Underplayed Gems

A Blind Bargain (1922)

A Blind Bargain poster
Directed by
Wallace Worsley
Genre
horror film, silent film, science fiction film, monster film
Country
United States
Runtime
57 min
Rated
NR
Rating
8.0 of 10 from 2 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A doctor named Dr. Lamb and his ape-like assistant try to play God by creating artificial life. Lon Chaney plays both the doctor and the ape man.

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What happens

A Blind Bargain was a 1922 American silent horror film starring Lon Chaney and Raymond McKee, released through Goldwyn Pictures. The film was directed by Wallace Worsley and is based on Barry Pain's 1897 novel The Octave of Claudius. Lon Chaney played a dual role in the film, as both Dr. Lamb and "the Ape Man", one of Chaney's few "true horror films". The claim that Wallace Beery appeared as an ape-man uncredited has never been proven, but does persist in many sources. Although the film was finished in November 1921, it was only released in December 1922. This delay was due to problems with the censors, as the film's theme dealt with doctors creating artificial life and attempting to play God. The film was cut from six reels to five in the process, and the title cards had to be rewritten four times. The film is now considered lost and remains today one of the most sought after lost films of Lon Chaney's career. A lobby card from the film exists on the internet, as well as a photo of Chaney in the Ape Man makeup. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.