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The Man With The Golden Arm
1956
Otto Preminger's THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a powerful drama which broached the subject of drug addiction in a stark and realistic manner. It may appear mild by today's standards, but it stands an exceptionally harrowing film for its day. Frank Sinatra plays the addict, Frankie Machine, with Eleanor Parker as his crippled .. Read more
| Starring | Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Darren McGavin |
|---|---|
| Director | Otto Preminger |
| Genres | Drama |
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The Man With The Golden Arm
Otto Preminger's THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a powerful drama which broached the subject of drug addiction in a stark and realistic manner. It may appear mild by today's standards, but it stands an exceptionally harrowing film for its day. Frank Sinatra plays the addict, Frankie Machine, with Eleanor Parker as his crippled wife. Based on the novel by Nelson Algren. MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM received three Academy Award Nominations, including Best Actor for Frank Sinatra.
| Starring | Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Darren McGavin, Arnold Stang, Robert Strauss, John Conte, Doro Merande, George E. Stone |
|---|---|
| Director | Otto Preminger |
| Studio | SANCTUARY DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 54 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | English |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 28 Oct 2002 Production year: 1956 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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This is to drug addiction what The Lost Weekend was to alcoholism — a trailblazer. It's directed by Otto Preminger, whose gloating over controversial subject matter made him the Oliver Stone of his day. From Saul Bass's opening credits to Elmer Bernstein's jazzy score, the movie boasts its modernity in its unflinching approach to the story about an aspiring musician and heroin addict. Trainspotting it isn't but, in the clean-cut Eisenhower era, this movie shocked audiences deeply. In any event, Frank Sinatra's Oscar-nominated performance still impresses, as do those of Eleanor Parker as his wife and Kim Novak as Sinatra's object of desire.
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Sensational on its first release, with its cold turkey scenes, this now seems a muddled impressionist melodrama with echoes of the silent German cinema and much over-acting and miscasting all round. But Sinatra is good; and it is differentÉ
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Most helpful member's review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
******
Based on a novel by Nelson Algren, Simone de Beauvoir's lover (on a break from Sartre), this is one of the few Film Noirs with real Existential credentials. Sinatra is surprisingly moving. I love Kim Novak. I can hear Bernstein's score now. The characters are refreshingly substantial compared to your average 50's Noir, the subject of drug addiction is sensitively handled and IS the real 'hero' or Noir protagonist Sinatra's Frankie Machine or Elenor Parker's Zosch? Otto Preminger directs flawlessly and Saul Bass provides much-imitated title graphics.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
expected better
The film may have been strong and hard hitting at the time but I think most junkies would happily settle for the life shown as opposed to Trainspotting where the glamour and the despair are more strongly shown. Frank is definitely not an actor and a few mannerisms do not a character make. He struggles through the fairly long takes and Preminger uses a lot of camera movement (although at times this means shadows suddenly appear from crew and equipment). Not as good as the celebrated Saul Bass title sequence.
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The Man With The Golden Arm
Otto Preminger's THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM is a powerful drama which broached the subject of drug addiction in a stark and realistic manner. It may appear mild by today's standards, but it stands an exceptionally harrowing film for its day. Frank Sinatra plays the addict, Frankie Machine, with ...
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