Unknown (film, 1927)

Spain , the beginning of the 20th century . Gypsy roaming circus Antonio Zanzi ( Nick De Ruiz ) gives performances in provincial cities. The main performance number is Alonzo's armless knife thrower ( Lon Cheney ). In fact, Alonzo has hands, but no one knows about this except his assistant to the midget Koho ( John George ). Pretending to be armless, Alonzo is hiding from the police - he has a dark past and has human lives on his conscience. His left hand is especially noticeable due to partial polydactyly - on it are two fused thumbs.

Alonzo is in love with the daughter of the owner of the circus Nanon ( Joan Crawford ). The girl has a phobia - she cannot stand the touch of male hands and therefore tries to stay near the “armless” Alonzo, who soon guesses about her fears and begins to play on them.

The simple-hearted circus strongman Malabar ( Norman Kerry ) is also in love with Nanon, who is constantly trying to caress the girl and can not understand what scares her. Malabar is generally pretty Nanon, but she can not overcome the painful aversion to his touch.

Antonio Zanzi notices that the knife thrower is not indifferent to his daughter and beats Alonzo. At night, Alonzo and Antonio meet by chance. The owner of the circus tears off his cloak from Alonzo and sees his hands. Alonzo rushes at the owner of the circus and strangles him. Peering out the window, Nanon sees her father being killed by a stranger with a double thumb on his left hand, but the killer's face remains hidden from her hat.

Actors bury Antonio. Police officers take fingerprints from all circus performers except the “armless” Alonzo, but none of the fingerprints match those that the killer left.

The circus is leaving. Nanon, Alonzo and Koho remain in the town, then Malabar joins them, yearning without Nanon. Nanon again rejects Malabar and shows the tenderness of Alonzo, who, as she thinks, is the only one who does not want and cannot hug her. Alonzo begins to dream of a wedding with Nanon, but Koho reminds him that this is impossible - Nanon not only immediately learns that Alonzo has hands, but will certainly notice his double thumb. Alonzo in despair lights a cigarette, as he got used to, holding a cigarette with his toes, although his hands are free at that moment. Koho, laughing, says that Alonzo is completely weaned from his hands and can already do without them.

Alonzo suddenly realizes that he can marry Nanon if he actually gets rid of his hands. He blackmails a local surgeon and makes him secretly amputate .

While Alonzo is recovering from surgery, Nanon and Malabar are getting closer to each other. Malabar finds out about the girl’s fears and tries not to do anything to frighten her. Nanon notices his delicacy. Gradually, she ceases to avoid his touch and, in the end, agrees to marry him, however, only after her “best friend” Alonzo returns.

A few weeks later, Alonzo and Koho return to the town. Alonzo goes to the local theater, where Nanon performs. The girl rushes to Alonzo’s neck and tells him that you can finally play a wedding. Alonzo is moved and happy. But then it turns out that he is not the groom at all - in front of his eyes Malabar hugs Nanon, who openly enjoys the touches of his hands. Alonzo tries not to show confusion and disappointment - it turns out that he in vain ordered his hands to be amputated! - but the blow is too strong. It is only through exorbitant effort of will that he makes himself portray joy.

Nanon and Malabar set a new circus number in which the strongman will keep two horses running in different directions. Horses must ride along moving paths, and if at least one of the tracks breaks, then the horses will simply tear Malabaru’s hands off. Alonzo adjusts the accident during the performance. While Malabar restrains a furious horse with all his might, Nanon tries to calm the animal that can hit her. Alonzo rushes to the aid of the girl, saves her, but he dies from being hit by a horse's hoof.

• Lon Cheney
• Joan Crawford
• Norman Kerry

• The film premiered in the United States on June 4, 1927.

• For a long time it was considered lost (due to a fire in the studio) that only narrow-film copies of this film were preserved, unsuitable for demonstration in a movie theater; however, in 1968, a full professional film copy of the film was discovered in the archive of the French Cinematheque .
• In some scenes where Alonzo had to do with his feet what is usually done with his hands - to light a match, take a glass, throw a knife, etc. - instead of his legs in the frame were the legs of the understudy Peter Dismuki , who was born without arms and learned to use it perfectly feet instead.
• Joan Crawford appreciated the experience gained during the filming of the film, noting in her memoirs that only after seeing Lon Cheney's acting work did she understand the difference “between standing in front of the camera and playing in front of the camera”. According to her, after that she began to work on her game much more diligently.

• Unknown on the Internet Movie Database