movie review
The Third Man
Quick Info
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard
Year of Release: 1949
Country: UK
Language: English
Awards: Best Cinematography (Oscar), Best British Film (BAFTA), Grand Prix (Cannes)
Genre: Film Noir
MPAA Rating: not rated
My Rating: ****+ (meaning?)
Synopsis :
Holly Martins, a destitute American pulp novel author, arrives in post-war Vienna to see his friend Harry Lime, who has offered him a job. However, Lime has recently been killed in a traffic accident and Martins arrives just in time for the funeral. Inconsistencies in the stories he learns from Lime's friends, witnesses, and the authorities, however, spur Martins to find out what really happened to his old friend rather than return home.
Review :
The Third Man is a story of betrayal and corruption, a moody, intriguing piece that unfolds slowly. The cinematography and lighting are spectacular (the eerie shadows, the back-lighting, the shine of the water on the streets), the black and white photography accenting the drama and tension of the film. A true classic in every sense of the word. Hollywood doesn't make a picture like this anymore - the ending is fitting, but not happy, the music is haunting (entirely played on the zither), and all of the violence is off-stage (which lends it a greater menace, for we are forced to fill in with our imagination). Topping it all off is the excellent cast, with Welles at his finest as the villain of the piece, and Cotten as the innocent fool who comes out of the story not so innocent any longer.
Both the British Film Institute and the American Film Institute include The Third Man in their lists of top films of all time and after viewing, it's easy to see why (although the only American connections are some of the actors, and David O. Selznik as producer). Excellent film.