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The Third Man
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The Third Man (1949) More at IMDbPro »

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The Third Man (1949) -- Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident.

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 3% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Carol Reed
Writers:
Graham Greene (story)
Graham Greene (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Third Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 September 1949 (UK) more
Tagline:
Carol Reed's Classic Thriller more
Plot:
Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
Passionate Movie Fans Get Their Wish for Oliver!
 (From ReelzChannel. 24 June 2009, 11:33 AM, PDT)

Great Films: The Third Man
 (From SoundOnSight. 10 June 2009, 7:04 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
The real mccoy when you want to talk serious screen legends! more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Joseph Cotten ... Holly Martins
Alida Valli ... Anna Schmidt (as Valli)

Orson Welles ... Harry Lime
Trevor Howard ... Major Calloway
Bernard Lee ... Sergeant Paine
Paul Hörbiger ... Karl - Harry's Porter (as Paul Hoerbiger)
Ernst Deutsch ... 'Baron' Kurtz
Siegfried Breuer ... Popescu
Erich Ponto ... Dr. Winkel
Wilfrid Hyde-White ... Crabbin
Hedwig Bleibtreu ... Anna's Old Landlady
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The 3rd Man (USA) (poster title)
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Runtime:
104 min | USA:93 min
Country:
UK
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Once he finally arrived in Vienna, Orson Welles refused to film various scenes in the sewers. Due to his protests, various sets replicating the Vienna sewers had to be constructed by Alexander Korda on sound-stages back in England. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Martins arrives at the funeral and ask Major Calloway whose funeral this is, a black tombstone is seen behind Martins. When he walks toward the grave and stands by Anna, the same tombstone is seen behind her. This occurred because those scenes were both filmed, not on location, but later in Shepperton studio where only a handful fake tombstones were available. more
Quotes:
Harry Lime: Nobody thinks in terms of human beings. Governments don't. Why should we? They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs - it's the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.
Martins: You used to believe in God.
Harry Lime: Oh, I still do believe in God, old man. I believe in God and Mercy and all that. But the dead are happier dead. They don't miss much here, poor devils.
more
Movie Connections:
Edited into "The 20th Century: A Moving Visual History" (1999) more
Soundtrack:
The Third Man Theme more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "The Third Man" based on a novel?
Who was the third man?
more
88 out of 116 people found the following comment useful:-
The real mccoy when you want to talk serious screen legends!, 29 March 2002
Author: Noel Bailey (uds3@hotmail.com) from Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, Australia

What IS it makes THE THIRD MAN the classic most everyone agrees it is? (And lets face it, voted no 35 in the top all-time films gives it MORE than just some passing credibility!) Is it Orson Welles' menace? The whiff of corruption in occupied post-war Vienna? the cuckoo-clock speech atop the big wheel? even Anton Karras' zither? Perhaps ALL these things? If however, you had to nominate just a single influence within the whole production that elevates it to greatness I suggest that would be Robert Krasker's cinematography.

The finished product innovatively, was years ahead of its birthright. Time and time again the viewer is bailed up by stunning camera angles and back-lighting. The eerie shadows around the deserted streets and of course the unforgettable first glimpse of Harry Lime (Welles) himself as he skulks like the rat he is, in the corner of the building, lit in close-up suddenly from the light in an adjacent apartment. Offhand I cannot think of a character's more dramatic entrance to a film.

Welles in fact has minimal screen time, though his dark presence and influence infiltrate proceedings like an insidious disease. Yet somehow his ultimate demise in the sewers brings into play an incredible sadness and compassion that has absolutely no right being there. It remains for me one of my top five film favorites. I have always given it a "10" personally but hey, to be voted an "8.6" universally is a pretty fair vindication of my words here.

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Mystery or Love story? xoddie
Disappointing deadman1206
Bad idea... stunnersmp
What's with the music bashing? zackp-1
Why can I never think of this film as a masterpiece? Corymickey
Cuckoo Clock line sherlock-37
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