The Third Man

The 75th anniversary of the launch of the classic movie The Third Man is being celebrated this month with a re-showing.

What made this Alexander Korda/David Selznick collaboration, directed by Carol Reed – the illegitimate son of actor/producer Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree – so memorable?

Regarded by many as Britain’s best post-Second World War film – as prospective rivals I can only think of Kind Hearts and Coronets, Bridge Over The River Kwai, Brief Encounter, Lawrence of Arabia, Zulu, The Italian Job, Get Carter and The Long Good Friday – it features a wonderful sense of location in post-War Vienna; superb acting by Orson Welles, Trevor Howard and Joseph Cotten; a sense of great atmosphere; the haunting zither music of Anton Karasz; and a screenplay by Graham Greene.

Many of Reed’s films have the themes of search and emotional displacement, as with Hidden Idol. He was on top form in The Third Man despite the shoot being difficult as Orson Welles did not want to take the part of Harry Lime and Trevor Howard and Joseph Cotten were both drinking heavily.

It satisfies the criterion of a classic namely a film that you intend to watch for its first 5 minutes but are are so drawn in you see the whole film   I well remember waiting once for a maintenance call from a burglar alarm technician , watching this film and scarcely being able to wait for the technician to leave so I could return to it

Despite or even perhaps  because of the production problems , we can only be grateful that this classic was made.