Aspects of The Unknown

There are many aspects of The Unknown that have deeper meanings. Ranging from Alonzo’s transformation into a greater monster, to the role that Cojo is actually playing in the film. The uncanny plays into The Unknown a lot as different phallic symbols and representations take place. Finally, the use of space throughout the film has certain connotations that go along with it

In the beginning of the film, there are different perceptions of who the monster is. Nanon sees the monster as any man with hands. This is sometimes her father, but more often, its Malabar. However, the audience is able to see the true monster as Alonzo when he first takes off his corset to reveal his arms. At this point, he is seen as a monster for being deceitful and hiding who he really is from his friends and coworkers. This soon changes when he is confronted with Nanon’s father in a fight. He reveals his arms and uses them to kill her father, making himself a worse monster. Although, the real (literal) transformation happens when he decides to cut his arms off. He realizes that Nanon will never love him if she found out he has arms and that his best option is to cut them off instead of living a lie. It is at this point in the film that the audience can see what a mistake he is making with this decision. Alonzo said that he “would do anything to be with Nanon” and that includes attempting to kill the Malabar, who Nanon really loved. This was what came from his transformation into the monster that Nanon finally saw him as.

Another aspect of the film that has underlying meanings is the character of Cojo. The use of this character is to literally represent Alonzo’s balls. This is determined from several features of the character including his name, height, and proximity to Alonzo. His height is an interesting aspect because it could mean several things. The first and most obvious being that he is short and small in the same way that balls are. Although, it can also been seen as somewhat of a foreshadowing for the film. Because his balls are smaller than the other characters, he does not have the courage and respect to act like a “real man” and not do the things that he did. This fact is also why, after his surgery to have his arms removed, Cojo is not seen for the remainder of the film. At this point he has lost his manhood with the decisions that he has made. This Freudian symbolism plays an even further role in the end of the film as well. With Malabar tied to two horses and Nanon above him on a platform, the setup forms a very clear phallic symbol. This representation of masculinity does not include Alonzo, further showing that he has lost the manhood he once had.

A final aspect of The Unknown that can be reviewed is the use of space. During the whole first half of the film, the space is smaller and more crowded with people and objects. Then, when Alonzo goes to get his arms removed, the space changes to a much bigger area with less in it. This is first helping to establish the unknown feeling towards the doctor and the situation. There is little background given on who the doctor is and he is seen as a very mysterious man who has probably been involved in malpractice. This wide-open space accentuates these feelings of uneasiness towards him. Once the operation is done and Alonzo returns, the space is still a lot more open than previously. The remainder of the film takes place in a large theater and so the openness of the set is still present. This contributes to the unknowing aspect of how the film will end. It is unclear whether Alonzo is going to kill Malabar or not and this new space helps to show that.