The Third Man (1949)

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Graham Greene (story)
Graham Greene (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 September 1949 (UK)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Carol Reed's Classic Thriller

Plot:

Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident.

Plot Keywords:

American Abroad | Manhole | Ruin | Vienna Austria | Ruins

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Aug. 22

10:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Joseph Cotten	...	Holly Martins
Alida Valli	...	Anna Schmidt (as Valli)
Orson Welles	...	Harry Lime
Trevor Howard	...	Major Calloway
Bernard Lee	...	Sergeant Paine
Paul Hörbiger	...	Harry's Porter (as Paul Hoerbiger)
Ernst Deutsch	...	'Baron' Kurtz
Siegfried Breuer	...	Popescu
Erich Ponto	...	Dr. Winkel
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Crabbin
Hedwig Bleibtreu	...	Anna's Old Landlady

Also Known As:

The 3rd Man (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

104 min | USA:93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 (2003) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #14125) | West Germany:12 | New Zealand:G

Filming Locations:

Isleworth, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

The feature debut of Robert Brown (Warlords Of Atantis).

Goofs:

In the sewer before putting fingers through grate, Harry Lime holds the stair's supporting pole with his right hand, but the gun should be in his hand, as displayed before and after this shot.

Quotes:

Harry Lime: Nobody thinks in terms of human beings. Governments don't. Why should we? They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs - it's the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.
Martins: You used to believe in God.
Harry Lime: Oh, I still do believe in God, old man. I believe in God and Mercy and all that. But the dead are happier dead. They don't miss much here, poor devils.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Law & Order: Fluency (#15.14)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Third Man Theme

That Part About The Cuckoo Clock!!

This film has been noted as one of the best films ever in the history of the American cinema!!! While this website ranks it 48th best movie out of the top 250, and AFI (American Film Institue) has ranked it as high as the 14th best picture out of the top 100 American films ever made, something even more significant looms on the horizon!! Many intellectual spawns of the American film academy have ranked this film in the top five films ever produced!! One prominent critic from Boston ranked "Third Man" the number one movie of all time!! So!!! What justifies such critically acclaimed praise anyway? Start with the fact that the intellectual complexities to the plot in "Third Man" are intensely riveting!! The esoteric demeanor with which this film carries, has a deliberately convoluted line of logic!! The derivative responses from so many of the characters in this film spark a necessary ambiguity with regards to the prevailing circumstances for whom the third man must relinquish his mystique to!! The conversations pertinent to any kind of plausible resolution to the core issues in this movie were always philosophical!! Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles are a highly classic and highly talented duo of actors (As demonstrated in "Citizen Kane") who immediately necessitate a lofty aura of academic concepts. This detailed and contemplative cerebral quandary invites the movie audience to a very noteworthy ideological rumination of the story line in this film. Whether it be "Citizen Kane", "The Third Man", or any other film, the indisputable mark of the majority of intelligent actors ( Including Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten) is one where they convey the understanding of a situation, and instantly establish whether this situation is really complicated or very simple!! This is about the seventh time I have seen this movie "The Third Man" and, I believe, that finally!! I have a grass roots recognition of what this movie is about!! The visceral components to this film induce a correlation to an adamant political passion, as well as, yes, what else? love!! The trials and tribulations of espionage became a form of mutual vindication, thus establishing a kindred spirit for emotional devotion!! Set in Vienna, this film was very identifiable to me, as I have been to Vienna, and I recognize a lot of aspects of splendor to this city. All of it ignited an auspicious recognition; the Gosser Beer signs, the Sacher Cafe', the Mozart concertos with the players wearing wigs, ( I saw a production of this nature while in Vienna!!), and, of course, the cobblestone streets where a cross section of dubious walks of life perennially congregate!! Vienna is a city which is proverbially known to be a hotbed of political malcontents!! Just by virtue of the copious number of summits and dignitary gatherings it has hosted suggests that Vienna is a city which vicariously straddles the political fence!! With the intransigent aftermath of WWII, and the world almost ready to go to war again over the conquest of Berlin in 1948, central Europe had become totally dissected!! By 1949, when "The Third Man" was made, the overall infrastructure, which was ruined in Vienna, from confrontational combat during WWII, was ubiquitous!! The city was divided in four sections, belonging to four nations, the American, the British, the Russian, and the French. The center of the city was international, and for Joseph Cotten's character, Vienna presented itself as a mecca for diplomatic intrigue!! I loved this movie!! Based on the screenplay by Graham Greene, this film erupts with talent. Carol Reed ( Known for "Oliver" and a remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty") does a remarkable job as director with his efforts in the making of "The Third Man"!! The acting in "The Third Man" was utterly superb, basically second to none !! Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten are an unbeatable combination, and Alida Valli, who plays Anna, is flawlessly disconcerting with this role!! The speech Orson Welles made was one which he wrote... the gist of it being (I am paraphrasing)" War, terror and bloodshed are adversities which brought on greats such as Michaelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, and the Renaissance, Switzerland has had 500 years of peace and democracy, and all you have gotten out of them is the cuckoo clock". I thought this little doggerel of Welles' was very impressive!! Orson Welles is a lone rebel cynic who raised the bar on directing and acting excellence, not only in Hollywood, but also, in New York and London Theatre!! Orson Welles has the same birthday as I do, I guess this day was earmarked for brilliant byproducts of unprecedented genius!! (My personal vanity in this case is totally in kidding of course!!) The Hawaiin music in this film served as an aside for anachronistic flippancy with this picture!! The cinematography and lighting in this film were spectacular!! Accomplished actors, directors and producers prefer a movie to be filmed in black and white, as it exudes the absence of distraction!! The film "Third Man" is a must see for virtually every movie aficionado on the face of the earth!! I agree with the discerning movie critics, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES EVER MADE!!