THE THIRD MAN (1949) - A Film Noir Masterwork

[darkprose]

I love that the movie almost doesn’t happen. The narrator begins talking about post-war Vienna until he suddenly remembers the story he is going to tell. It sets up the background for the audience but in such an extemporaneous and informal way, it never sounds like that is what he is doing. A lesser film might have started by just giving us a text to read with the same information. The narration (voiced by director Carol Reed) is ingenious:

“I never knew the old Vienna before the war with its Strauss music, its glamour and easy charm. Constantinople suited me better. I really got to know it in the classic period of the black market. We’d run anything if people wanted it enough and had the money to pay. Of course a situation like that does tempt amateurs but, well, you know, they can't stay the course like a professional. Now the city is divided into four zones, you know, each occupied by a power: the American, the British, the Russian and the French. But the center of the city, that’s international policed by an international patrol. One member of each of the four powers. Wonderful! What a hope they had! All strangers to the place and none of them could speak the same language. Except a sort of smattering of German. Good fellows on the whole, did their best, you know. Vienna doesn’t really look any worse than a lot of other European cities. Bombed about a bit. Oh, I was going to tell you, wait, I was going to tell you about Holly Martins, an American. Came all the way here to visit a friend of his. The name was Lime, Harry Lime. Now Martins was broke and Lime had offered him, some sort, I don’t know, some sort of job. Anyway, there he was, poor chap. Happy as a lark and without a cent.”

[billcbren]

Orson Welles is a uniquely American character. There's nobody like him; he was a one-off.

[vermeer]

The famous ferris wheel scene, Holly and Harry debate morality, is one of the finest short scenes in the history of cinema. Harry Lime's complete and utter amorality, played with a wink and a grin, is terrifying, coming so soon after WWII, because it precisely nails something at the heart of human enterprise that has been with us since the first societies were formed, and is still with us today. A stunning film, with a range and ambition that is truly immense. Thank you, enjoyed your video a lot.

[deckofcards]

The Third Man is a good contender for best film ever made. It is perfect.

[charlesreidy]

So glad to hear a young person recognize the genius of this masterpiece!

[Mavisdundundunnnmanston]

watching this whole video: this is the best review of The Third Man. I've grown up with this film (parents rode the wheel on the Third Man tour) and you're the 1st review to make me think more about it. Excited to watch more of your stuff.

[ronnieince]

The photography is a masterpiece -the cameraman was a genius with light and shade -a Caravaggio in black and white .Ingenar Bergman and Sven Nyquist used the same technique .

[lacrimatorium]

Well Maggie you just talked me into finally replacing my old VHS with a dandy new Blu-ray. I'm ready to watch it again!

[lilacseason]

This is my favorite black and white film. I agree, this is a special film and everybody in it is interesting. I love the way The Third Man is filmed and directed and the music score adds to the foreign feel of the film.

[TheSilverCellist]

This film is FILLED with character in every aspect. From the actors to the atmosphere. There is definitely a feeling of dread that adds a cloud to this black and white. Also Reed's use of light and shadow combined with the unique camera angles is also an important ingredient to the success of this film. Anton Karas's score gives a European quality. The sewer scene is masterful and unique and sets itself apart from the other noirs of its day.

[ReelRejects]

My fiance showed me this movie not long ago! It’s great!

[drdavid]

Totally agree The Third Man is a perfect film. It's a classic Graham Greene novel about postwar Europe but it's the cinematic realisation of that story - the images, that zither score, the climactic chase scene and Orson Welles' appearance and his own classic dialogue in the cuckoo clock speech - that make it perfect

[snukkelpuppie]

I’m no movie expert/critic but I just watched it for the first time. Wow, unbelievable this is from 1949. It is very watchable in 2023 and I have to say, a better movie than most of the stuff that has come out for a long, long time. Great movie, would highly recommend!

[MyTv-]

My absolute favourite movie.
I use to say it was the best movie ever, then I rewatch it and it was even better then I remembered.

[danielschaeffer]

I read somewhere that Graham Greene based the character of Harry Lime on Kim Philby, who was a good friend of Greene’s since they’d worked together in the war. It’s always been suspected that Greene was the man who tipped off Philby that the cops were on his tail and let him escape to Russia.

The Philby fiasco was probably an inspiration for another classic thriller, “The Ipcress File.”

[paulm]

You're right, this film has aged so much better than most of it's genre/era. There's a deep, deep undertone of melancholy throughout. Yes, the Nazis had been defeated but things would never be put back right for most of those who survived, and the specter of Soviet oppression was the new dark cloud hanging over Europe. Harry Lime with his amoral charisma seems a man tailor-made for this grave new world.

Such a great movie. My favorite performance by Wells; heck pretty much all involved.

[tightyellowshorts]

This is maybe my #2 Noir - with the dry, absurdist humour, and one of the top movie soundtracks ever, being its standout points in my book.

#1 is The Big Sleep, hands down. The pinacle of Noir archetypes in characters, composition and story, and ultra snappy dialog is super fun to watch to this day.

[glencimaglia]

this movie is one of my top 5 favorite movies, possibly my favorite noir. the direction, screenplay, casting, soundtrack...it's about perfect. another noir i really like is "Touch of Evil" also with Orson Welles. great review.

[merccadoosis]

I first saw "The Third Man" either very late in the 1950s or early 1960s. Was and remain highly intrigued by it. There are so many great merits to to this artistic gem. But the thing that captured my imagination the most was the matter of _does Holly Martins kill Harry Lime at the end of the movie?_ As I have previously written on other channels, no he does not kill him. There are many hints throughout the movie which reveal this. One major hint is the Ferris wheel which was mentioned in the clip above.
As an old movie fan, and as a big fan of old school pro wrestling, I've always loved the bad guys. I love it when they win. And Harry was certainly a bad guy. But one who came out a winner.
Sensational movie. One of the very best.

[anthonyfrancois-ospina]

You are a true champion of story and cinema. My compliments to you 🎞🎬