tod Browning, released on May 29, 1927 with a runtime of 1h 8m. It stars Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford and Nick De Ruiz. Viewers rate it 7.6 out of 10 across 218 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Unknown before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Unknown.
Trailer
Clip
Lon Chaney
as Alonzo
Norman Kerry
as Malabar
Joan Crawford
as Nanon Zanzi
Nick De Ruiz
as Antonio Zanzi
John George
as Cojo
Frank Lanning
as Costra
Tom Amandares
as Gypsy Running to Zanzi's Death Scene (uncredited)
Margaret Bert
as Fortune Teller (uncredited)
Louise Emmons
as Gypsy Woman (uncredited)
Italia Frandi
as Girl in Audience Flirting with Malabar (uncredited)
Venezia Frandi
as Woman in Audience (uncredited)
Polly Moran
as Landlady / Servant in Audience (uncredited)
Directed by Tod Browning, written by Tod Browning, Joseph Farnham and Waldemar Young, produced by Irving Thalberg.
Average viewer score of 7.6/10 from 218 ratings.
Joan Crawford is the dazzling "Manon", daughter of a circus owner and keenly sought by strongman "Malabar" (Norman Kerry) and the newly arrived arm-less knife thrower "Alonzo" (Lon Chaney). It's the latter man who has a bit of a secret though, and as the story progresses we realise that he's a criminal using a clever (if not desperately plausible) disguise to stay one head ahead of the pursuing police. She,…
Reviewed on March 27, 2024
66/100 A strangler on-the-run takes refuge as an armless man in a circus and falls in love with a performing girl who can't stand being touched. Sounds like the perfect match, doesn't it? This is actually an extremely mature look at unrequited love played out as an examination of irony as the man will do virtually anything, regardless of how extreme, to win her affection only to have each decision make matters…
Reviewed on March 28, 2026
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The Unknown (1927) is available to stream on Criterion Channel and Bloodstream, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Unknown (1927) includes Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, Nick De Ruiz and John George. The film was directed by Tod Browning. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Unknown was released on May 29, 1927 and runs for 1h 8m.
The Unknown (1927) holds an average rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 218 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, thriller and romance films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Unknown trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
