The Penalty (1920) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Penalty
Year: 1920
Director: Wallace Worsely
Country: US
Language: N/A

Best known for the big "monster" classics like Phantom of the Opera and Hunchback of Notre Dame, Lon Chaney made his name through smaller pictures like The Penalty and West of Zanzibar. It was in these pictures that he could act his most mad; playing sickos, psychos, masterminds and deranged criminals without much censorship. He was particularly well adept to playing people who were disfigured; in The Penalty he plays a man who has no legs! 

In this, a deformed criminal mastermind (Lon Chaney) plans to loot the city of San Francisco as well as revenge himself on the doctor who mistakenly amputated his legs.

The Penalty is a product of its time. I have no doubt that this film would not be green-lit in 2016 because of its subject matter, which essentially demonizes the legless and disabled. Lon Chaney’s performance as Blizzard relied on his concealing his legs convincingly. This is easy to do in 2016, as all one has to do is wear green socks in from of a green screen, but how would Chaney make his performance passable in 1920? Well Chaney fit his knees into leather stumps, which forced his legs into a tightly bent position. Then to compensate for the added thickness, he padded up his shoulders and chest. Considering his knees were quite injured at the time, it's fair to say that Chaney went all out for this role. 

Chaney's acting is remarkable; we see all his emotions on display in The Penalty. He turns from sarcastic anger to murderous fury to euphoria and finally confusion and regret. For the 20's, his villainous character is quite complex. The female in this story, Barbara Ferris (Claire Adams) is constantly treated with animosity from the other characters. The infantilizing attitude treated toward her is quite demeaning, but the sexists are eventually turned on their heads. This is quite forward thinking for 1920 and thus should be respected. Few silents give sexists their comeuppance. 

The Penalty is quite dated, but it is still a fairly decent picture which showcases some of Lon Chaney's greatest acting. It is twisted and sleezy, but that's part of why film buffs love silent "horror" films. Far better than the book it's based on, I recommend watching any Lon Chaney at least once.