Directed by:
Carol ReedScreenplay:
Graham GreeneCinematography:
Robert KraskerComposer:
Anton KarasCast:
Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Siegfried Breuer, Bernard Lee, Carol Reed, Geoffrey Keen, Karel Štěpánek, Ernst Deutsch (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime—and thus begins this legendary tale of love, deception, and murder. Thanks to brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles; Anton Karas's evocative zither score; Graham Greene’s razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Krasker’s dramatic use of light and shadow, The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol Reed, only grows in stature as the years pass. (Criterion)
(more)Reviews (6)
A prime example of a noir film that I still liked more than six decades after it was made. Gloomy atmosphere, a criminal plot, an unexpected twist, a lot of very well and effectively used shadows – The Third Man has all this and more to offer, and it won me over mainly because of its technical workmanship. In short, a film that I personally don't find to be the best I've ever seen, but still worth watching.
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The premise alone wouldn’t have made me watch this film. Orson disappears, and his longtime friend shows up by chance. The friend falls for Orson’s mistress, who spends an hour lamenting Orson’s disappearance. But then, Orson suddenly reappears, leading to the film’s biggest twist. The real draw of this movie is its setting — post-war Vienna. That’s why I wanted to see it. The atmosphere of the city during that time is incredibly strong and fascinating. The cinematography is excellent, with some shots that are downright chilling. The music, with its Greek balalaika, is amusingly out of place but doesn’t detract from the film's mysterious vibe.
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The Third Man has the significant disadvantage in the form of the reputation it already has. It means that the viewer approaches this with the expectation of “that best movie in British cinema history". But despite all the unarguable qualities of this picture, that isn’t what the viewer gets. You can clearly recognize Grahame Greene’s mark on this movie. Some of the best dialogs ever and a perfectly set up story with the traditional “Greenesque" disturbing second half. Too bad about the unnecessarily dragged out final chase scene. To begin with, the zither music may not seem completely appropriate for the genre, but in the end the music seems to be one of the movies biggest pluses. Immediately after the atmosphere of post-war Vienna, the skewed camera and actors. All of them, no exceptions. And then several renowned shots and one absolutely perfect scene on the Ferris wheel which I simply had to play back to myself again immediately after the movie ended. The Third Man is an excellent political thriller. I wouldn’t say it is the best of all, but it would certainly at least get into the semi-finals in any competition for first place.
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I've heard that British fans consider this the best film of all time. For its era, it was certainly an exceptional film, but spreading such statements among today's consumers of commercial hits would likely garner some ridicule, as time in the film industry moves quickly, and the nearly 60 years certainly show. In the late 1940s, the extensive use of exteriors and the bleak ruins of bombed-out Vienna were revolutionary and now give this thriller almost the dimension of a war documentary. Excellent performance by Orson Welles, with noteworthy cinematography and lighting, and several excellent scenes such as the wild chase across the city that surprisingly ends at a literary lecture. On the other hand, there is uneven pacing and drawn-out scenes (especially the final quarter-hour in the sewer system). Overall impression: 80%.
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This is a colossal mystery. Unless I have watched a completely different film, I can't explain why The Third Man's rating far exceeds its actual objective qualities. The story makes no sense and dully maintains the tension by listening over and over again to dialogues about one "mysterious" event. Perhaps, it was successful in its time thanks to the participation of Orson Welles, who plays a truly "mysterious" character, and also for being shot on location in a crumbling Vienna, whose narrow streets were perfect for a story full of mysteries. Today, however, the film would have a hard time fitting in, regardless of the fact that noir is sort of past its prime. I give three stars solely for the last fifteen minutes, and also out of admiration for the director, who managed to work quite skilfully with the predictable mysteries for almost 70 minutes. But this is a movie with too many mysteries for my taste. :-) 60%
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Great film noir, for many people a movie that defines this genre. Orson Welles in his classic role, when he appears only for a few minutes, but completely changes the understanding of the whole plot and previous events. Great twists and absolutely unexpected music. This is something that must bring joy to film lovers. However, I can't help but feel that something is missing in order for the film to create a truly perfect impression of uniqueness. As if it were not perfectly consistent.
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