A stark look at heroin addiction with a classic Sinatra film
The International Film Series at the Heritage House Arts & Civic Center kicks off their 2018 season this Thursday night with a Frank Sinatra classic.
Noted as the first mainstream American feature film to focus on the issue of drug addiction as the central theme, 1955’s The Man With The Golden Arm helped build the reputation of Otto Preminger as a director not shy about tackling controversial issues.
In fact, the Motion Picture Association of America originally refused to issue a seal for this movie because it shows drug addiction. The next year the production code was changed to allow movies to deal with drugs, kidnapping, abortion and prostitution.
This milestone film pulls no punches, portraying heroin addiction in stark, dramatic terms and setting the standard against which later drug addiction films would be compared.
Frank Sinatra, his singing career temporarily in eclipse, delivers a masterful performance, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1955.
There will be two screenings, a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening screening at 7 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be available.
The Man With the Golden Arm
Thursday, 2, 7 p.m.
Heritage House Arts Center
1428 Jenkins Rd.
(423) 855-9474
www.chattanooga.gov