Review of The Third Man (1949) by Olive M — 19 Apr 2013
With original screenplay by Graham Greene (later made into a novelette) we have American Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arriving in post war Vienna to meet his friend of 20 years Harry Lime (Orson Welles). It transpires that Harry had just been knocked down and killed by a car in the street. At his funeral, Holly meets British Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and Sergeant Paine who had been tracking Harry Lime before his death, investigating black market dealing of dangerous counterfeit medicines. He also notices Harry Lime's girlfriend Anna Schmit (Alida Valli) who he tracks down acting in a theatre and befriends. Soon, the porter at Martins' hotel lets on that there's doubt over whether Harry Lime had really died. The rest of the story sees Martins build a relationship with Anna and explore what happened to Harry.
The film is remarkable for its iconic black and white photography and its zither score. There are some great photographic scenes. Most memorable are:
- Underground sewer shots, with all sorts of curved tunnels and angular passageways, spiral staircases, stone textured tiles and bricks, and distinctive manhole covers each with 6 triangular flaps.
- Deserted fairground big wheel as a backdrop for Martins to meet Harry Lime.
- Night scenes in Vienna with light reflecting off wet cobble stones.
- Symmetry of staircases in Anna's apartment block.
- Symmetry of the avenue from the graveyard with Anna walking.
The score provides a strong signature tune. Played by Anton Karas with a zither, it has the flavour of a flamenco rift, playful but with a slightly sinister undertone. On paper you would not expect a flamenco style tune to work on a post war thriller set in Vienna, but it works superbly well.
This review of The Third Man (1949) was written by Olive M on 19 Apr 2013.
The Third Man has generally received very positive reviews.
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