*Tod Browning's THE UNKNOWN (1927) Lon and 50 similar items

Vintage 8x10 in. US single-weight glossy restrike photograph (not a vintage original photo printed at the time it was taken but one that was printed from the original negative at a later time) from the classic silent film thriller drama/romance, THE UNKNOWN, released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by Tod Browning. Lon Chaney stars as a criminal on the run who hides in a circus as an armless knife-thrower and seeks to possess the daughter (Joan Crawford) of the ringmaster (Nick De Ruiz) at any cost. The image features an interior close shot of the armless circus knife-thrower, Alonzo (Lon Chaney), inside his circus wagon with an angry expression on his face. Printed from the original negative in the 1960's or possibly earlier, this vintage restrike photograph is in fine+ condition with a small oval-shaped blemish in the background area above the brim of his hat (to the left of his face) with several smaller oval shaped blemishes in the upper left background area; a tiny vertical area of small creases in the same area; and signs of wear on the bottom left corner. There are no pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws and the image quality is razor-sharp with fine detail and beautiful rich contrast. For many years, this film only existed in murky 9.5mm dupes on the black market. In March 1973, at a screening of this film at George Eastman House, archivist James Card said that Henri Langlois and his staff at the Cinematheque Francais discovered a copy of it in 1968 among other miscellaneous cans of film marked "l'inconnu" (films "unknown" due to missing titles, etc.). In 2012, director Guy Maddin named this one of the ten best films ever made in the decennial Sight Sound Directors Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. Included among the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', edited by Steven Jay Schneider.