Hitchcoc This was as good as it gets for Lon Chaney, Sr. While the tale itself suspect, his performance rises above. We have all heard the stories of how this man could put himself through agony for a role. This is a prime example. A boy has his legs unnecessarily amputated by an inexperienced doctor. As he grows, he goes over to the dark side and becomes pure evil. Chaney somehow tucked those legs into some prosthetics. It must have been extremely painful. His primary victims are women whom he subverts through his gangland like power. It's hard to be totally appalled at his actions because he certainly is a victim. But he has choices. As time goes along, there are those who are willing to befriend him and actually express love toward him. He had one of the most emotionally expressive faces to ever grace the screen. Unfortunately, the conclusion sort of dies on the vine.

Scott LeBrun Silent screen legend Lon Chaney has a particularly enjoyable role which he plays to the hilt. His expressions and delivery are absolutely delicious; he looks like he is having a terrific time playing this demented antagonist. Experts believe that the pain he must have felt wearing a harness had an impact on his performance and added to his intensity. The other performers are fine but are simply blown off the screen by his flamboyant villainy.The story is a good one. Based on the novel by Gouverneur Morris and scripted by Charles Kenyon & Philip Lonergan, it tells of a man named "Blizzard" (Chaney), who as a child had had his legs unnecessarily amputated by incompetent doctor Ferris (Charles Clary). He grows up to be a crippled, embittered gangster in San Francisco who plots an insidious revenge, intending to get close to Ferris's sculptress daughter Barbara (Claire Adams). She's in a creative slump and has decided to make a portrait of "Satan after the fall", for which Blizzard means to model. While this is going on, an undercover operative named Rose (Ethel Grey Terry) has infiltrated his organization to get the goods on him."The Penalty" is a very diverting melodrama that does have a deliberate pace, but there are many fine moments with Mr. Chaney. In addition to its serious moments, it has some humour as well. It's especially funny when Blizzard asks of his henchmen, "Do I look like Satan?" One of the best lines of dialogue occurs when Blizzard is told that he's mad, and he responds that it's the kind of madness that succeeds. And Blizzard does indeed often look sufficiently mad.As directed by Wallace Worsley, this does have some neat details, such as hidden passageways, always fun to see in films from this period. And the story leads to a rather unexpected and touching resolution that is extremely effective.Must viewing for Chaney fans.Eight out of 10.

aspenentertains Myself being a listener of TV and not a devoted watcher, find Sunday nights with TCM an unpleasant distraction with most scores for the Silent Movies catching up a bit late to my consciousness with welcome relief by my latent push of a button. These scores no matter the orchestrations, generate memories of organ music in vintage Soap Operas. The Penalty was different and had me listening till the end with delight. I am sorry if in fact as some others say, it does not match the film. My hope is their conclusion is based on their own barriers. I will settle back one day and watch it for my own conclusion.

Scarecrow-88 The wrongful amputation of a child's legs due to a doctor's misdiagnosis leads to the embittered rage of the patient as an adult. The coping with not having legs, often repulsing others and pretty much ruining the relationship with his father, Blizzard(Lon Chaney in a mesmerizing performance)has risen to the ranks of Master of the Underworld in San Francisco. He's a cruel, sadistic tyrant who rules his district(The Barbary Coast)with such an iron fist that even police rather fear him. He has dreamed for years of having new legs grafted, following the success in the surgical field of Dr. Ferris(Charles Clary)with a demented goal of revenge if his desires aren't met. He's also planning to take over San Francisco as a Caesar(..he's really quite mad)with his dance-hall girls making hats so that he can start a revolt using supposed foreigners as his bait to draw out the authorities. Anyway, secret agent Rose(Ethel Grey Terry)is moved in to snuff out Blizzard's operation, but soon finds herself in love with him. Blizzard also has plotted a scheme to get back at Ferris by moving in on his daughter..Blizzard sits in as a model for daughter Barbara(Doris Pawn)whose creating a sculpture of Satan, while her fiancé is enraged with jealousy and fear. For a good hour and fifteen minutes, Chaney etches the portrait of a man consumed with evil and displays this cunning shark playing a game with others as his face twists in snarls and sneaky grins. I don't buy the idea, though, that a contusion at the base of the skull, placing pressure on the brain, causes Blizzard to become the purely maniacal ringleader of crime he so becomes, but the film's roots is in tragedy and "paying the piper" so the filmmakers seemed determined to have him go out facing the music as a wholesome human being.