Directed by Carol Reed
Screenplay by Graham Greene, based on his novel
UK
104 min.
1949
Not Rated
A special Saturday night screening of the classic 1949 Carol Reed film noir, The Third Man. Set in devastated, shadowy post-World War II Vienna (which is as much a character in this movie as the people), the movie stars Joseph Cotten as unemployed pulp-novelist Holly Martins, arriving in Vienna on the promise of a job from his old friend Harry Lime. Unfortunately, he is told that Lime has recently died in a mysterious car accident. Against the advice of British sector authority Major Calloway (Trevor Howard), who accuses Lime of criminal behavior, Martins remains to investigate his friend's death, questioning Lime's associates, a cynical, war-weary assortment of black-market hustlers. Their stories are full of contradictions--and all lead to the biggest contradiction of them all, which culminates in a harrowing chase through the sewers of Vienna.
The Third Man is a masterpiece, a legendary tale of love, deception, and murder, boasting extraordinary writing, acting, and directing (as well as a classic zither score which spawned a Top 40 hit by Anton Karas). Orson Welles makes a memorable cameo as the seductive villain--and you'll never think of cuckoo clocks (or Switzerland) the same way again. The true "star" of The Third Man could very well be Robert Krasker's cinematography, which transforms Vienna into an expressionist nightmare. If you've never seen The Third Man, the Saratoga Film Forum is a great place to see what you've been missing all these years.
"Of all the movies I have seen, this one most completely embodies the romance of going to the movies." --Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
