The Penalty
Re-issue poster for The Penalty in the late 1920s by MGM. The Penalty was originally a sole Goldwyn production in 1920.
Directed by	Wallace Worsley
Produced by	Samuel Goldwyn
Written by	Charles Kenyon Philip Lonergan Gouverneur Morris Claire Adams
Cinematography	Donovan Short
Editing by	Frank E. Hull
Distributed by	Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date(s)	1920
Country	United States
Language	Silent film English intertitles

The Penalty is an American crime film, originally released 1920. It was directed by Wallace Worsley, and written by Philip Lonergan and Charles Kenyon, based upon the pulp novel by Gouverneur Morris. It starred Lon Chaney, Charles Clary, Doris Pawn, Jim Mason, and Claire Adams.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Legacy 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Plot

The film follows gangster Blizzard (Lon Chaney), whose legs were mistakenly amputated at a young age. Driven insane by the social pressures of being forced to walk in a crutch, Blizzard becomes a crime lord. He tracks down the doctor who performed his operation, and plots a twisted revenge — kidnap the doctor's daughter's fiance (Clary), and graft his legs onto Blizzard's stumps.

[edit] Production

The apparatus worn by Chaney to simulate amputated legs was complex and incredibly painful. Consisting primarily of two wooden buckets and multiple leather straps, Chaney's knees sat in the buckets, while his lower legs were tied back. Though studio doctors asked that Chaney not wear the device, he insisted on doing so, so his costume would be authentic.

To assure audiences that Chaney was not an amputee, the original release of the film reportedly included an short epilogue clip showing Chaney out of character. This clip does not survive in the existing prints.

[edit] Legacy

The Penalty was one of Chaney's breakout roles, showcasing his taste for the macabre and talent for contortion and disguise. He had previously demonstrated similar qualities in the previous year's The Miracle Man, but Penalty secured Chaney's place as one of America's most famous character actors, before moving on to his more famous roles in 1923's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and 1925's The Phantom of the Opera'

In 2009 Empire Magazine named it #17 in a poll of the 20 Greatest Gangster Movies You've Never Seen* (*Probably).

[edit] References

• Skal, David J., The Monster Show, pg. 65. ISBN 0-571-19996-8

[edit] External links

• The Penalty at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Penalty at the Internet Movie Database
• The Penalty at Allmovie