"The Man With the Golden Arm" is a Chicago based film adapted from Nelson Algren's novel. Kim Novak, a Chicago native, is one of the featured players.

While the film was a totally studio bound production, the locations in the movie are only a short distance from the Music Box Theater. While there is still some urban grit to be found in Bucktown and the Polish Triangle neighborhoods, gentrification has altered the landscape somewhat.

The movie boasts creative opening titles and the main theme and the musical score are excellent. A movie about gambling and drug addiction may have been considered somewhat revolutionary in its day, but in six and a half succeeding decades its impact may have dimmed.

Algren hated the movie, which diluted the action in the book, and disliked Otto Preminger.

This is another film that contains some borderline noir material, but may not cover all of the bases. Whatever the case may be, I have always sort of liked it. The novel is much harder hitting.

It is paired with "The Sweet Smell of Success" on the Opening Night of the festival.