Rent The Third Man (1949)
4.0 of 5 from 484 ratings
1h 40min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Holly Martins a naive writer of pulp westerns, arrives in Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Line but finds that Lime has apparently been killed in a suspicious accident. Martins, too, curious for his own good, hears contradictory stories about the circumstances of Limes' death and as witnesses disappear he finds himself chased by unknown assailants. Complicating matters are the sardonic Major Calloway, head of the British forces, and Limes' stage actress mistress, Anna. Will Martin's curiosity lead him to discover things about his old friend that he'd rather not know?
- Actors:
- Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Bernard Lee, Paul Hörbiger, Ernst Deutsch, Siegfried Breuer, Erich Ponto, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Hedwig Bleibtreu, Nelly Arno, Jack Arrow, Harold Ayer, Harry Belcher, Leo Bieber, Paul Birch, Martin Boddey, Madge Brindley, Robert Brown
- Directors:
- Carol Reed
- Narrated By:
- Carol Reed
- Writers:
- Graham Greene
- Others:
- Robert Krasker, Oswald Hafenrichter
- Studio:
- Optimum
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like: Day For Night, 100 Years of German Expressionism, A History of Cricket Films, A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, Award Winners, Cinema Paradiso's 2022 Centenary Club, Drama Films & TV, Film History, Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: James Mason, Getting to Know: Kenneth Branagh, Introducing a British Film Family, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Steven Soderbergh, Top 10 British Actresses of the 1940s, Top 10 Cannes Palme d'Or Winners, Top 10 Films Set in Venice, Top 10 Films Turned Into TV Series, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 13/09/2010
- Run Time:
- 105 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- Castillian, Dutch, French, German
- DVD Regions:
- Region 2
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- B & W
- Bonus:
- Shadowing The third man
- The third man on the radio
- Audio commentary with Guy Hamilton (Assistant director), Simon Callow and Angela Allen (2nd unity continuity)
- The third man interactive Vienna tour
- Guardian NFT interview with Joseph Cotten's alternate opening voiceover narration
- Interview and zither performance by Cornelia Mayer
- Stills gallery
- Original trailers
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Reviews (2) of The Third Man
Cold War Noir. - The Third Man review by Steve
Voted by the BFI the best British film of all. Carol Reed made it on amphetamines, shooting round the clock on the streets (and sewers) of Vienna. This is an edgy, pessimistic, infinitely melancholic film. It has its humour, but even the rat-a-tat of irony and mustn't-grumble make do that is a given in all British films of the post-war era is muted here.
The atmosphere of the divided, devastated post war Vienna is profound thanks to brilliant locations, the dialogue, both philosophical and laconic (Trevor Howard was born to snap out these terse exchanges), and Robert Krasker's off kilter expressionist photography.
Best of all is Graham Greene's thrilling but elegiac script of Harry Lime (Orson Welles), unscrupulous trafficker in the ruined city as it slips from the World War into the Cold War. Ultra-realistic, yet poetical. Probably the greatest original screenplay in cinema.
The film is a sequence of brilliant scenes from Carol Reed's opening clipped narrative overture, to the stunning coda at the cemetery. Few films will end with the hero, not only not getting the girl, but the girl living out her life in memory of a psychopath. It is a fascinating, flawless work of suspense and fabulous moral complexity.
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Outstanding for its time - The Third Man review by JD
For a 1949 film it is a masterpiece. It richly deserves to have won the cinematography award. I do not think modern cinematography is better, it has just got a few more tricks. The style of acting has since changed alot and mainly for the good. It is very theatrical and projected especially Orson who sometimes looks as though he is doing Bob Hope impressions. Well worth a nostalgic trip.
2 out of 4 members found this review helpful.