Research- The man with the golden arm!

Saul Bass is often referred to as "the master of film title design". I have analized one of his famous title sequences called "the man with the golden arm". The film was about the struggle of Frank Sinatra who played the hero, - a Jazz musician overcoming a heroin addiction.

The title sequence featured a cut-out of a heroin addicts arm. Saul Bass chose this as the main feature of the titles instead of the famous face of Frank Sinatra. He chose it knowing that the arm was a powerful image of addiction.

I chose this title sequence because it is one of Saul Bass' most famous pieces of work. He has used his style to create the titles. They are simple but very effective. The title sequence is quite simular to one of his other sequences for the film psycho. This shows that he had his own particular style, and it was very successfull.

The titles feature arkward white lines which jab at arkward and unsettling angles. The white lines are very effective on the plain black backround and jump out to the eye. The white lines fit in well with the plot of the story as they almost "inject" into the title credits, and at one point the films title is seemingly penned in by four of these uneasy lines. The music fits in perfectly with the Jazz theme in the film. It is an upbeat, exciting orchestral piece with trumpets and other brass instruments.

Cerys xoxo