Many have branded Carol Reed’s The Third Man the greatest-ever British film, a title that’s hard to argue with. The Third Man celebrates its 75th Anniversary in UK cinemas from September 6 and arrives on StudioCanal Vintage Classics Collection 4K UHD this autumn.
The late, great film critic Roger Ebert vividly recalled his first viewing of Carol Reed’s The Third Man. In his “Great Movies” essay on the 1949 film, Ebert reminisces about entering a Parisian cinema in 1962 to watch it and leaving with a newfound obsession with movies. One could argue this was the film that started his career – quite the badge to bear. Yet, watching the film today, its ability to captivate, dazzle, and provoke thought remains as gripping as it was in 1949.
Vienna is in ruins following World War Two. Ravaged by warfare and occupied by the Allies, who have split the city into distinct sectors, black market dealings and racketeering run rampant. However, there is also easy work to be found, which is what introduces us to the protagonist, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten). A former writer of Western pulp stories, Martins is an American who has been offered a job by his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But upon reaching Lime’s flat, he learns that Lime was killed by a car while crossing the street.
During Lime’s funeral, Martins asks questions to the attendees, and it becomes clear that no one can agree on what caused Lime’s death or whether there were witnesses or not. Everyone from Royal Military police officer Calloway (Trevor Howard) to Lime’s girlfriend Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli) seems to have a different understanding of what happened to Lime. Confused and intrigued, Martins launches his own investigation to uncover the truth of Lime’s supposed death, an investigation that takes him into the underbelly of Vienna and face-to-face with Lime’s true nature as a person.
There is an immediate clash of attitudes between the character and the setting that causes The Third Man to leap out at audiences. With the entire continent almost completely demolished through battle, starvation, and genocide, Europe emerged from the war with a newfound cynicism, having faced humanity at its worst. Or at least that is the Europe Reed is portraying here.
America, who joined later in the war, were more optimistic by comparison, with the defeat of evil leaving a void of potential. But it also bred an arrogance where American culture and attitudes began to pave a certain hegemony that cannot survive in a place as broken and bruised as post-war Europe. Martins and the surrounding mise-en-scène reflect this contrast. Martins has arrived in Vienna seeking a friend and a new opportunity – which could be the start of any great American Dream story – yet what awaits him is a city where underhanded deals and apathy have risen from the ashes of conflict. Such environments are breeding grounds for the worst kinds of opportunists, as Martins’ investigation explores, people who take advantage of the devastation and desperation for their own gain.
Reed’s direction and the subsequent filmmaking from his team effectively reflect the film’s bleak mood. Robert Krasker won an Oscar for his cinematography on this film, and it is thoroughly deserved. This is a film that’s impossible to recreate in colour, as its black-and-white photography enhances the noir genre and its use of shadows. Darkness permeates the picture as Martins wanders from sector to sector, working out the truth behind Lime piece by piece.
The accompaniment of Anton Karas’ incongruously upbeat score captures Martins’ initial drive and determination, perhaps even emanating the fun and excitement that adventures like Martins’ pulp novels would describe. However, just as the dark truth gradually comes to the forefront, the thrill of adventure that the story initially evokes slowly loses its appeal. It’s impeccable filmmaking that simultaneously feels playful and brutal.
The Third Man was shot on location in Vienna, utilising a number of recognisable landmarks and manipulating light and shadow to add authenticity to its noir atmosphere. Key among these landmarks was the Riesenrad Ferris Wheel, which served as the setting for one of the most iconic scenes in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise. The Ferris Wheel is also the location of the film’s most chilling scene, where Martins and Lime discuss the moral grey areas of the opportunism bred by Vienna’s current state. The key themes of the picture emerge here: corruption versus integrity, solidarity versus opportunism, and humanism versus profit.
These complex topics are deftly and entertainingly explored in the writing, where every line of dialogue is as sharp as the next, delivered by two riveting performances from Cotten and, especially, Welles. Intimidating and charming simultaneously, Lime is one of Welles’ best performances, which is saying a lot given his prolific career of mesmerising roles.
Many have branded The Third Man the greatest-ever British film, a title that’s hard to argue with. It has the ideal combination of compelling characters whose worldviews are shaped and challenged by the story, atmospheric filmmaking that seeps off the screen, and topical themes that would’ve been particularly profound in its initial run.
However, in a modern world plagued by more rampant greed than ever, particularly among wealthy elites who exploit the working-class masses while denying reality (Trump and Musk, for example), the film’s brooding cynicism and condemnation of sociopathic opportunism have a ring of truth that has sadly persevered throughout the years. It’s both timely and timeless.
All this and more has ensured a thriving legacy for the picture, even decades after its Palme d’Or victory at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. Hauntingly atmospheric, terrifically paced, and powerfully acted, it’s a film that rewards the viewers’ patience via its narrative twists and resonant themes. Seamless in its entertainment factor and compelling long after the end credits roll, The Third Man is a cornerstone of British cinema and will be considered as such for generations to come.
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