adonis98-743-186503
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime. I was expecting 'The Third Man' to be some awesome Noir thriller but instead we get the boring version of it like seriously i get it some of those movies back in the 30's and 40's did well for their time but now in 2018? They look pretty terrible, sound terrible and their just either very boring or very long and this movie is on the first side of things. Some people will enjoy it but others will just get bored by it. (0/10)
Antonius Block
All is absurd. The war is over, Vienna is in ruins, and the black market reigns. The Allies have divided the city into zones, and the long reach of the Soviets is beginning to assert itself. When a pulp fiction writer (Joseph Cotten) arrives looking for his friend but finds he's died under what seem like suspicious circumstances, he doesn't know who to trust. His friend's associates are shady, and the authorities uncaring. Morality itself also seems to be in ruins.Strong direction from Carol Reed, excellent cinematography Robert Krasker, and a musical score from Anton Karas based entirely on the zither make for a unique, and very good film. Cotten, Alida Valli (the girlfriend), and Trevor Howard (the investigating major) all turn in solid performances, but it's Orson Welles who is absolutely brilliant, though his role is smaller. His acting is fantastic in the scene at the top of the Ferris wheel, where, among other things, he comments so blithely on doing harm to his fellow man by saying "Victims? Don't be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell me, would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax - the only way you can save money nowadays."It's the rationalization of evil, made easier when done from a distance, which is truly horrifying. Hitler had just been defeated after almost unimaginable sacrifice and human cost, a real triumph, and yet, evil is still alive and well with humanity.The existential absurdity of it all is accentuated with frequent camera shots which are tilted at odd angles, and that zany zither music. To be honest, I'm still not sure how I feel about the music. At times it seemed to provide a nice counterpoint to the action, such as a chase scene through dark streets, highlighting how crazy this nightmare of a situation is, and at other times, it seems comically wacky, and out of place in a noir film.The film is a little methodical in the first hour, but I thought the dry dialog was stylish, and loved the shadows and street scenes. The international flavor and hearing German was nice. Even if you suspect who Welles might be when he shows up, I believe the film effectively wrong foots us, in the sense of who is evil in this story. It turns out that it may just be your old chum, the biggest nightmare of all. It also wrong foots us with that ending, which Reed had to fight for, and which is outstanding.
pkiasar
The movie is great. Perfect storyline, Perfect acting, Perfect dialogs and Perfect ending!
the scene at the carousel is a masterpiece.
jcjacob-37009
This is the film that saved Orson Welles's reputation. Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949), is by far what makes Black & White films entertaining as well as exciting! The film stars Joseph Cotten, Valli and Orson Welles. The locations in the city of Vienna, Austria are quite impressive. Welles has so much to handle as his famous character, Harry Lime. There was a concern from David O'Selznick over the casting of Orson Welles. Welles had a struggling career, after the making of "Citizen Kane", but Reed found Welles to be the right fit for the main project. The ending of this movie is a true work of Art, and the tension is certainly there for its audience. The Cinematography is what really makes this film work. The trick is that everything is uneven, and Cotten has a hard time pronouncing certain character's names. The film earned the award for Best Cinematography. While Welles was back in the game, he still struggled to gain his independence as a film director. If there is one Black & White movie that truly earns its name, it is The Third Man, one of my Top 10 Favorite Films of all time!
