7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
He (Lon Chaney) throws knives for a living -- with his feet, because he's supposedly armless. She (Joan Crawford) is his assistant who, fearful of the touch of any man's hand, fancies him. Perhaps Chaney's most bizarre work!
Starring: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, Nick De Ruiz, John GeorgeHorror | 100% |
Drama | 41% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.32:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.2:1
Music: LPCM 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Tod Browning's "The Unknown" (1927) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with author Megan Abbott and new audio commentary by critic and author David Skal. In English, with original English intertitles. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.32:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080i transfer, The Unknown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
I mentioned elsewhere that this release presents a recent restoration of The Unknown that is actually a complex reconstruction project that combined material from two different sources -- nitrate prints of a French-language version and a Czech-language version of the film. These prints must have been in pretty rough conditions because the restoration looks quite uneven. For example, there are numerous areas with light to moderate surface damage, jumps, and shaky transitions. Density levels fluctuate quite a bit too, though as far as I am concerned this is hardly surprising. I think that some of the retained damage could have been further minimized and even removed with digital tools. The grayscale is convincing but with inconsistencies as well. Generally speaking, delineation, clarity, and depth are always pleasing, which is perhaps somewhat surprising considering all the source limitations that were retained. There are no traces of digital anomalies. All in all, I think that after it was restored and reconstructed The Unknown has good organic qualities. However, it is very easy to tell that time was not kind to it. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Music LPCM 2.0. The film is presented with brand new English intertitles that have the George Eastman Museum logo (GEM).
The new score was written and recorded by composer Philip Carli in 2023. Obviously, the LPCM 2.0 track offers a flawless reproduction of the studio recording. The piano sounds outstanding, but as expected, all dynamic contrasts have chamber qualities. While viewing the film, I did not encounter any technical issues on the lossless track to report in our review.
It is not easy to profile The Unknown. It is a pretty dark film, or at least most of it is, and its final act is genuinely disturbing, or at least until evil is defeated. It very quickly creates the impression that it aspires to be a horror film, but it is actually a romantic film with a most unusual twist. In other words, it is a seriously subversive film that much like Freaks was well ahead of its time. One more thing. The character Lon Chaney plays is one of the strangest yet most realistic maniacs I have seen appear in a silent film. The Unknown has been recently restored and reconstructed, and is included in Criterion's Tod Browning's Sideshow Shockers, a two-disc set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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