Well written from the Nelson Algren novel, and visually interesting with superb b&w cinematography by Sam Leavitt, the details of the costuming are also worth noting...I love Molly's old threadbare chenille bathrobe...and like much of the clothes in the film, looking like it was bought in a thrift shop.
I don't find this 1955 film dated at all; its themes and "types" are timeless and occur in every class and level of society, and the characters can be found in the Bowery or Beverly Hills.
The film was nominated in three Oscar categories: Best Actor (losing to Ernest Borgnine in another gritty film, "Marty"), Best Art Direction/Set Decoration ("The Rose Tattoo"), and Best Score (losing to the romantic "Love is a Many Splendored Thing").
Total running time is 119 minutes, and this film has been released under many labels in many grades, including some "cheapies" that are less than perfect in clarity and audio, but present a good value for the price.

Golden Sinatra
Review date: 2003-09-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

The superb acting of Frank Sinatra always amazes me. He can play tough characters in tough movies as easily as lighthearted parts in musicals, or romantic roles in war-based films. In The Man With the Golden Arm (1955) he gives one of his best performances. The film is a ground-breaking movie, one of the first to deal with drug addiction. Based on Nelson Algren's book of the same name, Otto Preminger directs a gritty tale which, despite its sentimental ending, has an immediate and lasting impact. Sinatra steals the film with an impressive portrayal as self-destructive Frankie Machine veering between heroin addiction and love of jazz-drumming. Kim Novak matches him scene for scene and Eleanor Parker also gives a stalwart performance as his hysterical wife. The stark black-and-white street and bar scenes, the down-and-out quality of life, indicated by seedy characters and sordid rooming houses, Sinatra's angst contrasting with Kim Novak's melancholic sensuality, result in a deep story dynamically told. A later Sinatra film, The Detective, also dealing with controversial issues (this time homosexuality and sex addiction) with Sinatra on the other side of the fence (as the detective), shows the same combination of toughness and sensitivity. I highly recommend both films - but then I would recommend almost any Sinatra film, especially the more ambitious movies where the directors have recognised the peculiarly brilliant depth Frank Sinatra can bring to a role, such as The Manchurian Candidate, From Here to Eternity, Suddenly, Some Came Running, Von Ryan's Express. But I also love his entertaining charm and his lovely voice in High Society, On The Town, Young At Heart, The Tender Trap, and Can-Can! What a star!

This was a bridge too far
Review date: 2003-08-30 Rating: 6 out of 10

The director of this movie took on everything which he almost certainly knew would fail. Illegal gambling, drug addiction and insurance fraud. Plus a little inter-marital nonsense.

The poker was actually well played because no-one thought that that was contentious. The rest was really a sham of something that I can't figure out. For instance: the heroine addict, fresh from re-hab in 1955!! is a top poker dealer and his wife has been injured in a car accident but she fakes a crippling injury and gets out of her chair to push her husbands heroine dealer down the stairs!! for which he is suspected.

This doesn't seem to be about anything but Frank is honest to his role and its very enlightening to see 1955 USA city in such light.

It is worth a look for lots of misfit reasons.

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