The Third Man




Everybody ought to be careful in a city like this.

It's Vienna at its best and worst and the shadows it hosts. It's the zither score. It's the cast of unforgettable characters. It's Carol Reed's classic: The Third Man.

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) has just arrived in postwar Vienna. His old friend, Harry Lime, has offered him a job. But he finds that Harry was recently killed in a car accident. Everyone is all for him leaving, but as he questions some of Harry's friends about the incident, it becomes increasingly possible that Harry was murdered. This sets Holly onto a quest for the truth, which leads him all across Vienna. It also gets him involved in a variety of characters, including Harry's ex girlfriend, the lovely Anna (Alida Valli).

This film is a perfect representation of talent at its prime. It owes a lot to Graham Greene's masterful script. It paints a situation full of intrigue, colorful characters and atmosphere to boot. It's witty yet at times painfully realistic, despite initial appearances. The audience is led along with Holly as he delves deeper into what really happened and deeper into film noir, revealing increasing layers. Though it isn't as complex as other films in the same category, it is enthralling all the same. The romance between Holly and Anna is likewise dealt in such a manner as to be absorbing yet levelheaded.

All of Carol Reed's trademarks are present and used to their fullest, including the excellent cinematography with its tilted camera shots, use of a little boy and the infamous sewer scene. A better mood couldn't be asked for. The shadows figure in prominently, as they cast the perfect feeling of Vienna at night. Here, characters produce large silhouettes on buildings as they are usually pursuing someone or being pursued. There are other considerations that also lead towards making this movie as memorable as it is. The single instrument score uses the native zither instrument. It is this odd music with its curious tone that helps set this film apart.

Joseph Cotton is at his best, playing the man who won't let things go when he knows something fishy is afoot. He does the ordinary man well, and he perfectly plays off the other characters. Alida Valli is right along with him, as the sorrowful woman who decides to help Holly with his investigation. There are quite a few other good roles, especially the latecomer Welles.

And though this movie seems like Welles' style, he actually had very little to do with it aside from his acting part. Regardless, this is one of the all time great film noirs (and one of the greatest British films, incidently) that nearly deserves a category of its own.



-The Gnome