The Unknown 1927

Spain, early 20th century. Antonio Zanzi’s traveling Gypsy circus is performing in provincial towns. The main attraction of the show is Alonzo, the armless knife thrower. In reality, Alonzo does have arms, but no one knows this except his assistant, the dwarf Koho. By pretending to be armless, Alonzo hides from the police—he has a dark past, and human lives weigh on his conscience. His left hand is particularly conspicuous due to partial polydactyly—it has two fused thumbs. Alonzo is in love with Nanon, the circus owner’s daughter. The girl has a phobia—she cannot stand being touched by men’s hands, so she tries to stay close to the “armless” Alonzo, who soon figures out her fears and begins to exploit them.