Lon Chaney Coll

Well,it took me a heck of a long time to get around to reviewing TCMs release of this Lon Chaney collection of films but it has finally arrived.This two disc set includes The Ace of Hearts(released Oct/21,running around 70 minutes),Laugh,Clown Laugh(released April/28 and running around 71 minutes),The Unknown(released June/27 and running around 50 minutes).Also included is Chaneys London After Midnight(released Dec/27),however being a lost film this is a recreation using stock MGM footage but mainly publicity stills.It gives one a rough idea of the films narrative.I first got onto Chaney way back when,when I was attending my silent film soirees and saw The Shock,He Who gets Slapped,The Unholy Three,The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera.There is no doubt Chaney was a master actor,never mind the makeup which was just the cherry on the cake.I have NEVER seen anyone on screen whose emotions jumped out at you and pulled you into his character like he could;he had no peers,period.
The first film on tap is The Ace of Hearts,and although showing a bit too much old school melodrama at times,it has a fascinating plot which keeps you riveted from beginning to end.Chaney is a member of a secretive organization who seem to have a God complex.When they come across an entity who they believe is a menace or drag on society they take them out.To do this they draw cards and whoever gets the movies title card,that is who gets the "honour" of extinguishing that persons life.Lon and another member have a rival love for the only female member of the group.Lon loses out as the other man gets the ubiquitous honour of taking out someone they have deemed unacceptable.In fact both eventually marry,and Lon is torn up inside.The morning after the night before has weakened her resolve to go through with the murder by explosive,but not her new husband,who remains committed.Lon has camped outside their residence all night and confronts his rival in the morning,testing his resolve,as he leaves to do the deed.Lon returns to the group while the other goes on with his task.He is a waiter and when a younger couple who have eloped sit down at the next table he has a change of heart.He returns to the group with the news he didn't go through with the deed and HE is now #1 on the hit list.Chaney has promised his old flame he would help get the two out of their predicament,but the group will not be swayed.Chaney activates the bomb as they sit drawing cards and as "kismet" would have it,he draws the Ace of Hearts.There is an explosion and the couple who have fled are now free to live their lives without fear due to Chaney's sacrifice.This was Chaney on the rise as a star and he is basically just another player in an ensemble cast,but he sticks of the crowd as if he had a permanent spotlight on him constantly.Oh yes,this is a Goldwyn picture,before he joined Metro pictures.Few recall it was Goldwyn who originally had the lion at the beginning of his films.When he merged with Metro/Mayer he of course brought along his lion with him.No,I'm not lion.
Laugh Clown,Laugh has Chaney as Tito the clown,later known as Flik.He has a traveling act with his brother,later known as Flak(one wonders if the ice skating European pair of Fric and Frak were inspired by this film?).They raise an orphan girl as their own,played later when grown by a 14 year old Loretta Young;called Simonetta.However Chaney has now fallen in love with her...yes,THAT way,and he becomes increasingly conflicted knowing it is wrong.He eventually seeks psychiatric help at the same time an Italian count seeks help for his affliction of uncontrollable laughter.The two decide they can help each other but the count has fallen for Simonetta also and becomes Chaney's rival,adding another dimension to his inner conflict.As the film progresses Simonetta finally realizes the real extent of Chaneys love for her.When she goes to tell the count their engagement is off Chaney's turmoil comes through once more and he decides there is only one way out for both of them.
This film really showcases Chaney's acting to the nth degree and became one of his signature films and it is good to have it here in this collection.At one point his brother is urging Chaney to "laugh,clown laugh...laugh,though your heart is aching".Now for those in the know,the latter is a line,word for word, from Chaplin's song Smile,written in 1936 for his film Modern Times.Hmmm.
The Unknown stars Chaney as an "armless" knife thrower in a circus act.Trouble is he is NOT armless and he is using the circus as a front for his nefarious activities in different towns the circus travels to.He is in love with a young Joan Crawford who hates being pawed by men.Chaney's rival for her affections is the strong man who slowly but surely brings her around.In the meantime Chaney resorts to extreme measures to win her love forever.He decides to have his arms really removed by a surgeon that he blackmails.After the deed is done he returns to the circus to find that his love has finally settled on the strongman and both are to be wed.The couple show Chaney their new act which involves the strongman restraining two horses on either side of him,both on treadmills.If one of them or both were to stop his arms would be ripped out.This is Chaney's chance and as the treadmills slow down Crawford sees what Chaney has done and jumps down in front of one of the horses to stop it rearing up.Chaney pushes her aside and dies under the horses hooves.
The most famous scene in this film is the moment Chaney has returned to the circus after his arms have been amputated and realizes his love is marrying someone else.The range of emotion that Chaney exudes is unparallelled.This scene lives up to its hype and beyond.When Gloria Swanson tells William Holden in Sunset Boulevard"...we had faces then",you better believe it as you watch this scene.
Technically speaking the films have been remastered to their best and generally are clear and crisp.All of them have age related problems,and are mostly incomplete,but they are the best we have as of this writing,which over all is more than acceptable.Extras include two featurettes on the music scoring candidates for two of the films,commentary on the films,opening commentary by TCMs Robert Osbourne and a beautiful 85 min.documentary by silent film expert Kevin Brownlow on Chaney that you won't want to miss at all.It features many rare clips of his films and is a great primer for those just learning about the master craftsman.
All in all this is a must own set of Chaney films for all of his fans and those of the silent era in general.All of the films,though mostly truncated,are mighty nice to look at and a testament to the man of a thousand faces and his peerless acting ability.They do NOT make 'em like Chaney anymore...and we are the poorer for it.

Lon Chaney was perhaps the greatest cinematic contortionist in the history of cinema. His gimmick was to use make up as camouflage, thereby appearing in each film with a completely different and unique look; most of them hideous. In this box set we get three of Lon's chameleons; The Ace of Hearts, Laugh, Clown, Laugh and The Unknown - where Chaney convincingly plays an armless knife throwing circus performer opposite Joan Crawford.
THE TRANSFER: Each film is presented in its most complete surviving version. The B&W and tinted color elements are remarkably pristine, considering the vintage. Though age related artifacts are present throughout they do not distract and quite often vanish into the backdrop of each engrossing story. Shadow and contrast levels are perfectly balanced. Image flickering and film grain are kept at their minimal levels. As these are "silent" movies we get a newly remastered 5.1 scoring that is amply presented across all channels of one's home theater set up.
EXTRAS: A wonderfully comprehensive documentary on Chaney's life, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, as presented on Turner Classic Movies. A reconstruction of "London After Midnight" a film that no longer exists in any form other than still photographs. Also an audio commentary track for each of the feature films in this box set.
BOTTOM LINE: This is an incredibly well done tribute to the silent cinema's haunted man of immeasurable mysteries and one that is well worth your time and your money.

"The Lon Chaney Collection"is one of the best DVD's of 2003.I'm a 14 year old Lon Chaney fan,and this will defintely be one of the best things I'll own my whole life. "The Lon Chaney Collection" has two discs. Disc one has an introduction by Robert Osborne and the Lon Chaney movies "The Ace of Hearts" and "Laugh,Clown,Laugh". Disc two has the Lon Chaney movies "The Unknown" and the "lost" 1927 film "London After Midnight". Also included is "Lon Chaney:A Thousand Faces", a documentary about the life and films of Lon Chaney. The best film on "The Lon Chaney Collection" is "Laugh,Clown,Laugh". "Laugh,Clown,Laugh" is about a man named Tito (played by Lon Chaney) whose job is playing Flik,a circus clown who entertains people and makes people laugh. One day, Tito finds a little girl who has been abandoned. Tito asks his partner to take care of this abandoned little girl- but he refuses- because he believes women bring bad luck. So Tito takes care of this little girl, and soon she becomes a woman. Tito and his partner fall in love with her, and there is a dispute over who is going to love her. The most interesting film Lon Chaney ever made-it's my all time favorite Lon Chaney movie. The best part of "The Lon Chaney Collection" is the "lost" 1927 film "London After Midnight", where a man is found dead in his London home. Investigators aren't sure if the death was murder or suicide-but then get some evidence the supposed victim is still alive. "London After Midnight" was released in 1927 and was "lost"in a fire in 1962. Because of this, there is a photo reconstruction. "The Lon Chaney Collection" is a must have for all silent film fans.