Review of The Third Man (1949) by Steve M — 09 Sep 2010
Orson Welles called his performance a "star performance" where the character is barely in the film and yet he is the one everyone talks about walking out of the theater. Welles was certainly right in one of his best roles as Harry Lime one of the great screen villains of all time.
Welles also said that "all great performances are in black and white" while he is wrong by today's standards ( George C Scott in patton, Peter Finch in Network, Peter O'toole in Lawrence of Arabia, etc.
) he was right for the time and like Casablanca this is one of those films that belongs in B&W. It adds a dark noir feel that culminates in a great climax in the sewers where you can actually feel the water in the sewers.
Although Carol Reed's directing is great and it is definitely a film that requires multiple viewings (I mean that in a good way) I would have loved to have had Welles direct. But that's probably just the big Orson Welles fan in me talking.
This review of The Third Man (1949) was written by Steve M on 09 Sep 2010.
The Third Man has generally received very positive reviews.
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