Bird

Just watched the movie "The Third Man" (1949)directed by Carol Reed. I liked it so much I thought I had to share it with this forum. Required reading for those traveling to Vienna. Orson Wells gives a towering performance in this movie, as does the post-war city of Vienna itself.

ira

Hi Bird

One of the great movies of all time, but Vienna has changed a lot since it was made.

Bird

Hi Ira

You're right, but that was one of the intriguing things about the movie - How the Vienna looked right after the war as opposed to today.

I also need to correct my original post to read required viewing instead of required reading . You can imagine my embarrassment.

elaine

I saw the film myself for the first time, in the past year.
It was excellent,atmospheric, and still makes for a good thriller.
I had not realized before how much damage Vienna experienced.

elaine

forgot to add, this film is so well-known in Vienna, agencies offer
"Third Man" walking tours.

GAC

Many film connoisseurs consider "The Third Man" to be the best British film of all times, and one of the greatest movies ever made.

I've seen the film many times (both versions), have tracked numerous scenes of the movie to actual locations in central Vienna, and of course have taken the underground tour!

And Orson Wells gets far too much credit for the film: the other lead actors also need to be remembered for their superlative interpretations: Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, Alida Valli, Bernard Lee, etc.

P.S. Only two actors from the movie are alive today: Alida Valli (who is 84) and the ever-so-charming little boy tattletale (who must be over 60)

WillTravel

And don't forget Graham Greene, the author. In his foreword, he said he wrote this primarily as a screenplay. The novella was almost an afterthought. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed reading it.
I have yet to see the film, unfortunately.

molker

THe film still plays regularly in Vienna at theater on the Ring.

platzman

I think The Third Man is one of the great movies for all time. It presents evil as it really appears to man: attractive, exciting, intriguing, intelligent. After all, if evil really were impulsive, ugly and disgusting, who would fall for it?
The movie almost makes you feel sorry that Harry Lime was killed.

tedgale

willtravel: If I remember aright Greene wrote the novella as a sort of limbering-up exercise for doing the screenplay. Perhaps a bit the way great artists did a limbering-up portrait before a great commission

(Velasquez's portrait of his servant comes to mind -- painted as prep for a papal portrait)

Note that Greene changed the hero's deliberately silly name between novella and screenplay: Rollo Martins becomes Holly Martins.

Note too the military hotel to which Trevor Howard brings Martins: The sign over the door says Hotel Sacher!

I spotted at least one background when in Vienna - wd like to take a 3rd Man tour though

BTW: The zither player was a local find, quite unplanned.

Finally: Does anyone else find G Greene one of the creepiest of men -- hypocrite, rank sensualist and narcissist masquerading as a man of Christian faith?

elaine

Was he masquerading, or genuinely conflicted?

JulieVikmanis

tedgale, thanks for referencing the zither music. That's my favorite part. When you google zither you mostly get info on The Third Man. I think that music makes the film as much as the acting. Would love to hear of places in Vienna that still offer zither music. Did a search on Google without success. If anyone knows of places, I'd sure like to hear of them.

WillTravel

tedgale, you have the order right. Thanks.

Perhaps Greene was thinking he could sin until the final repentance scene? I would go for the idea that he was genuinely conflicted. I'm sure he was aware he fell far short of his ideals.

Who said, "Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue?"

JJBhoy

I'm delighted to see this film get the praise it so richly deserves - the scene where Harry Lime first appears in the doorway still sends a shiver up my spine whenever I see it.

Reading this thread led me to a search on Google where I found a couple of interesting sites about the making of the film;

http://www.virtualvienna.net/columns...s_doorway.html

http://www.andrewpatton.com/thirdman.html

Jim

RufusTFirefly

Greene was definitely a sinner, but most people are. That's why it takes most folks many incarnations before they achieve nirvana.

adeben

Orson Welles was actually onscreen for quite a short time in the movie. Great performance though. The key role, and backbone of the movie, is probably Trevor Howard as the British officer. The real star was probably post-war Vienna, and the brilliant was t was lit and photgraphed.

adeben

"brilliant way it was lit and photographed"

Powell

A great film.

Another I have rented from Netflix, with a simiilar atmoosphere, is "Tinker, Sailor, Soldier," It was a PBS production. It stars Alec Guinness and a great british cast.

ellenem

The Criterion DVD for "The Third Man" contains some of the most interesting special features I've seen on any DVD.

= Alternate beginnings (one beginning was used for British audiences, a different one for US audiences--the British one implies that Holly is a less than upright citizen himself)

= Alternate soundtrack, the entire film with the voice of Graham Greene reading his original story rather than the movie soundtrack.

= An episode the radio show, something like "The Adventures of Harry Lime," developed after the movie's release, but as prequels to the movie.

= Movietone newsreels about the Vienna sewers as well as the zither musician.

Incredibly interesting features for fans of the movie.

elaine

you really hooked me on those DVD features, I'm going to do a search for it.

Interesting about there being an alternate introduction to the character of Holly. Even in the American version of the film he struck me as being a bit of a shady character, not so much a hero seeking the truth, as an anti-hero seeking his former partner in crime. Even the name, not the usual thing for a film hero in 1949.