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The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) poster

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

Drama, Crime • 1h 59m

Director: Otto Preminger

Best video release

No comparison available, and none of the Blu-rays have original aspect ratio.

Updated 6 months ago


About the film

When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine 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 and his old drug dealer re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.

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National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 2020

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Director: Richard Brooks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras

Director: George B. Seitz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

Director: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony UK 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Plaion Germany Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K Blu-ray said to be coming from Criterion, per Bill Hunt

Video Notes:

Includes Director's Cut and Roadshow Version

Same master as old WB Blu-ray but better encoding

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

More from Otto Preminger

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Director: Otto Preminger

Best English-Friendly:

Fox Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Fox

Video Notes:

Fox > MoC

Best Audio:

1989 Fox LaserDisc

Director: Otto Preminger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Fox Blu-ray is slightly better encoded than UK BFI Blu-ray

Director: Otto Preminger

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray Columbia Classics Vol 2

Best Audio:

1986 RCA/Columbia LaserDisc

Director: Otto Preminger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Director: Otto Preminger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

More from Elephant Films

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Director: Erle C. Kenton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber or Elephant Films France Blu-ray

Video Notes:

No comparison available

Director: Leo McCarey

Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory Blu-ray

Video Notes:

No comparisons

Director: Leo McCarey

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2012 MoC Blu-ray or Elephant Films France Blu-ray

Video Notes:

They are using the same very old HD transfer.

Director: Tim Whelan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2013 Elephant Films France Blu-ray

Director: René Clair

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber or BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber, BFI, Elephant Films (no EN subs)

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber, BFI, Elephant Films (no EN subs) are likely all from the same 1080p transfer

Director: Luis Buñuel

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Lionsgate DVD

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· last reviewed 6 months ago

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