Film Review: The Third Man

Director: Carol Reed

Made in 1949, The Third Man is another classic film that is constantly near the top of the best films of all time lists and in my opinion rightly so. Filmed in black and white in post-war Vienna it is renowned for the use of light throughout the film as well as the score which was written and performed by Anton Karas using a zither. It was reported after the film that the cobbled streets were sprayed with water so that they reflected the light of the city at night.

Harry Lime (Orson Welles) making his trademark entrance

American Western writer Holly Martins (the sublime Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna in the aftermath of the Second World War to work with his old childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Martins finds out that Lime was killed in a car crash while crossing the street from Lime's friend Baron Kurtz who, with the help of another friend called Popescu, carried Lime to the pavement after the accident. After speaking with the porter at the hotel who said that three men carried the body to the pavement and not two, Martins becomes suspicious about the events surrounding Lime's death and begins to investigate but the porter is murdered before Martins can question him more on the events.

Without wanting to spoil the film, I must praise the superb scene on the Ferris wheel overlooking Vienna and Lime's ''Swiss cuckoo clock'' speech about the little people below. Many critics disliked Orson Welles in the movie and criticised him for ''showboating'' but I feel his performance only adds to the movie. Joseph Cotten is the star as the principled Holly Martins who is determined to understand the events of Harry Lime's death and is a believable protagonist for the film. The use of light throughout the film and especially in the sewers underneath Vienna is a superb example of directing and cinematography excellence.

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) and Harry Lime (Orson Welles)

The score played on the zither by Anton Karas is now synonymous with the film which many people have found quite annoying throughout the film, I personally liked it the score but can certainly see why people wouldn't like it. I feel the score adds to the nervousness of the film surrounding Vienna at the time and increases the tension at the film's crucial moments. It is a sad time for Vienna after the war with city divided by the Allies and the Russians with many areas still in ruins following the war, it was a tough time for the people of the city which is reflected in the film.

4/4 absolute classic of a movie and one of my all-time favourite films