Author Pat Kirkham discusses the opening titles for The Man with the Golden Arm, from her authoritative book Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design.
In 1954, Preminger again defied Production Code guidelines when adapting Nelson Algren's powerful novel about drug addiction, a taboo topic in mid-century America. [3][12][25], The Academy Film Archive preserved The Man with the Golden Arm in 2005. Frankie tries to getaway from the life that he lead but has this monkey or, better yet, gorilla on his back that just won't let him. Frankie Machine is a skilled card dealer and one-time heroin addict. Für den Vertrieb in den Vereinigten Staaten, wo der Film am 14. A drug addict (the drug is never named, but heroin is strongly implied), Frankie became clean in prison. The novel implies that Zosh's paralysis is a psychosomatic symptom of her mental illness, but in the film she is deliberately deceiving Frankie and is fully able to walk. [17], Preminger decided to release the finished film prior to submitting it for a Code seal of approval. A better idea would be to show the film at high school assemblies. (Mild Spoilers) Frankie Machine had been dealt a bad hand in life. Man, did he really pay it forward! [30] Allmusic's Bradley Torreano called it "one of the finest jazz soundtracks to come out of the '50s" and said that "on its own it still shines as an excellent example of how good film music can get. 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. (The drug is never actually named, but by all indications, it's heroin.) [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). When he returns home from jail, he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction. Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) is a card dealer and a drug addict. Schwiefka offers to pay the bail. Zosh is secretly fully recovered, but pretends to be unable to walk to keep making Frankie feel guilty so he will stay with her. This FAQ is empty. Contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast. In the film, she is played by Doro Merande, who was in her 60s at the time. View production, box office, & company info. What is the truth, and will he win his case? Desperately needing a fix, Frankie follows Louie home, attacks him, and ransacks his house, but cannot find his drug stash. On the outside, he greets friends and acquaintances. [3] The picture was shot in six weeks at RKO Studios in Hollywood from September 26 through November 4, 1955. The car was driven by a rich man who felt so guilty he bought the woman an artificial arm made of solid gold. At the audition, with withdrawal coming on, Frankie can't keep the beat and ruins his chance of landing the drumming job. [18] 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. [3] The film stars Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak, Arnold Stang and Darren McGavin. Initially not realizing he is a suspect in Louie's death, Frankie goes to Molly hoping to get money for a fix. While behind bars Frankie was treated for his heroin addiction at the prisons hospital and learned how to play the drums as part of his rehabilitation program. As a result, United Artists resigned from the MPAA that same month (although the company re-joined a few years later). "[20][21], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% from 58 reviews. The man who thinks The Man With the Golden Arm is apt to encourage would-be addicts just hasn't seen the picture yet. This tale is part of the Aarne–Thompson Type 366 which means that a corpse comes back from the dead to claim what was stolen from them, usually a body part, article of clothing or object. Otto Preminger’s groundbreaking depiction of drug addiction brought an explosively controversial topic to the screen with empathy and unflinching frankness. [3][5][19], In the end, The Man With The Golden Arm finally received the Production Code seal number 17011 in June 1961, which permitted the film to be reissued and sold for television broadcast. "[11][23], Even though the first draft of the novel did not even deal with drug addiction (it was only added later),[24] this became the singular focus of the film. Frankie agrees and is locked in Molly's apartment where he goes through a grueling withdrawal to clear the drugs from his body. 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. In Hawaii in 1941, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second-in-command are falling in love. Drama. When photographer and friend Art Shay asked Algren to pose below the film's marquee, he is reported to have said, "What does that movie have to do with me? A police ambulance then arrives to remove Zosh's lifeless body and drives away, while Frankie watches in dismay. He tried to persuade her to part with the arm … The Man with the Golden Arm is a 1955 drama/ Film Noir directed by Otto Preminger. This stems from the belief that “a dead man or animal can find no rest until its physical remains are intact.” Preminger even got to decide where the commercial breaks would be inserted. "[9] Although United Artists (UA) had a distribution contract with Preminger, a clause in the contract allowed them to withdraw if a film failed to get Code approval. [22], After replacing novel author and original screenwriter Nelson Algren with Walter Newman, Preminger proceeded to change the plot and characters extensively from the original novel, which led to feelings of bitterness from Algren. Using his "golden arm" for illicit card-dealing instead of drumming, he contends with a failing marriage and a morphine addiction. It was adapted for the screen by Walter Newman, Lewis Meltzer and Ben Hecht (uncredited), and directed by Otto Preminger. 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", in contrast to Algren's book which named the drug as morphine. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM, the bes Only a master like Algren could create such a passionate and dramatic novel of so daring a theme as a man's struggle against dope addiction. You might also like. When Joey meets the former chorus girl and now is the rich widow, Vera Simpson, the pair of lecherous souls seem made for each other. [14] To prepare for his role, Sinatra spent time at drug rehabilitation clinics observing addicts going cold turkey. The Man With The Golden Arm (1955) - Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Kim Novak - Feature (Drama) Film Gorillas. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. When he returns home from jail, he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction. Alcoholic playboy Kyle Hadley marries the woman secretly loved by his poor but hard-working best friend, who in turn is pursued by Kyle's nymphomaniac sister. Sammy Davis Jr. also recorded a version of the Cahn/ Van Heusen theme, which was released on Decca in 1955.[3][35][36]. In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. The Man with the Golden Arm finally received a seal in 1961 and Preminger, to whom the rights had reverted, sold the television rights to ABC, who were contractually bound not to cut the film. He thinks he has what it takes to play drums for a big band. For Frankie, a murder committed may be the least of his problems. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) title sequence “PROJECTIONISTS – PULL CURTAIN BEFORE TITLES”. Find the perfect the man with the golden arm stock photo. The Man with the Golden Arm is one of the tensest and most intensified motion pictures ever filmed. The woman’s husband was a greedy man who saw his wife’s gleaming golden limb and thought only of all the things he could buy with it. [2] A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction. There is little mention of Frankie's film counterpart serving in the war, and he tells Molly that he started drugs "for kicks.". The Man With the Golden Arm By Elmer Bernstein (2001-08-13) With Frankie home, Zosh smothers her husband in their small tenement apartment and hinders his attempt to make something of himself. Screen rights to Algren's novel were first acquired in 1949 on behalf of John Garfield, who planned to star in the film version. Here are the buzz-worthy titles you're going to want to mark on your calendar. The novel's version of Violet ("Vi") is an attractive young woman and Sparrow's love interest. “Golden Arm” is what would, in modern parlance, be deemed ‘Oscar bait.’ A roster of legends is is on its credit lines. Bernstein's control over the smallest details of the music is what gives it the energy it contains; his blustery horns and deep percussion are only the front while some gorgeous orchestration happens almost unnoticed behind the music. There's Frankie's drug dealer Louie, with Darren McGavin in one of his first acting roles, who's hold on Frankie is only good as long as he stays addicted and Louie goes out of his way to make sure that he does. The movie combines the character of her spouse, "Old Husband" Koskozka, with that of the landlord, "Jailer" Schwabatski. In Algren's novel, Frankie is a blond-haired man in his late 20s, and as a poor veteran he often wears a torn Army jacket and brogans.