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The Man With the Golden Arm

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The Man With the Golden Arm

Released Dec 14, 1955

1h 59m

Drama

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81%

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58 Reviews

83%

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2,500+ Ratings

When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer, small-time con man Schwiefka (Robert Strauss), and Frankie's old drug dealer, Louis (Darren McGavin), re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.

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Critics Consensus

The Man with the Golden Arm is a difficult watch, but it's held together by Frank Sinatra's impressively committed work in the title role.

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Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

The scene in which Sinatra writhes and screams in pain and delirium is one of the most shocking I have ever seen on the screen. But it is strong and effective, and, I believe, justifiable.

Dec 23, 2020

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Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

This dramatization of Nelson Algren's novel provides a sometimes revolting, sometimes dreary excursion into the lives of a full set of American lower-depths characters.

Dec 23, 2020

Full Review

James Morgan

Sight & Sound

Saul Bass's credit titles are as brilliant as one might expect after Carmen Jones but this is an unattractive film: not because the subject is painful, but because [Preminger], with his thorough skill, shows himself so profoundly insensitive to its pain.

Dec 23, 2020

Full Review

André Bazin

L'Éducation Nationale

These weaknesses can be ignored thanks to the admirable verisimilitude and powerful originality of the main character, wonderfully interpreted by Frank Sinatra.

Dec 7, 2021

Full Review

Hortense Morton (Screen Scout)

San Francisco Examiner

Producer-director Premlnger is one of Holly wood's most intelligent film makers. It is to be regretted that his artistic gifts were not channeled into a more uplifting drama.

Dec 23, 2020

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Robert Hatch

The Nation

Forgetting for a moment the contempt Otto Preminger has shown for the spirit of Algren's novel, he has committed the commercial sin of producing and directing a dull movie.

Dec 23, 2020

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Russ G

Miss Novak smolders as the eye candy and it was probably controversial in the day for its depiction of drug addiction, but take out the Frankie-Goes-Cold-Turkey scene and there really isn't much here.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/08/25

Full Review

r96 s

Bit of a slow-moving picture, one that might've ended sooner, though I do class 'The Man with the Golden Arm' as something rather quite good. Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak keep events moving along with strong showings, Sinatra especially. Eleanor Parker is, though, the person onscreen that I appreciated most whilst watching, there's just something about her performance that puts her ahead of her co-stars; I'd even say she overacts in parts, yet it absolutely still worked for me. The story does go round the houses a little, but even with that being the case it didn't actually affect my personal enjoyment all that much - it just totally could've been trimmed and we probably wouldn't have missed anything. Elsewhere, the score is excellent - especially the theme for when Frankie desires his habbits. I'd have to be in the right mood to revisit this. Nonetheless, it do be a very good film from 1955 - ahead of its time, that's for sure.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/29/24

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Joshua V

Another one of my favorites, first time I saw this was with my grandmother as a teenager on a Saturday night. PBS used to run a Classic Film Night. Frank Sinatra's over acting is chefs kiss. Highly recommend!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/23

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Leaburn

This film was average 🤏

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/08/23

Full Review

SICKS6SIX

This must be Frank Sinatras best film ever, easily, He plays the junkie scenes like he knows all about it, he did know junkies and must have seen them go through withdrawals (cold turkey) the script is good with sub-plots from many fine actors, I've just watched the colourized version and if was dated 1965 I would not be surprised, for the time it was made 1955 it was ahead of its time in the way it portrayed his addiction, if you have not seen this film and are going to watch it be ready for a surprise, no singing or dancing from Frank, its gritty and dirty, New York of the 1950s was a dirty stinking hole, and it's well shown in this film, no glitzy nightclubs, just blues bars and card schools in run down tenement buildings, Tough cops and tough hoods, it has twist at the end that you don't see coming, there are no happy endings for anyone, It's as near to real life as Hollywood could film it at the time, There is a scene when Frank has drugs but no way of taking them, like having a cigarette but no light for it, desperation and despair, I don't know if anyone won any Academy Awards for this film, but they should have.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/15/22

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Ed M

Great acting. Sinatra. Darren McGavin!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/22

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Otto Preminger

Director

Frank Sinatra

Frankie Machine

Eleanor Parker

Zosch Machine

Kim Novak

Molly

Arnold Stang

Sparrow

Darren McGavin

Louie

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Synopsis

When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer, small-time con man Schwiefka (Robert Strauss), and Frankie's old drug dealer, Louis (Darren McGavin), re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.

Director: Otto Preminger
Producer: Otto Preminger
Screenwriter: Nelson Algren, Walter Newman, Lewis Meltzer, Ben Hecht
Distributor: United Artists, Reel Media International [us]
Production Co: Carlyle Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1955, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2008
Runtime: 1h 59m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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