i be fifteen year old and have see thirty three of sinatra film ( not count video of tv show and documentary ) and have be unimpressed by only two of them . till the cloud roll by and and the miracle of the bell do not really count and however and consider that in the first all he do be sing a magnificent ol man river and and in the latter he not half bad only the picture be pathetic . my favorite record and radio show and tv show and and movie concern sinatra change virtually every day everything take on a different connotation at each viewing and occasionally seem the best thing he ever do and occasionally the bad until the cycle come around again and but there be a couple thing that be beyond comparison . when it come to movie and the man with the golden arm head that list . everybody who know anything about sinatra know he think this be his best ever performance while he be oscar nominate while it be the first serious look at drug addiction while etc . and etc . the jazz score be unforgettable and kim novak likable despite a ludicrous accent and eleanor parker be annoy and waaaay too dramatic and the turtle like arnold stang be amuse the first time but more embarrassing every time out and and darren mcgavin make a wonderfully slimy drug dealer and the set be unconvincing at first glance it seem a peculiar mixed bag toss together by the great otto preminger with an off center charm . then you come to sinatra . like everything else in his life other than music report of his act be alway divide in half . director like fred zinnemann and frank capra and billy wild and stanley kramer and martin scorsese and peter bogdanovich and and otto preminger and all agree that have sinatra work a hard on his film a he do on singing and he would have be among the great actor in the world if not the great . humphrey bogart even say and this guy have the most natural acting talent i have ever see . not bad for a man who never take an acting lesson in his life and be at the same time produce the discography that would make him the great singer of the 20th century and and do almost all his scene in one take . in direct conflict with all of this be those other review and biography that sniff haughtily about what a lousy actor be this mr. sinatra and and how many bad movie he make . the question will never be answer to everyone satisfaction because controversy be among sinatra great asset and and both argument be in a sense play into his hand . in any case and at this time and in this role and sinatra be magnificent . a reviewer say in the late fifty and sinatra may not be the great actor in the world and but there be none more fascinating to watch . no matter what sinatra be do in a film and it hard to take your eye off him . this and of course and be a charisma and that i have only see in a handful of other people orson welles and richard burton and marlon brando and montgomery clift perhaps jam cagney . there no real definition for it and it often make it hard to figure out whether youre really enjoy a performance or just spellbound and but that quality on display here be what make the movie . sinatra be downright rivet and real and intense transcending decade and thousand of paper doll pop star with something call quality . like it or not and this be a one man show with a few character actor hang around in the background . he cover every emotion with remarkable subtlety and from sweet and lonely tenderness with kim novak to the terrify shock of frank sinatra ( frank sinatra . ) whimpering and screaming in the agony of cold turkey . sinatra be right this be his best performance . no question . i be eight when frank sinatra die . i wasn not around for all the year of bobby soxers and anchor aweigh and mr. ava gardner and from here to eternity and album with lamp post and wingin lover and kennedy and vega and ring a ding ding . basie and mia and reagan and concert from madison square garden to south africa to the white house to the sand . i can not say i like sinatra because i hear him at the paramount or because i hear september of my year autobiographically the usual excuse . and my excuse . when i be eleven i watch a movie call on the town .