Frank Sinatra is beyond legendary, more than an idol. Like few of his contemporaries, Sinatra defines a movement. He is the true spirit of cool, like Bogart and Brando, the original hipster. Frank Sinatra is a rare figure in cultural history, bridging music and jazz with films and television. His career spanned 60 years though his legacy is immortal. Warner Home Video is honoring Sinatra on the 10th anniversary of his passing with three box sets chronicling Sinatra's filmic rise.

Sinatra was born in Hoboken in 1915 and began his singing career in 1935. He first started with Harry James until joining Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra in 1939. The pairing was legendary and with his performances at the Paramount Theater in 1942, Sinatra mania began. The 1940s brought about bobby-soxers and in 1941 Sinatra capitalized on his success with his first film. Sinatra's star kept rising with numerous musical releases, three highly rewarding musicals with Gene Kelly (together in the Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly Collection), and several comedic pictures (Frank Sinatra: The Early Years). As the '50s approached, Sinatra's popularity began declining. With his tumultuous marriage to rising legend Ava Gardner, Sinatra turned to parties and drinking, desperately trying to recover his flagging film career. Luck struck when his tireless campaign for the role of Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity won Sinatra a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. His legend was cemented.

The Golden Years set follows Frank Sinatra and his cinematic glory after regaining the limelight. Pre-Rat Pack, though some films included feature members of his clan, Sinatra grew as a dramatic actor and took on such challenging roles as a heroin addict and several GIs. His charm and comedic timing also improved as documented in the collection (though for another great role see The Manchurian Candidate). Of the three sets, this is the most rewarding dramatically and the most diverse (The Sinatra/Kelly set is most enjoyable). As standard with all Warner collections, a decent amount of extra features are also included. Warner Home Video does a wonderful job of presenting Sinatra at his most memorable and with all three sets honoring one of history's finest characters.

THE FILMS:
The Man With The Golden Arm (Otto Preminger Films 1955- 119 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, and Kim Novak
Director: Otto Preminger
Frankie Machine is a skilled card dealer and one-time heroin addict. When he returns home from jail, he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction.

This film was the first to realistically portray drug addiction on film, famously going against the strict Production Code by depicting such a taboo subject. Being released without the MPAA's seal of approval, the film went on to be a major success, garnering a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Sinatra.

Marriage On The Rocks (Warner Bros. 1965- 109 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Dean Martin, Cesar Romero, Nancy Sinatra, and Trini Lopez
Director: Jack Donohue
Ad-agency president Dan Edwards who, when he goes to Mexico to celebrate his nineteenth wedding anniversary, winds up getting divorced by mistake - whereupon his wife Valerie marries his best friend Ernie Brewer by mistake.

None But The Brave (Warner Bros. 1965- 105 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, and Tommy Sands
Director: Frank Sinatra
American and Japanese soldiers, stranded on a tiny Pacific island during World War II, must make a temporary truce and cooperate to survive various tribulations. Told through the eyes of the American and Japanese unit commanders, who must deal with an atmosphere of growing distrust and tension between their men. This was Sinatra's directorial debut.

Some Came Running (MGM 1958- 136 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine
Director: Vincente Minelli
Dave Hirsch, a writer and army veteran, returns to 1948 Parkman, Indiana, his hometown. His prosperous brother introduces him to Gwen French, a local teacher. But the more flamboyant Ginny has followed him to Parkton, where he also meets gambler Bama Dillert. Dave must come to terms with his roots and with his future.

The Tender Trap (MGM 1955- 111 minutes)
Stars: Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Celeste Holm, and David Wayne
Director: Charles Walters
Charlie Reader is a successful theater agent. He is also successful with young ladies. One day Charlie's old friend Joe who is married with three children visits. Joe falls in love with Charlie's girl Sylvia while Charlie spends his time with young actress Julie.

SOUND + VISION:
Though only one of Sinatra's musicals is included in the set, the sound and visuals of all the films is remarkable. Tender Trap is the only feature remastered in Dolby Digital 5.0, the audio being spectacular. All the other pictures included are produced in Dolby 1.0. All films have subtitles in English, French, and Portuguese; None But the Brave only in English. The visuals are also wonderful, clear and crisp with few glitches.

PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
The box set's greatest feature aside from the actual films is the box's design (and subsequent art on the other two collections. On the set's cover is a photo of the Chairman from the 1950s, framed in metallic gold that glimmers in the light. His signature and film titles adorn the cover also. The back reads "Hipster. Hero. Hollywood Icon" and contains snippets of all features. The actual films are in individual snap cases, colored gold and containing the same signature and font that adorns the box set cover. Quite beautifully done.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Man With The Golden Arm

• Shoot Up/ Shoot Out: The Story Behind The Man With The Golden Arm (19:24) - This featurette takes the viewer behind the scenes of the highly controversial film, showing Preminger's prowess and Sinatra's battle against Brando for the dramatic role (Sinatra lost the part of Terry Malloy to Brando in On The Waterfront).
• Theatrical Trailer (2:13)

Marriage On The Rocks

• Theatrical Trailer (3:36)

None But The Lonely Heart

• Theatrical Trailer (4:21)

Some Came Running

• The Story of Some Came Running (20:35) - This featurette goes into detail the story and details of the film's production and background.
• Theatrical Trailer (3:50)

Watch on the Rhine

• Frank in the Fifties (15:56) - This short includes interviews with Debbie Reynolds and film scholars and follows Frank's rise as "The Voice" to "Chairman of the Board" over the course of a decade.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:29)

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Frank Sinatra helped define American popular music from the 30s through 50s alongside Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. From crooner with a bashful image during his MGM days of the 1940s to his swinging troubled man in the 1950s to his Chairman of the Board and easy-going man of the 1960s, Sinatra left his mark on both music and cinema, his musical self always matching the characters he portrayed on film. Sinatra worked hard at being a star and always remained influential as legends do.

Warner Bros. does a spectacular job at recording Sinatra's career in three separate collections (other films have also been re-released with the same signature insignia featured on the sets- i.e. High Society and Ocean's 11). The films are all great choices though the features are very limited. However, Sinatra's performances and characters are worth owning.

In conjunction with the collections' release, Turner Classic Movies is hosting a month-long tribute to Sinatra as their star of the month. Unlike any other in the past, the marketing for Sinatra in May is tremendous and heavy. Their website tcm.com offers biographies, filmographies, and recipes for Sinatra cocktails and instructions for throwing a swinging Sinatra bash. It is wonderful campaigning for both Sinatra and the DVDs, all of which are prominently featured on the site and on sale. For any Sinatra fan, it is worth exploring. For further Sinatra fun, pick up Capitol Records releases that coincide with the sets including The Capitol Years 4-disc CD set that includes his best LPs from the '50s or his work with Tommy Dorsey from the '40s. Lastly any lover should pick up his television specials, particularly his appearances with his musical soul mate and female counterpart, Ella Fitzgerald. All in all, Warner Brothers (and TCM) have delighted music and movie lovers alike with the Golden Years Collection and its counterparts.

OVERALL MOVIE COLLECTION SCORE: B+
OVERALL SOUND + VISION SCORE: A
BOX SET PACKAGING/ LAYOUT SCORE: A
OVERALL SPECIAL FEATURES SCORE: C
OVERALL DVD SET SCORE: B+
(lack of many special features but incredibly worth the reasonable $29.99)