otto preminger be one of the great maverick film director . like john huston he be a character from one of his own movie and like mr huston he be a wonderful ham who slip in and out of performance at random but the final product of his labour be unmistakably his own . with a few exception film be now make by corporation and not individual and and a a result be usually highly polished package and a product in much the same way a a golf ball and a tin of dog food or a motor car be a product . the involvement of human being in the process be almost incidental . such be the appetite for the product that there appear no end to the line of well finish and glossy and superficially entertaining but ultimately empty film that flood the countless tv channel and movie outlet . there be no time for a man like mr preminger to stand a little apart from the torrent of product and craft a personal work of art . of course there have always be the art for art sake money for christ sake ethos in film making and but now ars gratia artis have and in all but name and be consign to history cut room floor . today otto preminger would be lucky to get a job deliver pizza in hollywood . half a century ago and have make the hugely influential and laura and where the sidewalk end and the moon be blue and he set about film nelson algren controversial novel the man with the golden arm in his eccentric and individualistic manner . rather than take his camera out onto the street he stay in the studio and use stylise almost expressionistic set and quirky casting ( mr frank sinatra hot from his success in from here to eternity and the young and inexperienced but breathtakingly beautiful miss kim novak and mr arnold stang and a man whose oddity be after his own heart ) and a remarkable era define score by elmer bernstein feature the cream of west coast jazzman . an otto preminger film be always an all round experience and to be consider a a whole rather than break it down into act and direct and photography . what appear on the screen be preminger vision and his creation and his interpretation of algren novel and not a film of algren novel and any one of twenty competent hollywood hack coud have produce that . from the first hi hat cymbal beat that accompany saul bass iconic title sequence we be draw into preminger take on what be nowadays call the life and in truth a murky area occupy by hustler and junky and cop and drug dealer and stone gambler and jazz musician and their woman and hanger on . the line be blur in the life and and it dog eats dog down there . the inhabitant circle each other like shark and look for a sign of weakness to be exploit . frankie machine ( mr sinatra ) a professional card dealer and ex junkie and aspire jazz drummer be a born victim . when thing get tough he go back to the needle . although he kick the habit by go cold turkey there be absolutely no guarantee that he would not go straight back on it far down the line . mr sinatra depiction of an addict in the throe of withdrawal have divide the critic and but the fact of the matter be that even fifty year later most of u have probably never see such a thing in real life so we do not know how accurate the portrayal be . when i first saw the film in the late 50 i be very impressed and watch it recently on video and it seem and to put it unkindly and hammy . perhaps he be a victim of his own success a many actor subsequently do cold turkey have and with the passing of the year and take his performance and refine it somewhat . arnold stang be outstanding a machine pal sparrow and a performance he exceed only in it a mad and mad and mad and mad world . try and watch it on the big screen and view it a the cinematic vision of a true auteur and a giant amongst today pygmy otto preminger .