Gene Siskel remarked that it was an "exemplary piece of moviemaking, highlighting the ruins of World War II and juxtaposing it with the characters' own damaged histories". Holly says that he's writing a book called "The Third Man" and that it's based on fact. She gave him tours of the city, its sewers and some of its less reputable night-clubs. [38], According to Kinematograph Weekly the 'biggest winner' at the box office in 1949 Britain was The Third Man with "runners up" being Johnny Belinda, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Paleface, Scott of the Antarctic, The Blue Lagoon, Maytime in Mayfair, Easter Parade, Red River and You Can't Sleep Here. (1949). He tries once again to escape using the sewer tunnels, but the police are there in force. Crabbin was a single character in the novella; the screenplay's original draft replaced him with two characters, played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne, but ultimately in the film, as in the novella, Crabbin remains a single character. Calloway then asks Martins to help capture Lime. In 2008, Criterion released a Blu-ray edition,[55] and in September 2010, Lions Gate reissued the film on Blu-ray. Instead, only a few secondary characters appear in night scenes. This term was coined by T.S. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Cotten reprised his role as Holly Martins in the one-hour Theatre Guild on the Air radio adaptation of The Third Man on 7 January 1951. Before writing the screenplay, Graham Greene worked out the atmosphere, characterisation and mood of the story by writing a novella. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Third Man” by Graham Greene. Trying to connect names with faces can be difficult, resulting in some confusion. Set in postwar Vienna, Austria, "The Third Man" stars Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, who arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find him dead. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Smolka gave Greene the stories about the black market in Vienna.[10]. Critics subsequently hailed the film as a masterpiece. During the shooting of the film, the final scene was the subject of a dispute between Greene, who wanted the happy ending of the novella, and Reed and David O. Selznick, who stubbornly refused to end the film on what they felt was an artificially happy note. Martins says that it will be called The Third Man, "a murder story" inspired by facts. The Third Man was also adapted as a one-hour radio play on two broadcasts of Lux Radio Theatre: on 9 April 1951 with Joseph Cotten reprising his role and on 8 February 1954 with Ray Milland as Martins. The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. A shaft of light reveals the person to be Lime. A small portion of his narration appears in a modified form at the film's beginning in Reed's voice-over: "I never knew the old Vienna". ... yet, the perverse and scornful [goddess, Art] will have none of it, and the sons of patriots are left with the clock that turns the mill, and the sudden cuckoo, with difficulty restrained in its box! Martins' given name is Rollo rather than Holly. We appreciate your help. "[48], "The Third Man Theme" was released as a single in 1949/50 (Decca in the UK, London Records in the US). In film scholar Jonathan Rosenbaum's 2007 book Discovering Orson Welles, Rosenbaum calls it a "popular misconception",[13] although Rosenbaum did note that the film "began to echo the Wellesian theme of betrayed male friendship and certain related ideas from Citizen Kane. Before the production came to Vienna, Karas was an unknown performer in local Heurigers. Other differences include both Martins' and Lime's nationalities; they are English in the book. Martins and Anna meet. The Third Man is "the supreme movie about the night-world, the ultimate example of that shining-streets-and-lurking-shadows `realism' that was so popular in the forties. (…) Filme der Woche. It became a best-seller; by November 1949, 300,000 records had been sold in Britain, with the teen-aged Princess Margaret a reported fan. "The Third Man" tells an interestingly bleak story, set in a bleak, desolate urban environment, rendered truly mesmerizing by the creatively surreal B&W cinematography. For this was Tell a hero! A former tennis player tries to arrange his wife's murder after learning of her affair. Popescu tells Martins that he should stick to fiction. Written by C. A. Lejeune in The Observer described Reed's "habit of printing his scenes askew, with floors sloping at a diagonal and close-ups deliriously tilted" as "most distracting". One of the persons who knew Lime is an attractive woman named Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli) whose continued presence in the story invites suspicion. [17], Six weeks of principal photography was shot on location in Vienna,[18] ending on 11 December 1948. There was rubble under the snow— —with real … [25] Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Has there ever been a film where the music more perfectly suited the action than in Carol Reed's The Third Man? Holly Martins (played by Joseph Cotten) arrives in the city based with a job offer from … He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. [15] However, in a 1967 interview with Peter Bogdanovich, Welles said that his involvement was minimal: "It was Carol's picture". Certificate: Passed Holly Martins, an American author of western fiction, arrives in post–Second World War Vienna (which has been divided between the Allies: the Americans, British, French, and Soviets) seeking his childhood friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job. In 2005, viewers of BBC Television's Newsnight Review voted the film their fourth favourite of all time, the only film in the top five made before 1970. [6], In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of all time. "[45] One very rare exception was the British communist paper Daily Worker (later the Morning Star), which complained that "no effort is spared to make the Soviet authorities as sinister and unsympathetic as possible."[46]. There is also a difference of ending. [2], In the United Kingdom, The Third Man was the most popular film at the British box office for 1949. Drama, Certificate: Passed Anton Karas wrote and performed the score, which featured only the zither. A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. Damn, That's A Long Tongue! "[47] In a special episode of Siskel & Ebert in 1994 discussing film villains, Ebert named Lime as his favorite film villain. Two Americans searching for work in Mexico convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains. The unseen zither-player ... is made to employ his instrument much as the Homeric bard did his lyre. Greene wrote the novella of the same name as preparation for the screenplay. A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. Carol Reed worked for the British Army's wartime documentary unit, and the screenplay was by Graham Greene, who not only wrote about spies but occasionally acted as one. About The Third Man. Calloway again advises Martins to leave Vienna, but Martins refuses and demands that Lime's death be investigated. [34] An extract from his Third Man music, The Casanova Melody, was orchestrated by Rodney Newton in 2000.[35]. As the meeting is closed, two thuggish-looking men arrive and get whispered orders from Popescu. The likeliest source is the painter James Abbott McNeill Whistler. You have already voted for this video. Lime obliquely threatens Martins, reveals the full extent of his ruthlessness and then reiterates his job offer before leaving quickly. Welles added this remark – in the published script, it is in a footnote. It centres on Holly Martins, an American who is given a job in Vienna by his friend Harry Lime, but when Holly arrives in Vienna he gets the news that Lime is dead. The Third Man or Third Man Factor is the name given to an unseen presence reported mainly by mountain climbers and hikers throughout history. Before he died, Lime asked them to take care of Martins and Lime's girlfriend, actress Anna Schmidt. Roger Ebert added the film to his "Great Movies" list and wrote, "Of all the movies that I have seen, this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies. I don't think he said a word to her: it was like the end of a story except that before they turned out of my sight her hand was through his arm—which is how a story usually begins. What does third man mean? Writer John McPhee pointed out that when the Borgias flourished in Italy, Switzerland had "the most powerful and feared military force in Europe" and was not the peacefully neutral country it would later become. Fans of the Carol Reed classic have been visiting the setting of Vienna since the film was released in 1948, giving rise to one of the first and most enduring film location tours. In most outdoor scenes there's a conspicuous lack of crowds, a lack of hubbub one would expect in a bustling city. The next evening Martins visits Lime's "medical adviser" Dr. Winkel, who says that he arrived at the accident after Lime was dead and claims only two men were there. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? Afterwards, Martins is asked by Mr. Crabbin to give a lecture to a book club a few days later. "[44] The New York Times movie critic Bosley Crowther, after a prefatory qualification that the film was "designed [only] to excite and entertain", wrote that Reed "brilliantly packaged the whole bag of his cinematic tricks, his whole range of inventive genius for making the camera expound. Crime, Certificate: Passed Especially striking is its depiction of Vienna, a mere 4 years after World War 2. With exactly five pounds in his pocket, he arrives only just in time to make it to his friend’s funeral. Check out our editors' picks for the best movies and shows coming this month. "The Third Man" (1949) was made by men who knew the devastation of Europe at first hand. British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors, not knowing that the allied forces are planning to destroy it. Set in post-war Vienna The Third Man concerns the mysterious Harry Lime, a black market trader thought by the authorities to … Martins is told that Lime was killed by a car while crossing the street. The Third Man, therefore, though never intended for publication, had to start as a story before it began those apparently interminable transformations from one treatment to another. ", This Is Orson Welles (1993) quotes Welles: "When the picture came out, the Swiss very nicely pointed out to me that they've never made any cuckoo clocks,"[29] as the clocks are native to the German Black Forest. [43] Time magazine wrote that the film was "crammed with cinematic plums that would do the early Hitchcock proud—ingenious twists and turns of plot, subtle detail, full-bodied bit characters, atmospheric backgrounds that become an intrinsic part of the story, a deft commingling of the sinister with the ludicrous, the casual with the bizarre. A seemingly timid but secretly ruthless ingénue insinuates herself into the lives of an aging Broadway star and her circle of theater friends. The title music "The Third Man Theme" topped the international music charts in 1950, bringing the previously unknown performer international fame; the theme would also inspire Nino Rota's principal melody in La Dolce Vita (1960). Viewing his death as suspicious, Martins elects to stay in Vienna and investigate the matter. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), who arrives in the city to accept a job with his friend Harry Lime (Welles), only to learn that Lime has died. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn't back down. The film has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 80 reviews, with an average rating of 9.3/10 and the following consensus: "This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles. Exasperated, Martins decides to leave, but on the way to the airport, Calloway stops at a hospital to show Martins a number of children crippled or dying of meningitis, who were treated with Lime's diluted penicillin. His temporary absence forced Hamilton to step in as body double for him. Soon, a man who wants to give Holly some valuable information is murdered.The script's dialogue is quite impressive, with some interesting lines and points of view. Ignoring Martins' calls, Lime flees and vanishes. Seventy-seven episodes were filmed; directors included Paul Henreid (10 episodes) and Arthur Hiller (six episodes). Graham Greene's, "The Third Man" is a wonderful mystery (thriller) set in post war Vienna with the legendary character of Harry Lime; a notorious racketeer selling poisoned penicillin to children's hospitals and doctors, at exorbitant prices, resulting in the death and disabling of innocent victims. Some use was made of the Sievering Studios facilities in the city. The film's plot has Holly searching for the truth about his friend, while trying to stave off a city detective, Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) who tries to persuade Holly to leave Vienna.The film's story is okay. [39], In Austria, "local critics were underwhelmed",[40] and the film ran for only a few weeks. Limelight Editions, 1999. Apparently, the filming of the sewer scenes was moved to studios in the UK as a result of Welles' complaints about shooting in the actual sewers. Martins summons Calloway, who deduces that Lime has escaped through the sewers. Back on the ground, he notes: You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account'. Adding a slightly romantic, and at times melancholy, tone to this dark film is the music of the "zither", an instrument similar to a guitar, but sounding quite different.My one complaint about this film is that it's hard to keep tabs on some of the background characters. [25], The Grand Gala World Premiere was held at the Ritz Cinema in Hastings, East Sussex, on 1 September 1949. Still, the Viennese Arbeiter-Zeitung, although critical of a "not-too-logical plot", praised the film's "masterful" depiction of a "time out of joint" and the city's atmosphere of "insecurity, poverty and post-war immorality". He was a very bad shot and a very bad judge of character, but he had a way with Westerns (a trick of tension) and with girls (I wouldn't know what). Martins then kills Lime using Paine's revolver. The Third Man, 1949—directed by Carol Reed, screenplay by Graham Greene—is an amazing film for so many reasons you have to see it for yourself. Quoted in "Round Town with Herb Rau: In A Dither Over The Zither", Drazin, Charles: "In Search of the Third Man", page 36. [23] However, Reed claimed that, despite initial reluctance, Welles quickly became enthusiastic, and stayed in Vienna to finish the film. The Third Man filming location: Harry Lime’s “cuckoo clock” speech on the ferris wheel: Riesenrad, Prater, Vienna, Austria. Much to the dismay of Holly, a freak auto accident has recently killed his friend, according to those who knew Harry.But in searching for details of Lime's death, Holly gets contradictory stories that don't add up. [25] Reed brought Karas to London, where the musician worked with Reed on the score for six weeks. Der dritte Mann", "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States", "The Third Man (1949) – The Criterion Collection", "Supreme Court Takes "39 Steps" Back From Public Domain", Third Man Private Collection (3mpc) Museum Dedicated to, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Getting to Know the General: The Story of an Involvement, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Third_Man&oldid=1021675029, Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award, Articles with dead external links from December 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2019, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Alexis Chesnakov as Brodsky, Russian official, Herbert Halbik as Little Hansel - Boy with Ball, Joseph Cotten as the narrator (pre-1999 US version), This page was last edited on 6 May 2021, at 01:37. 53 of 77 people found this review helpful. ", Or it may be that Welles was influenced by Geoffrey Household, who wrote, in 1939, in his novel Rogue Male: "...Swiss. Martins agrees to help only on one condition, demanding in exchange Anna's safe conduct out of Vienna. Unlike most films, camera movement here is restricted, so as to draw attention to each frame's geometry. David O. Selznick instituted the replacement because he did not think American audiences would relate to the seedy tone of the original. Rollo Martins’ usual line is the writing of cheap paperback Westerns under the name of Buck Dexter. [32] Karas stayed at Reed's house during that time. His eminent gifts for compressing a wealth of suggestion in single shots, for building up agonized tension and popping surprises are fully exercised. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Martins then notices two thugs advancing towards him, so he flees on foot through the ruins of the bombed out city and manages to escape. Grand Prix du Festival International du Film, I half expected to see Welles run towards me, "Kunst und Kultur. [49] The exposure made Anton Karas an international star,[50] and the trailer for the film stated that "the famous musical score by Anton Karas" would have the audience "in a dither with his zither".[51][52]. He caught her up and they walked side by side. Bogdanovich also stated in the introduction to the DVD: However, I think it's important to note that the look of The Third Man—and, in fact, the whole film—would be unthinkable without Citizen Kane, The Stranger and The Lady from Shanghai, all of which Orson made in the '40s, and all of which preceded The Third Man. This Woman Is DROP DEAD Gorgeous! 'Consider Switzerland. Martins returns to the hotel and a cab immediately takes him to the book club, where he makes a very poor speech. Directed by Carol Reed. The Third Man, Graham Greene (1904 - 1991) The film takes place in post–World War II Vienna. 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