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The Third Man
1949
This classic noir mystery, from the team of Carol Reed and Graham Greene, is generally considered to be the best filmwork of both of these estimable talents. THE THIRD MAN features Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a pulp novelist who has come to post-WWII Vienna with the promise of work from his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles)... Read more
| Starring | Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, Wilfrid Hyde White |
|---|---|
| Director | Carol Reed |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Critics' reviews (5)
View all -
Well-made and enjoyable Disney adventure, with youngster James MacArthur determined to scale the Alpine peak that claimed his father's life. However, when an early attempt — in the company of mountaineer Michael Rennie — ends in embarrassment, MacArthur is forced to seek training, transforming from callow youth to responsible adolescent along the way. MacArthur is a convincing lead, ably supported by familliar faces such as Janet Munro and Herbert Lom. This is life-affirming stuff with a clear moral purpose, and the location footage of the Swiss Alps is breathtaking.
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Totally memorable and irresistible romantic thriller. Stylish from the first to the last, with inimitable backgrounds of zither music and war-torn buildings pointing up a then-topical black market story full of cynical characters but not without humour. H
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"...The film's disenchanted romanticism exerts an irresistible charm. Nearly half a century on, that charm hasn't diminished in the least..."
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
View all -
29 out of 30 people found this review helpful
All-time best?
This is an exciting Graham Greene film about post second world war corruption in occupied Germany.
It's many years since I saw it and I remembered it as very good, but on second showing I rate it as perhaps the best film of all.
It can't be flawed. The acting is superb and the choice of actors so right. The locations - wonderful. The photography brilliant.
What a story, and presented with never a dull moment - only the last shot was slow and how right that was - I wanted it to go on forever!
Orsen Welles is great, but Joseph Cotten? - surely a perfect performance. -
15 out of 16 people found this review helpful
A savagely satirical slice of noir
Despite keeping things slightly more straightforward than in Graham Greene's novella, Carol Reed's production still creates a rich tapestry of satire and mystery in occupied Vienna.
The main character, Holly Martins, is a bumbling dreamer: he thinks he can solve his friend's murder in the same way as a sheriff in one of his throwaway paperback novels.
It's clear from the off, however, that he is out of his depth; Reed uses shadow to such a masterful extent that we end up seeing more in the dark recesses of the city than in the exposed light.
A brilliant performance from the seductive, satanic Orson Welles; an unforgettable chase sequence in the sewers; a final shot that purposely avoids a comfortably happy ending. This film is a master class in ambiguity, while working as a suspense thriller in its own right. -
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful
The ultimate Film Noir classic
This film has everything you want from the Film Noir genre, twisted camera work, beautiful contrast between light and shadows and a plot that keeps you guessing and suspecting everyone involved, right till the end.
Some excellent plot twists and brilliant hard headed, well written characters that will make you smile and shiver.
If you are unfamiliar with the genre there is no better film to introduce you. If you’re in the mood to play detective, get this film! -
Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
29 out of 30 people found this review helpful
All-time best?
This is an exciting Graham Greene film about post second world war corruption in occupied Germany.
It's many years since I saw it and I remembered it as very good, but on second showing I rate it as perhaps the best film of all.
It can't be flawed. The acting is superb and the choice of actors so right. The locations - wonderful. The photography brilliant.
What a story, and presented with never a dull moment - only the last shot was slow and how right that was - I wanted it to go on forever!
Orsen Welles is great, but Joseph Cotten? - surely a perfect performance. -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
A lovely, classic old film, old boy.
One for relaxing to with a cup of tea and a rich tea biscuit.
-
29 out of 30 people found this review helpful
All-time best?
This is an exciting Graham Greene film about post second world war corruption in occupied Germany.
It's many years since I saw it and I remembered it as very good, but on second showing I rate it as perhaps the best film of all.
It can't be flawed. The acting is superb and the choice of actors so right. The locations - wonderful. The photography brilliant.
What a story, and presented with never a dull moment - only the last shot was slow and how right that was - I wanted it to go on forever!
Orsen Welles is great, but Joseph Cotten? - surely a perfect performance. -
15 out of 16 people found this review helpful
A savagely satirical slice of noir
Despite keeping things slightly more straightforward than in Graham Greene's novella, Carol Reed's production still creates a rich tapestry of satire and mystery in occupied Vienna.
The main character, Holly Martins, is a bumbling dreamer: he thinks he can solve his friend's murder in the same way as a sheriff in one of his throwaway paperback novels.
It's clear from the off, however, that he is out of his depth; Reed uses shadow to such a masterful extent that we end up seeing more in the dark recesses of the city than in the exposed light.
A brilliant performance from the seductive, satanic Orson Welles; an unforgettable chase sequence in the sewers; a final shot that purposely avoids a comfortably happy ending. This film is a master class in ambiguity, while working as a suspense thriller in its own right. -
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful
The ultimate Film Noir classic
This film has everything you want from the Film Noir genre, twisted camera work, beautiful contrast between light and shadows and a plot that keeps you guessing and suspecting everyone involved, right till the end.
Some excellent plot twists and brilliant hard headed, well written characters that will make you smile and shiver.
If you are unfamiliar with the genre there is no better film to introduce you. If you’re in the mood to play detective, get this film! -
8 out of 10 people found this review helpful
They don’t make ‘em like they used to.
What struck me most about this ‘classic’ of British cinema is how underwhelmed I felt when it finished. Let me be the first to say … this is a great film but certainly doesn’t warrant its reputation.
We occupy the shoes of Holly Martins as he arrives in Vienna upon the death of his friend Harry Lime; unpeeling the layers of the mysterious circumstances that led to his death. The film is a joy to watch as every answer leads us deeper into the mystery. Carol Reed manages to take a fairly straightforward plot and fill it with dark corners and post-war paranoia.
The film is populated by rich and believable characters and beautifully written dialogue. However, whilst this is a technically a very slick film it doesn’t feel like a classic. The Byzantine plot really is no more than smoke and mirrors on which to hang a myriad of interesting characters and it never really delivers the punch it promises.
If you are a fan of well-constructed crime drama then this is highly recommended. -
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
The Third Man
I can't remember putting htis film on my list so I didn't watch it, not really my thing.
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
A must see!
No matter how many times I watch this film, I discover new things and appreciate the film more. Some of the shots are iconic and have been copied in many subsequent films.
The evocation of a crumbling, but still beautiful, post-war Vienna, is so vivid and spectacular. A must see film for everyone! -
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Come zither and enjoy
What a screen charisma had Orson Wells. By the time we meet his character, Lime, whatever he may once have been he has become wholly self centred and amoral, even evil in his callousness. Yet still he can command the love and loyalty of his friend Holly Martin and and of his lover Anna. And Well's genius as an actor is to make us overlook (just almost) his rotten core and see the eloquent and charming exterior and so make the way Holly and Anna behave towards him wholly believable.
Trevor Howard and a pre 'M' Bernard Lee provide strong support.
Tense, heavy on atmosphere, stylistically photgraphed (for example the slighty off kilter camera angles highlighting Holly's early confusion), evocativly lit and scored, this rightly lives on as a materpiece of cinema. -
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Best Supporting Location, anyone?
When the fuddy-duddys bemoan the decline of the British Film industry, this is the yardstick by which all subsequent Brit-flicks are judged. And, by crickey, they're right. The thing is, Carol Reed and Graham Green raised the bar so high so long ago, it's small wonder no one has bettered it. The perfect combination of plot, script, and a location exploited to the max. Vienna is intergral to the plot and in an ideal world would have been nominated in a best supporting character. But then if it was an ideal world, we would never have this dark gem of a film.
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4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Masterpiece
One of the finest films ever made - proving British cinema at its best could rival and surpass anything Hollywood had to offer. The writer, Graham Green; the director, Carol Reed; the entire cast headed by Orson Welles; black-and-white Vienna and the unforgettable soundtrack...treats like this are rare as hen's teeth, so sit back and treasure every cinematic moment!
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4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
you gotta watch once
for the line about the swiss/cuckoo clocks. famous words.
Critics' reviews (5)
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Well-made and enjoyable Disney adventure, with youngster James MacArthur determined to scale the Alpine peak that claimed his father's life. However, when an early attempt — in the company of mountaineer Michael Rennie — ends in embarrassment, MacArthur is forced to seek training, transforming from callow youth to responsible adolescent along the way. MacArthur is a convincing lead, ably supported by familliar faces such as Janet Munro and Herbert Lom. This is life-affirming stuff with a clear moral purpose, and the location footage of the Swiss Alps is breathtaking.
-
Totally memorable and irresistible romantic thriller. Stylish from the first to the last, with inimitable backgrounds of zither music and war-torn buildings pointing up a then-topical black market story full of cynical characters but not without humour. H
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"...The film's disenchanted romanticism exerts an irresistible charm. Nearly half a century on, that charm hasn't diminished in the least..."
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Justly celebrated British noir, charting post-war disease in Vienna as Cotten's naïve American pulp writer chases... read more on Time Out
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"...THE THIRD MAN provides superior roles for all its lead actors..."
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This classic noir mystery, from the team of Carol Reed and Graham Greene, is generally considered to be the best filmwork of both of these estimable talents. THE THIRD MAN features Joseph Cotten as ... -
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