The Third Man

The first film screened in my MVC 201 class was Orson Welles' The Third Man. The 1949 film noir follows American Holly Martins through post World War II Vienna and tracks his efforts to discover the true cause of his childhood friend's (Harry Lime) death. Riddled with mystery and suspense, this film keeps the audience guessing as they too try to discover the identity of the third man. The almost documentary-like technique of this film allows viewers to have a unique look in to what life in Vienna was like post-war; this is achieved through a combination of jaunty dialogue and beautiful cinematography. Albeit The Third Man is an older film, this classic stands the test of time.

As the film progresses, we find Holly Martins further entangling himself in the crooked world that Vienna has become. Within the four zones that make up Vienna (the French, American, British, and Russian) there is an underground penicillin ring that is wreaking havoc in Vienna and coincidentally the life of Harry Lime. Martins finds himself stumbling through the twisted world of Vienna and this is displayed through Welles' use of skewed camera angles and tilts and the literal slant of the set itself. Towards the conclusion of the film, Lime is seen fleeing through the sewers of Vienna which leads to a beautiful shot in the film: Lime reaching towards the cool night air of the streets of Vienna through a steel grate. As I watched the film, I interpreted this as Lime trying to reach truth and honesty in his life that is currently no where to be found.

All in all, The Third Man was a thoroughly enjoyable film that kept me on my toes the entire hour and forty four minutes. This film proves that well thought out scripts and carefully planned shots truly make the difference between a classic and a flop.