B&W

119 minutes

"... this is a gripping, fascinating film,
expertly produced and directed and performed with marked conviction by
Frank Sinatra as the drug slave."

- Variety, from a 1955 review

Frank Sinatra received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his riveting portrayal of Frankie Machine in the Otto Preminger-directed drama THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM. Machine is an expert card dealer and jazz drummer recently out of prison, where he kicked his heroin addiction. The habit kicks him back on the outside, however, when his plans to get on with a big band career are thwarted by his scheming invalid wife's demands for him to return to high stakes gambling. Played by Eleanor Parker, her bad intentions almost result in Machine unjustly taking a murder rap, but Kim Novak - as Molly - comes to his aid and gets him on the right track.

Based on the Nelson Algren novel, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM's on-screen depiction of drug abuse - including Sinatra's harrowing scenes as Machine goes cold turkey - defied production codes of the day, and the Motion Picture Association of America initially refused to certify the film. Producer-Director Otto Preminger released it anyway, and it paved the way for later depictions of narcotic terror including A Hatful Of Rain, Panic In Needle Park, Drugstore Cowboy, Rush and Blow. In addition to recognition for Sinatra's performance, the film was Oscar-nominated for art direction and for Elmer Bernstein's evocative score.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM was originally released in 1955, and is widely considered one of Sinatra's best film performances. It came out two years after From Here To Eternity, for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Warner Home Video's DVD release of this classic film presents special features including: the new featurette Shoot Up/Shoot Out: The Story Behind The Man With The Golden Arm; the original theatrical trailer; and English and French subtitles.