Life, 1927-07-07 · page 30 of 42
Life — July 7, 1927 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page reviews recent silent films, focusing on two features: **"The Unknown"** starring **Lon Chaney** and **"The Missing Link"** with **Charlie Chaplin**. **"The Unknown":** The reviewer praises Chaney's grotesque makeup artistry but finds his performance genuinely disturbing—specifically his depiction of an armless performer who manipulates cigarettes with his toes. The critic notes the film is well-directed by Tod Browning but confesses discomfort watching extreme close-ups of the character's feet, preferring to focus on co-star Joan Crawford instead. **"The Missing Link":** Chaplin plays a nervous explorer encountering wild animals and natives in Africa. The reviewer finds it crude slapstick comedy with little plot, redeemed only by scenes featuring a pet monkey chasing Chaplin through footage. The humor relies entirely on physical comedy and animal antics rather than narrative. Both reviews reflect 1920s silent cinema's emphasis on visual spectacle and physical performance over storytelling.
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— “The Unknown” FTER years of Chaney’ in all manner of rales, [ watchi Lon ought not to be unduly upset by any may over disguise or mannerism that he adopt. I him over and again as Quasimodo, the Hunchback; as The Frog in “The Miracle Man” and as what's-his-name, the operatic Phantom; but it is in ‘he Un- known,” his latest picture, that Mr. Chaney afflicts me for the first time of horror and _re- saw with a real sense pulsion. I can stand twisted spines, gnarled teeth, hands and other miracles of make-up—but very close leprous close-ups of toes don’t seem to set well with me. I want to look the other way. IS “The appears as an or rather, he isn’t armless at all; in fact, he two arms and three thuinbs. Anyway, he pretends to be with Unknown,” Mr, Chaney armless wonder— has armless, and does everythi Life ILENT DRAMA his feet. He even holds cigarettes between his toes and flicks the ashes off. ..1 can’t even tell about it. Throughout “The Unknown,” the spectator’s attention is, or should be, divided about equally between Mr. Chaney's toes and Miss Joan Craw- ford’s stomach. I personally recom- mend the latter as considerably more worthwhile as a enter- tainment. medium of “THE UNKNOWN” was written nd directed by Tod Browning ain shows that he has imagi- nd skill in unusual quanti- The stionally well done—the background, the cos- who a nation ties. picture is ex tumes, the lights and the shadows all being admirably managed. Whatever may be said in depreea- tion of its chiropodistic tendencies, “The Unknown” is a real moving picture—something that “Mr, Wu” most emphatically was not. It is ‘Tod Browning, with his fine sense of pictorial values, who makes it so. Leen bs i ed te “The Missing Link” YD CHAPLIN has now gone for two pictures without benefit of skirts, and it seems that the lor deferred interment of “Charlie's Aunt” has at last been accomplished The Missing Link” is similar in spirit and in method to “The Bet ter Ole"; it is rough-and-tumble comedy which makes no sense but which’ is bound to provoke severe storms of loud, coarse, refreshing laughter. Mr. Chaplin appears, as did Douglas MacLean recently, as a nervous explorer who becomes tan- gled up with lions, gorillas and other ferocious natives of the Dark Continent. By far the scenes in “The Missing Link” provided by a pet monkey, who chases the frightened Mr. Chaplin about through several hundred feet of film. This one episode is apparently the sole reason for the picture's exist- ence—but it is reason enough. R. E. Sherwood. funniest ¢ Joy as one of “society” Vanity. overdressed, overstressed who flirt with the flame and get singe with, possibly, an egg thrown in. A. sty jec hle movie The Telephone Girl. to be another cheap one achieves th shampx rally ob- owing largely brook Blinn, The Secret Studio. tionalism which features ju hing Olive Borden has Tillie the Toiler. American Sten timed wise-cracks knees attached, Lost at the dialect jokes eral reels ront. Another ¢ strung out thr cent A Million Bid. s Costello in ed with ca’ Frank well disg Seventh Heaven. director, and Janet lady, en Is Zat So? One of America’s g est comedies made into a fairly ami movie Annie Laurie. Lillian turned coquettish on us—with « Its. The picture itself is all right Resurrection. A courageously grim interpretation of Tolstoi, played to the hilt by Dolores Del Rio and directed (a to the hilt) by Edwin Carewe. Venus of Venice. ( tance Tal madge is her old alluring self as a Vene- tian_street-swimmer Developments mendous financial cess for Cecil B Mille, which isn't quite above cri long as the usual box-office prices a ing_charge Camille. mous Parisian c ‘ma Talmadge as the fa urtesan who should have ¢ h. Ankles Preferred. in one that can be ps greatest_ease The Rough Riders. The moderately heroic activities of Roosevelt's cowboys in the Spanish War. When a Man Loves. This seems t lar, possibly because motion pic exhibited in darkened theatres Slide, Kelly, Slide; Stark Love; What Price Glory; Beau Geste; Old Ironsides; The Fire Brigade am! The Big Parade. Worthy SID y\ Madge Bellamy 1 up with the comicbooks.com