Sunset Boulevard is probably my favorite Noir film but this, this is a very close 2nd. You can almost feel how bleak, cold, and dark Vienna is during the film. The directors choice of filming many empty streets and landscapes gives the impression that it's impossible to run or hide. Welles runs though the streets like an apparition, a ghost hiding among the long shadows and straddling his own moral line between night and day. No way this film could have been made in color as so much of it relies on the black and white to portray the mood. It's a cinematic triumph and so easy to see why it's a classic.
I will never understand the criticism of the score. Don't overthink it, FEEL it. It's one of the most fitting scores ever devised for a motion picture.
The Third Man is a film noir classic set in post-war Vienna, part historical wonder, part pile of rubble, jurisdictionally split between various powers. The tense atmosphere created by this set-up, supported by director Carol Reed's dutch angles and powerful plays of light and shadow (the final chase in the sewers is a master class in black and white film making), creates an always interesting environment for Joseph Cotten's protagonist to navigate, a writer visiting an old friend who turns out to have been killed, a mystery he can't resist any more than his friend's sultry girlfriend. Like the best films noir, neither the lead nor the audience should know who to trust, if anyone. Despite being made in 1949, The Third Man is so slick it feels entirely more modern and is rightfully to be named among the greatest films of the 40s and 50s.
I could only rate this film with the scene where Orson Welles first appears with his smile along with the music, and it would be already one of the greatest films I've seen.
Great story, performances and of course one of the best scores of the all time.
An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. 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. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.
Yes, now I can proudly say that Old is Gold. The Third Man has no nudity, no graphic violence and no gore. It has none of these elements that today's thriller's use to amuse the audience. Still, the film delivers and even the casual viewers will be stunned by the impressive style of film-making. Surprisingly, very few critics that time were impressed with this movie. Today however, the movie has become a masterpiece and has survived the test of time. Highly Recommended...
"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. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock"
Fantastic display of talent in every aspect of film-making. Perfect script for Carol Reed to shot in an amazing looking Vienna. Every actor does a great job and prepare you for one the best Welles role in his career. A masterpiece!
10/10
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Comments 1 - 15 of 47
DisneyStitch
Sunset Boulevard is probably my favorite Noir film but this, this is a very close 2nd. You can almost feel how bleak, cold, and dark Vienna is during the film. The directors choice of filming many empty streets and landscapes gives the impression that it's impossible to run or hide. Welles runs though the streets like an apparition, a ghost hiding among the long shadows and straddling his own moral line between night and day. No way this film could have been made in color as so much of it relies on the black and white to portray the mood. It's a cinematic triumph and so easy to see why it's a classic.fonz
Visual filmmaking at its finestMoutardedShroom
This is a movie of numerous suspicious stares...Cinema like this is sorely missed nowadays.
Big A2
I will never understand the criticism of the score. Don't overthink it, FEEL it. It's one of the most fitting scores ever devised for a motion picture.StigAnder
Funny how people react to a murderer not getting the facts right about the cuckoo clock.Siskoid
The Third Man is a film noir classic set in post-war Vienna, part historical wonder, part pile of rubble, jurisdictionally split between various powers. The tense atmosphere created by this set-up, supported by director Carol Reed's dutch angles and powerful plays of light and shadow (the final chase in the sewers is a master class in black and white film making), creates an always interesting environment for Joseph Cotten's protagonist to navigate, a writer visiting an old friend who turns out to have been killed, a mystery he can't resist any more than his friend's sultry girlfriend. Like the best films noir, neither the lead nor the audience should know who to trust, if anyone. Despite being made in 1949, The Third Man is so slick it feels entirely more modern and is rightfully to be named among the greatest films of the 40s and 50s.eumer
The soundtracks are just awesome!Rigters
I could only rate this film with the scene where Orson Welles first appears with his smile along with the music, and it would be already one of the greatest films I've seen.Great story, performances and of course one of the best scores of the all time.
Filmsthemostbeautifulart
An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. 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. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.Yes, now I can proudly say that Old is Gold. The Third Man has no nudity, no graphic violence and no gore. It has none of these elements that today's thriller's use to amuse the audience. Still, the film delivers and even the casual viewers will be stunned by the impressive style of film-making. Surprisingly, very few critics that time were impressed with this movie. Today however, the movie has become a masterpiece and has survived the test of time. Highly Recommended...
My Rating: 5/5
bodoni
"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. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock"stexdo
Fantastic display of talent in every aspect of film-making. Perfect script for Carol Reed to shot in an amazing looking Vienna. Every actor does a great job and prepare you for one the best Welles role in his career. A masterpiece!10/10
ReVision
Great movie! Very nice story and lots of suspenseful scenes.armyofshadows
an indisputable 10/10 of a filmmeysam_a
nice plot, perfect characters, brilliant movie overall! :)Longomontanus
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