The Man with the Golden Arm
The Man with the Golden Arm is a 1955 American independent[3] drama film noir directed by Otto Preminger, based on the novel of the same name by Nelson Algren. Starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren McGavin, it recounts the story of a drug addict who gets clean while in prison, but struggles to stay that way in the outside world. Although the addictive drug is never identified in the film, according to the American Film Institute "most contemporary and modern sources assume that it is heroin", although in Algren's book it is morphine.[4] The film's initial release was controversial for its treatment of the then-taboo subject of drug addiction.[4][5]
For the novel, see The Man with Golden Arm (novel). For the blood donor, see James Harrison (blood donor).The Man with the Golden Arm
Walter Newman
Lewis Meltzer
Ben Hecht (uncredited)
Otto Preminger
- December 15, 1955
119 minutes
United States
English
$1 million[1]
$4.3 million (US)[2]
It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Sinatra for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Joseph C. Wright and Darrell Silvera for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White and Elmer Bernstein for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Sinatra was also nominated for best actor awards by the BAFTAs and The New York Film Critics.[6] The film is in the public domain, and in 2020 was added into the National Film Registry.[7][8]
The Man with the Golden Arm
Release[edit]
Controversy over release[edit]
Preminger decided to release the finished film prior to submitting it for a Code seal of approval.[4] He contended that his film would not entice any viewers to take drugs, since drug use was depicted as having severely negative consequences.[5] United Artists, which had invested $1 million in the film's production, opted to distribute the film, even though doing so could result in the company being fined $25,000 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).[4] The president of United Artists, Arthur Krim, expressed the company's hope that the PCA would make an exception to its usual rules and grant the film approval because of the film's "immense potential for public service." The film received several advance bookings in November and early December 1955, before the PCA had made a decision on whether to grant a Code seal.[4]
However, in early December 1955, the PCA denied the film a Code seal, and the decision was upheld upon appeal to the MPAA. As a result, United Artists resigned from the MPAA that same month (although the company re-joined a few years later).[30] The National Legion of Decency also showed disagreement with the PCA ruling by rating the film as a "B" meaning "morally objectionable in part for all", instead of a "C" meaning "condemned", which was the rating normally given to films that were denied a Code seal. Large theater circuits including Loews also refused to ban the film and instead showed it despite the lack of a Code seal. As a result of the controversy, the MPAA investigated and revised production codes, allowing later movies more freedom to deeply explore hitherto taboo subjects such as drug abuse, kidnapping, miscegenation, abortion, and prostitution.[4][5][31]
In the end, The Man with the Golden Arm finally received the Production Code seal number 20011 in June 1961, which permitted the film to be reissued and sold for television broadcast.[4]
Reception[edit]
The Man with the Golden Arm earned $4,100,000 at the North American box office and the critical reception was just as strong; Variety magazine stated: "Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm is a feature that focuses on addiction to narcotics. Clinical in its probing of the agonies, this is a gripping, fascinating film, expertly produced and directed and performed with marked conviction by Frank Sinatra as the drug slave."[32][33]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% from 58 reviews.[34]
Preservation[edit]
The Academy Film Archive preserved The Man with the Golden Arm in 2005.[35] In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[8]