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THE THIRD MAN
One of the supreme achievements of film noir, The Third Man (1949) is a brilliantly atmospheric tale of mystery, betrayal and moral corruption set amid the rubble of postwar Vienna. American pulp novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives in the divided city expecting a job from his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discover that Lime has apparently been killed. But conflicting accounts of the accident — including reports of a mysterious “third man” at the scene — lead Martins into a shadowy investigation involving Lime’s devoted lover Anna (Alida Valli), British officer Major Calloway (Trevor Howard), and a black-market underworld where virtually nothing is what it seems.
Directed with extraordinary visual flair by Carol Reed from a screenplay by celebrated novelist Graham Greene, The Third Man remains one of cinema’s most stylish and influential thrillers. Robert Krasker’s Oscar-winning black-and-white cinematography transforms Vienna’s streets, doorways and underground sewers into an expressionist maze of tilted angles and looming shadows, while Anton Karas’ unforgettable zither theme became an international hit. And then there is Orson Welles as Harry Lime — making one of the most celebrated entrances in movie history and creating a charming, chilling villain who has become an icon of the screen. More than 75 years after its release, The Third Man remains remarkably fresh: suspenseful, witty, romantic and visually dazzling. It currently holds a 99% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
CAST
Joseph Cotten — Holly Martins
Alida Valli — Anna Schmidt
Orson Welles — Harry Lime
Trevor Howard — Major Calloway
Ernst Deutsch — Baron Kurtz
Erich Ponto — Dr. Winkel
Paul Hörbiger — Porter
Siegfried Breuer — Popescu
Bernard Lee — Sergeant Paine
Wilfrid Hyde-White — Crabbin
CREDITS
Director: Carol Reed
Screenplay: Graham Greene
Producers: Carol Reed, Alexander Korda, David O. Selznick
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Editing: Oswald Hafenrichter
Music: Anton Karas
Production Design/Sets: Vincent Korda
Year: 1949
Country: United Kingdom
Runtime: 104 minutes (1 hr. 44 min.)
Rating: Approved (original U.S. release); commonly exhibited today as Not Rated in the U.S.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM — THEN & NOW
“A full-blooded, absorbing story.”
— Variety
“A thriller of superconsequence.”
— Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
“One of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema.”
— Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
“The romance of going to the movies.”
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“An iconic film noir that’s still fresh.”
— Houston Chronicle
“Welles’s deliciously elusive antihero.”
— Ed Potton, The Times (UK)
“One of those rare birds that improves with subsequent viewings.”
— Matt Brunson, Film Frenzy
The film currently stands at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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