The Third Man [Blu-ray] | Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles

The Third Man [Blu-ray] | Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles | BLU-RAY "THIRD MAN" IS BREATHTAKING

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The Third Man [Blu...

	The Third Man [Blu-ray] Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles Criterion Collection, 2008 average customer review:based on 273 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Blu-Ray disc in DVD case

One of the best movies ever made. But what I'm reviewing is the case. It's my understanding that Criterion is release all their Blu-Ray discs in standard DVD cases in order to blend them in with all their previous DVD releases. I think this is a big mistake. Why didn't they release the DVDs in Laserdisc sleeves? I want to be able to distinguish my Blu-Rays from my DVDs. Any thoughts?

BLU-RAY "THIRD MAN" IS BREATHTAKING

Film buffs have a reason to celebrate.

Carol Reed's "THE THIRD MAN," perhaps the most highly-regarded film in world cinema is now available in a jaw-dropping Blu-ray transfer.

This wondrous movie has never looked better and it is hard to imagine anything more that could possible be done to improve the image quality. It looks like a first viewing directly from the lab. I doubt Carol Reed ever saw it in such a pristine condition! The blacks are velvety and the grays and whites shimmer with a silvery sheen. And the retro mono sound is sharp. This ultimate edition deserves a special place in the digital library.

The plot is minimal. American pulp novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) travels to post WW II Vienna to see his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But instead ends up investigating the apparent death of the black market operator in a city of fractured, shadowy loyalties. It is a tale that, on the surface, is about love, deception and murder. The dark trinity of great noir mysteries.

But it is not so much the plot that makes this remarkable film so highly-regarded but rather the extraordinary sense of time and place. Graham Greene's acerbic dialogue seduces and cuts. There's the brilliant black and white photography by Robert Krasker -- often slight askew and reminiscent of German expressionism. And the audacious zither score by Anton Karas perfectly frames the mood and atmosphere of this unforgettable film that somehow burns itself into one's own experience.

If the story is secondary, what is this film really "about"? Perhaps it is about being lost in a fractured landscape where old ideals and values have evaporated. Where meaning is ephemeral. It is a post-modern amorality tale awash in the frisson of deception and cynicism of our time. But whatever metaphor, it is a hypnotically compelling film that is much greater than the sum of it's masterful parts. Unquestionably a great film as well as is art. A rare achievement indeed.

This hi-def disc is a transfer of the previous, restored, two-disc edition.

It is one for the digital library.

The extras are generous and defined in the product description.

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The Third Man

True masterpiece in every sense of the word. Try it . . . You'll like it!

The Third Man: A pillar of Cinematic Vision

What happened to Harry Lime? Who is the third man? These are just two of the questions Holly Martin wants answers to in post-WWII Vienna. Martin arrives to find Harry Lime, his long time friend, isn't there to meet him. He goes to Lime's apartment and is shocked when he discovers what happened. Then we are taken on an exploration of this city and important questions begin to rise: is justice possible here and what is its nature?

The Third Man, in its beautiful black and white depicts a city occupied by ally forces, shaken by war, and architecturally disheveled. Camera angles from balcony windows, ancient sewer systems, the lighting on cobble stone streets, and the twisted frames bringing into focus medieval steeples, winding broken staircases, and citizens fraught with paranoia and fear--all add to a composition of unique quality, texture and magnificent vision.

An important highlight is Orson Welles' role. Welles is a master of character acting to the point you can feel his conflict. His monologue after the ferris wheel ride is simply magnificent. You can feel Martin's conflict too, as he decides between the truth and friendship, justice or loyalty, during the tension ridden final moments of the film!

As the film progresses the characters cement a representation of different ideas: The English soldier, Callaway, is a realist, Anna is a fatalist, and Holly Martin, the American, is fittingly the idealist, who almost naively believes in a higher sense of justice that can only be obtained by taking things into his own hands. This film is beautifully shot, brilliantly acted, and memorable for its tension, conflicts, philosophy, and enduring plot that holds up against anything contemporary Hollywood can put out today. This is a true classic and pillar of cinematic vision.

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Mystery most foul

The lure of the stars of this film give you great anticipation of what will unfold. Joseph Cotton walks a circuitous path to find out what happened to his old friend who has brought him to Europe with the promise of a job. Orson Welles as usual is the character in the focal point even though he doesn't appear till the final third of the movie. The story line is off putting to me, but the actors give a solid perfomrance. This shares the title of a tv show from the 50's but the plot is nothing like the TV series.

reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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