Silent Night: Music for the Silent Screen featuring The Unknown

From the twisted mind of pioneering thriller director Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks) The Unknown (1927) stars Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney (The Phantom of the Opera) in his most gripping performance. Join us for a special presentation of this silent film with an all-new live score by Paul Slavens.

The Unknown
Tod Browning, 1927
NR; 68 minutes

Alonzo the Armless is knife thrower in a Spanish circus, with eyes for his young assistant Nanon (Joan Crawford in an early role.) But when a murderer tears the act apart, Alonzo takes extreme and life-altering measures to win Nanon’s love. At only an hour, this is a film that’s still surprising and shocking almost 100 years later.

This silent story unfolds in whispers and glances, its tension amplified by Paul Slavens’ score—featuring Chelsey Danielle (percussion), Nathan Phelps (orchestral keys), and Leoncarlo Canlas (violin).

There will be a brief video discussion with Chaney Biographer Michael F. Blake (Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces) and Ryan Bijan of Cowtown Movie Classics after the screening.

Tickets for this event are $5 and is FREE for Modern members.

A north Texas-based film club that celebrates vintage and cult cinema, Cowtown Movie Classics makes classic films available to the community with the proper historical context. Follow Cowtown Movie Classics on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.