Post-war Vienna. A dangerous city, full of intrigue, crime & sudden death. Notorious American racketeer Harry Lime starts to cross a street. There is an accident and he is killed instantly. Or is he? His body is carried to the sidewalk by two friends. Or does another man assist them? If so, who is THE THIRD MAN and what does he know about Lime's suspicious death?
Such is the puzzle at the beginning of what many consider to be the greatest film ever made. Its glories are so obvious that it is almost futile to pick out any for observation: the marvelous sewer chase, the balloon man, the little boy with the ball, the giant wheel, the cuckoo clock speech & the long closing walk across the cemetery. All of these linger in the mind, becoming permanent residents of our cinematic subconscious.
The entire cast is excellent: Joseph Cotton as Lime's American friend trying to piece together what has happened; Trevor Howard as the stalwart British Major of Police; gorgeous Valli as Harry's faithful lover; Bernard Lee as the tragic Police Sergeant; Wilfrid Hyde-White as a dithering English cultural attaché. And then there's Orson Welles...
The character of Harry Lime, alive or dead, on-screen or not, is one of cinema's most fascinating villains. Charming & deadly as any cobra, he attracts & repels at the same moment. It is interesting to note that BBC Radio resurrected the character for the series 'The Lives of Harry Lime' very shortly after the film's release. Harry was not allowed to stay in his grave for long...
Three more items of note: (1) The cinematography is first-rate, making Vienna by night look almost lunar. (2) Orson Welles' first appearance on screen is a real dandy. (3) Above & around & through everything is the famous zither music of Anton Karas, which becomes like a Greek Chorus, commenting on the action. Its complete silence during the sewer chase only underscores the starkness of the sequence.
Such is the puzzle at the beginning of what many consider to be the greatest film ever made. Its glories are so obvious that it is almost futile to pick out any for observation: the marvelous sewer chase, the balloon man, the little boy with the ball, the giant wheel, the cuckoo clock speech & the long closing walk across the cemetery. All of these linger in the mind, becoming permanent residents of our cinematic subconscious.
The entire cast is excellent: Joseph Cotton as Lime's American friend trying to piece together what has happened; Trevor Howard as the stalwart British Major of Police; gorgeous Valli as Harry's faithful lover; Bernard Lee as the tragic Police Sergeant; Wilfrid Hyde-White as a dithering English cultural attaché. And then there's Orson Welles...
The character of Harry Lime, alive or dead, on-screen or not, is one of cinema's most fascinating villains. Charming & deadly as any cobra, he attracts & repels at the same moment. It is interesting to note that BBC Radio resurrected the character for the series 'The Lives of Harry Lime' very shortly after the film's release. Harry was not allowed to stay in his grave for long...
Three more items of note: (1) The cinematography is first-rate, making Vienna by night look almost lunar. (2) Orson Welles' first appearance on screen is a real dandy. (3) Above & around & through everything is the famous zither music of Anton Karas, which becomes like a Greek Chorus, commenting on the action. Its complete silence during the sewer chase only underscores the starkness of the sequence.