| The Man with the Golden Arm | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Saul Bass | |
| Directed by | Otto Preminger |
| Screenplay by | Walter Newman Lewis Meltzer Ben Hecht (uncredited) |
| Based on | The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren |
| Produced by | Otto Preminger |
| Starring | Frank Sinatra Eleanor Parker Kim Novak Arnold Stang Darren McGavin |
| Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
| Edited by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
Production company | Carlyle Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million[1] |
| Box office | $4.3 million (US)[2] |
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]
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]
- ^ Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 71
- ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
- ^ Screening American Independent Film - Google Books
- ^ a b "The Man With The Golden Arm". AFI.com. American Film Institute. 2015. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ Phillips, Gene D. (1998). Exiles in Hollywood: Major European Film Directors in America. Cranbury, New Jersey: Associated University Presses. p. 115. ISBN 0934223491.
- ^ IMDB awards page
- ^ Kehr, Dave (11 October 2005). "New DVD's". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ Alter, Rebecca (2020-12-14). "Shrek Has Been Inducted Into the National Film Registry". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-12-14.