Runtime: I saw the restored 66 minute version
Directed by: Tod Browning
Starring: Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry, Nick De
Ruiz, John George
From: MGM
It was not the plan to see several movies from the classic era of Hollywood this week; however, it was missed by me until yesterday that the Criterion Channel added this month the restored version featuring most of the deleted footage from the original cut that had been feared lost for decades. A Czech print was found several years ago which contained those missing scenes so those were added to what had been available for decades beforehand; one day I should purchase Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers, the Criterion set which has this, Freaks and The Mystic… apparently, they did a great job restoring Freaks so that is appealing. But for now I was happy to finally see a fuller version of a movie never watched by me before partially due to its prior status as incomplete.
What a wild tale that was told. Lon Chaney (Sr.) is an armless man who is part of a menagerie of circus performers; he is entranced by an 18 year old Joan Crawford, who is on the other end of his knife-throwing act. He does a lot with his feet… thing is, he actually has arms but is in disguise so he can avoid authorities; there are specific reasons why that I won’t spoil. The only one that knows the secret is Cojo, the dwarf. There is a love triangle w/ Malabar the strongman. She is more attracted to Lon due to his lack of hands as she’s fed up w/ a typical man groping her. If that isn’t bizarre by your standards, wait until you see the rest of the plot unfurl; this is a dark, Grand Guignol psychosexual nightmare.
Without having seen the truncated 50 minute cut for comparison, this 66 minute silent is a tragic tale filled w/ subtext where all the performances are good but Chaney was a standout. There is astounding acting from him in a key scene near the end; this alone would solidify his standing as a silent star but throughout he was aces. Even if you suspect where the destination is, the journey is a macabre one yet it felt rewarding due to the setting and the extreme moments that occurred. Not only was I delighted to have experienced this shocker, it’s a delight to inform everyone there is now a legal way to stream the restored version if they don’t want to pay for the Blu on disc… at least not yet.
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