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Portastatic, headed up by Superchunk member and Merge Records co-founder Mac McCaughan, brings new life to an historic oddity. For this special event, the group unveils an original live score for the rarely seen silent film The Unknown. This 1927 masterpiece from director Tod Browning (Dracula, Freaks) stars Lon Chaney Sr. as a carnival knife thrower “Alonzo the Armless” and Joan Crawford as Nanon Zanzi, the scantily-clad carnival girl Alonzo wants to marry. Yes, he is an armless knife-thrower. Chaney throws knives, plays guitar, lights and smokes cigarettes and drinks wine with his feet. Nanon, who is repulsed by men, finds solace with Alonzo because he has no arms with which to touch her. With a positively odd premise and outrageous plot twists, The Unknown is by far Browning’s most bizarre film, and Chaney’s performance is considered the best of his career, hands down (pun intended). Mac McCaughan—along with brother Matthew McCaughan, fellow Superchunker Jim Wilbur and a rotating line-up of other talented musicians—has released a number of Portastatic recordings over the past dozen years, including last year’s acclaimed Bright Ideas. Adding a new dimension to a strange and spellbinding work, this live score will also feature the talents of Margaret White on violin, Carrie Shull on Oboe, Jeb Bishop on Trombone and Laura Thomas also on violin. Movie events do not get much more one-of-a-kind than this. Click here to purchase tickets.
Director: Tod Browning
Principal Cast: Lon Cheney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry, Nick De Ruiz
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Portastatic, headed up by Superchunk member and Merge Records co-founder Mac McCaughan, brings new life to an historic oddity. For thi...
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