Editing The Man with the Golden Arm (section)

==Release==
===Controversy over release===
Preminger decided to release the finished film prior to submitting it for a Code seal of approval.<ref name=afi /> He contended that his film would not entice any viewers to take drugs, since drug use was depicted as having severely negative consequences.<ref name=phillips />  United Artists, which had invested $1 million in the film's production, opted to distribute the film, even though doing so could result in the company being fined $25,000 by the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA).<ref name=afi /> The president of United Artists, [[Arthur B. Krim|Arthur Krim]], expressed the company's hope that the PCA would make an exception to its usual rules and grant the film approval because of the film's "immense potential for public service." The film received several advance bookings in November and early December 1955, before the PCA had made a decision on whether to grant a Code seal.<ref name=afi />

However, in early December 1955, the PCA denied the film a Code seal, and the decision was upheld upon appeal to the MPAA. As a result, United Artists resigned from the MPAA that same month (although the company re-joined a few years later).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=June 26, 1957|page=5|title=United Artists Re-Joins MPAA|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/variety207-1957-06#page/n236/mode/1up|access-date=April 22, 2019}}</ref> The [[National Legion of Decency]] also showed disagreement with the PCA ruling by rating the film as a "B" meaning "morally objectionable in part for all", instead of a "C" meaning "condemned", which was the rating normally given to films that were denied a Code seal. Large theater circuits including [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loews]] also refused to ban the film and instead showed it despite the lack of a Code seal. As a result of the controversy, the MPAA investigated and revised production codes, allowing later movies more freedom to deeply explore hitherto taboo subjects such as [[drug abuse]], [[kidnapping]], [[miscegenation]], [[abortion]], and [[prostitution]].<ref name=afi /><ref name=phillips /><ref>{{cite web|author=Bob Mondello |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93301189 |title=Remembering Hollywood's Hays Code, 40 Years On |publisher=[[NPR]]|date=2008-08-08 |access-date=2022-11-07}}</ref>

In the end, ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' finally received the Production Code seal number 20011 in June 1961, which permitted the film to be reissued and sold for television broadcast.<ref name=afi />

===Reception===
''The Man with the Golden Arm'' earned $4,100,000 at the North American [[box office]] and the critical reception was just as strong; ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine stated: "Otto Preminger's ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a feature that focuses on addiction to narcotics. Clinical in its probing of the agonies, this is a gripping, fascinating film, expertly produced and directed and performed with marked conviction by Frank Sinatra as the drug slave."<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Variety Staff |url=https://variety.com/1954/film/reviews/the-man-with-the-golden-arm-1200417788|title=Review: 'The Man With The Golden Arm' |magazine=Variety.com |date=1954-12-31 |access-date=2022-11-07}}</ref><ref>Furek, Maxim W. (July/August 2007). “Heroin in the Cinema: The Glorification of the Junkie.” ''Counselor Magazine, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals''.</ref>

On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 81% from 58 reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "''The Man with the Golden Arm'' is a difficult watch, but it's held together by Frank Sinatra's impressively committed work in the title role."<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_man_with_the_golden_arm | title=The Man with the Golden Arm | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | date=14 December 1955 }}</ref>

===Preservation===
The [[Academy Film Archive]] preserved ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=http://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=The+Man+with+the+Golden+Arm&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive}}</ref> In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="Alter"/>