I love the The Unknown. I think Lon Chaney is the best actor ever. The emotion he could put into a performance without talking is amazing. The Phantom of the Opera is the movie he is most known for but Laugh, Clown, Laugh is my favorite movie of his I've seen. It is shame that so many of his movies are lost.
Hey ken, Lon Chaney is known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the Opera. He was a great makeup artist and was known as the man of a thousand faces
Those two films are absolutely stunning - by far my favorite adaptations of those iconic novels, in large part thanks to Chaney. But lets not forget about the set design in both movies. Recommended.. 👍
Universal and Browning original wanted Lon Chaney to play Dracula. He died just before filming. Lugosi was a distant choice even though he was Dracula on Broadway.
When I saw Freaks many years ago (before home video existed) in a revival theater, the audience erupted in applause after the Human Torso managed to quickly roll and smoke his own cigarette, without the use of arms or legs.
This is a top tier Blu-ray release for sure. THE MYSTIC is an underrated gem that will hopefully get more attention courtesy this welcome edition. THE UNKNOWN and FREAKS are long overdue ugrades of two Browning masterworks.
Lon Chaney, the father of Lon Chaney Jr (The Wolfman) was considered the greatest actor of the silent era (over 20 yrs). Some silent films (particularly the late 20s, had their own musical scores, but most silent films were shown with musicians playing live and some included sound effects. Chaney did The Unholy Three (silent) directed by Todd Browning and when talkies began to catch on, it was remade as a talkie with Chaney again. It was his last film before he died of throat cancer. Comparing these 2 films is interesting.
This was an outstanding review video Ken! Thanks so much for doing this. I’m a huge fan of Freaks and can’t wait to pick up this release in the upcoming B&N sale.
If you want to experience a great silent horror movie I highly recommend The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Not only is it the first feature length horror movie but it’s a very beautiful movie with how abstract everything is and the small details that are a play on life. This movie actually inspired Tim Burton and it’s very easy to see how after you watch it and Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl music video is a homage to that movie so I’d check it out when you got time
I knew you would love Freaks Ken. I watched a documentary about some of these characters in this movie and they loved being actors and also loved the carnival life. This was the only financial support they had. Then all the people who put a stop to this because they said they were being treated unfairly, really did harm these peoples way of life. I think the caterpillar man was married and had kids.
I streamed Freaks on a recent flight and enjoyed it. It surprised me with its storyline and message. Like you, I do think it would have looked even more amazing in 4k. I ordered a copy of this during the recent flash sale. Happy to own all three of these historical pieces. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ken.
Freaks is a very interesting film as are the other two. I have the DVD of Freaks. Criterion are not releasing this set in the UK. I have ordered Spirit entertainment version which looks to be identical to Criterion version. Freaks was banned in the UK for many years. Lon Chaney is a wonderful actor who massively influenced Classic Universal films. He was known as the man with 1000 faces. He created classic horror characters such as hunchback of Norte Dame, Phantom of the opera.
Besides Dracula and Freaks, Tod Browning is known for London After Midnight and The Unholy Three, both silent films, starring Lon Chaney. He also did another vampire movie with Bela Lugosi, Mark of the Vampire. London after Midnight is perhaps the best known lost film in history.
What a grand day that will be when/if it is announced that London After Midnight has been found. Who knows, maybe it has already been found and it is QUIETLY being digitized and restored as we are writing these comments. Those that appreciate Lon Chaney and the silent classics continue to hope.
They need to make and sell a stand alone blu ray AND 4k UHD of Freaks by itself. Also, they should include a lot of NEVER BEFORE SEEN special features and behind the scenes footage of Freaks 1932 on a stand alone blu ray AND 4k UHD !!!!
This is a terrific Blu-ray release. The films look fabulous. I could do without the annoying podcast, and there should have been an option to shut off David Skal's commentary over the 1947 prologue.
I pre-ordered this from Amazon. The day it delivered, was the day of the Criterion one day sale. Can you do price matching with Amazon. I did the return, saying it was because I found a lower price. I was hoping they would just do a price match, but nope. So, I returned it to Amazon and ordered it from Criterion for the cheaper price.
I skipped Blu-ray, went straight from DVD to 4k. Hopefully they will release Freaks in 4k, but if the scan was in 2k then I might be in for a long wait.
Chaney is my favorite actor ever. The Unknown was released in the TCM Chaney set, and I have Freaks on DVD. I am so excited to dive into this set. Browning was a remarkable director but he had such issue adapting to sound film. I'm a silent film junkie. What's remarkable about The Unknown is he does the armless scenes with a real amputee providing the legs, with his own arms hidden. He and Browning did 10 films together. For Chaney recommendations I suggest The Penalty, The Trap, Phantom of the Opera, Laugh Clown Laugh, and He Who Gets Slapped.
Man you say you know cinema and don't know who Lon Chaney was? After Charlie Chaplin and another comic he was the other famous actor of the silent age. His most well know movies have to be Phantom Of The Opera and Hunchback Of Notre Dame. He mostly did his own make-up and they were so different that he was known as the man of a thousand faces. Anyway good review and cool video Ken!👉😃👈
Guess I misspoke, because I did know the name, but never seen a performance from Lon. Also never claimed to "Know" cinema in the sense that I'm an expert. If anything, I'm usually saying the opposite.
I had to cancel my order because it costs too much. A 2k release of an hour long movie at that price in a 4k world makes no sense given the caliber of the film. B&W screams out for uhd treatment esp for this film given its rep.
The endings of any of these films are so lame. I love The Unknown, Freaks, and the score of Mystic. Just the endings didn't satisfy me. Go ahead and watch
Not excusing it, but I think context of time is always important to consider in cases like this. He did this nearly 120 years ago. He was also very young and took a job that many probably did at the time.
Wow. Did Mr. Levels just called them “disabled?” I don’t know what century you’re living in but it’s “physical or mental impairment.” Let’s cancel KENtucky. Lol. Great review, I want to buy it when there’s a sell. I knew it wasn’t going to look great but it’s very old so that doesn’t bother me.
Lucky for Ken, the opposite of what you wrote is true. "Disabled" and "disability" are acceptable when coupled with a form of the word "person" (e.g., "people with disabilities”, "disabled people"). …Ken did that. He mentioned "actors..." (a type of person) "... with real-life disabilities" then he said, "people in this movie are really disabled". It is "impairment" and "impaired" that is considered insensitive. This is noted in various corporate style guides. (For example, do a search for “Microsoft Style Guide Accessibility terms”.)
I love the The Unknown. I think Lon Chaney is the best actor ever. The emotion he could put into a performance without talking is amazing. The Phantom of the Opera is the movie he is most known for but Laugh, Clown, Laugh is my favorite movie of his I've seen. It is shame that so many of his movies are lost.
Agreed about Chaney
Looking forward to receiving mine!
Hey ken, Lon Chaney is known for The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the Opera. He was a great makeup artist and was known as the man of a thousand faces
Those two films are absolutely stunning - by far my favorite adaptations of those iconic novels, in large part thanks to Chaney. But lets not forget about the set design in both movies. Recommended.. 👍
If you're looking for more great silent films, I suggest watching Metropolis, Intolerance, and Sunrise. They're all amazing.
Universal and Browning original wanted Lon Chaney to play Dracula. He died just before filming. Lugosi was a distant choice even though he was Dracula on Broadway.
When I saw Freaks many years ago (before home video existed) in a revival theater, the audience erupted in applause after the Human Torso managed to quickly roll and smoke his own cigarette, without the use of arms or legs.
This is a top tier Blu-ray release for sure. THE MYSTIC is an underrated gem that will hopefully get more attention courtesy this welcome edition. THE UNKNOWN and FREAKS are long overdue ugrades of two Browning masterworks.
I've been waiting to pick this one up at the B&N sale. Glad to hear it delivers and I can replace my Freaks DVD.
Great review Ken! I picked this up on release day and was hoping it was worth it.
Lon Chaney, the father of Lon Chaney Jr (The Wolfman) was considered the greatest actor of the silent era (over 20 yrs). Some silent films (particularly the late 20s, had their own musical scores, but most silent films were shown with musicians playing live and some included sound effects. Chaney did The Unholy Three (silent) directed by Todd Browning and when talkies began to catch on, it was remade as a talkie with Chaney again. It was his last film before he died of throat cancer. Comparing these 2 films is interesting.
This was an outstanding review video Ken! Thanks so much for doing this.
I’m a huge fan of Freaks and can’t wait to pick up this release in the upcoming B&N sale.
Lon Chaney, Man of a Thousand Faces, and father of Creighton Chaney, aka Lon Chaney Jr (The Wolfman)
I agree...'Freaks' is a brilliant film and certainly NOT exploitative. So good to have this on blu ray!
Nice review Ken!
Great review!...thanks!
My copy arrived today. I got it half off during that Criterion flash sale a few days ago. I’m surprised it arrived so fast.
If you want to experience a great silent horror movie I highly recommend The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Not only is it the first feature length horror movie but it’s a very beautiful movie with how abstract everything is and the small details that are a play on life. This movie actually inspired Tim Burton and it’s very easy to see how after you watch it and Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl music video is a homage to that movie so I’d check it out when you got time
I'll second this recommendation, for sure. Just viewed the 4k restoration. Fantastic!
I’ve been a fan of Freaks for nearly 2 decades. I have owned the old Warner Bros. DVD since it first came out.
one of the titles i picked up at t he 50% flash sale, just arrived today
Me too! 👍
I knew you would love Freaks Ken. I watched a documentary about some of these characters in this movie and they loved being actors and also loved the carnival life. This was the only financial support they had. Then all the people who put a stop to this because they said they were being treated unfairly, really did harm these peoples way of life. I think the caterpillar man was married and had kids.
i'm surprised that you said you don't know about lon chaney. he was in silent classics such as the phantom of the opera and he who gets slapped.
I streamed Freaks on a recent flight and enjoyed it. It surprised me with its storyline and message. Like you, I do think it would have looked even more amazing in 4k. I ordered a copy of this during the recent flash sale. Happy to own all three of these historical pieces. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ken.
Great review ken
I remember my family rented Freaks on VHS back in the early 90's
Freaks is a very interesting film as are the other two. I have the DVD of Freaks.
Criterion are not releasing this set in the UK. I have ordered Spirit entertainment version which looks to be identical to Criterion version. Freaks was banned in the UK for many years.
Lon Chaney is a wonderful actor who massively influenced Classic Universal films. He was known as the man with 1000 faces.
He created classic horror characters such as hunchback of Norte Dame, Phantom of the opera.
Besides Dracula and Freaks, Tod Browning is known for London After Midnight and The Unholy Three, both silent films, starring Lon Chaney. He also did another vampire movie with Bela Lugosi, Mark of the Vampire. London after Midnight is perhaps the best known lost film in history.
What a grand day that will be when/if it is announced that London After Midnight has been found. Who knows, maybe it has already been found and it is QUIETLY being digitized and restored as we are writing these comments. Those that appreciate Lon Chaney and the silent classics continue to hope.
I’ll be picking this up during the 50% off sale
silent films music was provided by each individual theater, either by phonograph or as performed live by flesh-and-blood musicians
I really want this, but I have a feeling they're gonna release it on 4k, so I'm gonna wait.
Freaks is a possibility, but the other two probably not.
They need to make and sell a stand alone blu ray AND 4k UHD of Freaks by itself. Also, they should include a lot of NEVER BEFORE SEEN special features and behind the scenes footage of Freaks 1932 on a stand alone blu ray AND 4k UHD !!!!
This is a terrific Blu-ray release. The films look fabulous. I could do without the annoying podcast, and there should have been an option to shut off David Skal's commentary over the 1947 prologue.
I must procure this.
I've heard that too regarding the reverence Browning brought to the characters.
I like the little guy that is in love 💕. He looks like one of the little Rascals. 😊😂😅
They did a 5k scan of Freaks for the restoration, so do you think there's any chance of a future 4k release?
Lon Chaney Jr. got into the movies too and worked until the 60s or early 70s. He did a lot of horror.🤔
I pre-ordered this from Amazon. The day it delivered, was the day of the Criterion one day sale. Can you do price matching with Amazon. I did the return, saying it was because I found a lower price. I was hoping they would just do a price match, but nope. So, I returned it to Amazon and ordered it from Criterion for the cheaper price.
Wow your not familiar with Lon Chaney ?
I've seen this movie 🍿 before a few times and it is good. Eye opener. 🎃🔪👍
Freaks is such a good movie. Everyone should watch it .
I skipped Blu-ray, went straight from DVD to 4k. Hopefully they will release Freaks in 4k, but if the scan was in 2k then I might be in for a long wait.
I wish Freaks was released on bluray by itself.
Chaney is my favorite actor ever. The Unknown was released in the TCM Chaney set, and I have Freaks on DVD. I am so excited to dive into this set. Browning was a remarkable director but he had such issue adapting to sound film. I'm a silent film junkie. What's remarkable about The Unknown is he does the armless scenes with a real amputee providing the legs, with his own arms hidden. He and Browning did 10 films together. For Chaney recommendations I suggest The Penalty, The Trap, Phantom of the Opera, Laugh Clown Laugh, and He Who Gets Slapped.
Thank you for mentioning The Penalty. Chaney's performance in that film was beyond INTENSE.
I literally just finished Freaks for the first time!! Glad to find a review from such a cool channel. Thanks!
Man you say you know cinema and don't know who Lon Chaney was? After Charlie Chaplin and another comic he was the other famous actor of the silent age. His most well know movies have to be Phantom Of The Opera and Hunchback Of Notre Dame. He mostly did his own make-up and they were so different that he was known as the man of a thousand faces. Anyway good review and cool video Ken!👉😃👈
Guess I misspoke, because I did know the name, but never seen a performance from Lon. Also never claimed to "Know" cinema in the sense that I'm an expert. If anything, I'm usually saying the opposite.
@@midlevelmedia O.K. pal everyday we learn something new. I don't know everything about horror either I'm always learning.😁
I had to cancel my order because it costs too much. A 2k release of an hour long movie at that price in a 4k world makes no sense given the caliber of the film. B&W screams out for uhd treatment esp for this film given its rep.
It's 3 films totaling 3.5 hours. Wait for the Criterion sale.
Freaks was filmed to be way longer but they hacked it to death and the cut sections are lost.
I hate digipacks, sadly all digipacks arrives damaged from Criterion or Barnes due the poor packing of those stores.
It isn't disrespecful to call them freaks cause that is term that they used at the carnivals and circus'.
The endings of any of these films are so lame. I love The Unknown, Freaks, and the score of Mystic. Just the endings didn't satisfy me. Go ahead and watch
I do not care about Tedd Browning he dressing in black face making fun my people
Not excusing it, but I think context of time is always important to consider in cases like this. He did this nearly 120 years ago. He was also very young and took a job that many probably did at the time.
Wow.
Did Mr. Levels just called them “disabled?”
I don’t know what century you’re living in but it’s “physical or mental impairment.”
Let’s cancel KENtucky. Lol.
Great review, I want to buy it when there’s a sell.
I knew it wasn’t going to look great but it’s very old so that doesn’t bother me.
Lucky for Ken, the opposite of what you wrote is true.
"Disabled" and "disability" are acceptable when coupled with a form of the word "person" (e.g., "people with disabilities”, "disabled people").
…Ken did that. He mentioned "actors..." (a type of person) "... with real-life disabilities" then he said, "people in this movie are really disabled".
It is "impairment" and "impaired" that is considered insensitive.
This is noted in various corporate style guides. (For example, do a search for “Microsoft Style Guide
Accessibility terms”.)
Bro u yap a lot
You want me to sit in silence? Lol