The Third Man [Blu-ray] | Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles | THE in-one-THIRD-of-the-movie MAN

The Third Man [Blu-ray] | Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles | A Great Film, But Demands the Viewer's Patience

DVDs:

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

THE in-one-THIRD-of-the-movie MAN

The 50th Anniversary Edition of THE THIRD MAN has been digitally restored to near perfect visual and audio condition. It's advertised as a Director's Cut, which is partially true. There have always been two different versions of this movie. The British release has an intro by director Carol Reed, while the American one includes narration by Joseph Cotten. Additionally, Daryl Zanuck made a few minor edits in the U.S. version. To be a true "director's cut," this film would incorporate the Reed comments as well as the restored segments.

The VHS release of THE THIRD MAN has been fleshed out to a full two hours running time with the inclusion of a pre-movie analysis by Peter Bogdonovich, plus several items after the film, such as Anton Karas performing the theme song in a coffee house setting, a vintage advertising trailer, Gaumont newsreel footage and of especial interest, a comparison of film portions before and after digital restoration. These magical efforts have made a bona fide classic positively sparkle-- the movie has never looked better. The plot is of course always engaging while Cotten, Valli, Howard and Welles are simply unforgettable. This superb edition of the very best of Euro-film noir belongs in the collection of all lovers of great cinema.

Parenthetical number is viewer poll rating found at a popular film resource website.

(8.5) THE THIRD MAN (UK-1949) - Joseph Cotten/Alida Valli/Orson Welles/Trevor Howard/Bernard Lee/Wilfrid Hyde-White (uncredited: Lee Strasberg)

Two years before appearing in THE THIRD MAN, Orson Welles directed THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI. Starring in this fascinating film noir is glamorous Rita Hayworth, who attempted unsuccessfully to reconcile with co-star and estranged husband Welles during this film's production.

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A Great Film, But Demands the Viewer's Patience

There are moments of absolute brilliance in this extraordinary morality play that explores the tension between loyalty to friends, self interest, and loyalty to the overarching moral code imposed by the social contract. The dialogue between Wells and Cotten in the ferris wheel poses the moral dilemma quite vividly (do you really care about those little dots moving along the ground below?). Also there is a great deal of suspense during this scene as to what Wells will do. One of the great scenes in the history of film.

The girl friend adopts a simpler code of absolute fealty to friendship (at the expense of society's code). This option is compellingly portrayed and cannot be rejected out of hand.

Greene's book has a far happier end, and I prefer it to the film's ending. In fact, I think the girl should get together with Cotten at the end -- it is not an unrealistic Hollywood ending, is more upbeat given the moral stance of the story, and is consistent with the moral code of the girl that love conquers all. Director Carol Reed seems to have felt that the we need a downer ending here to preserve the gravitas of the film, but I think he was just wrong on that score. It's not a nihilistic film and is a morality affirming film -- so why not have Cotten and the girl get together at the end?

Cotten is perhaps the most underrated actor on the century. His work is truly great. And Wells is perfect in his portrayal of Harry Lime. He has a way of smirking that portrays Lime's moral stance as well as anything can.

The chase scene in the sewers of Vienna is also pure genius.

On the other hand, the story unfolds far too slowly. In fact, it's hard to sit through the first third of the movie without the advance knowledge that this is truly one of the greatest films ever made.

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Behind the shadows lies a magical cinematic experience...

When I first saw `Citizen Kane' I was completely smitten with Orson Welles and his brilliant performance. I had always heard wonderful things about Welles, but I had never really gotten around to delving into his filmography. The other night I picked up this classic film for the mere fact that Welles was in it, and what I found was one of the tightest film noirs I've ever seen; a film that I'm sure will steadily climb my favorites list for it is seriously one of a kind.

The film follows author Holly Martins as he arrives in Vienna after his old friend Harry Lime sends him a plane ticket. Upon arriving though, Martins receives some disturbing news. Harry has died, been hit by a car, and is being buried. Instead of getting on the next plane and returning home, Holly decides that he is going to look into his friends untimely death for he's not so sure it was an accident as so many around him claim it to have been. Holly struggles with Major Calloway, a British cop convinced that Lime was an unsavory character, not to mention trying to gather information from those who knew Harry, especially his beautiful girlfriend Anna Schmidt. What Holly uncovers is far more than he expected, and much worse than he could have imagined.

Writer Graham Greene and director Carol Reed have crafted a marvelous film noir in `The Third Man', a film that is so superbly constructed it will never leave your mind. Reed's effective use of lighting and sound is marvelous, and the rich black and white just elevates the mood of the film. Seriously, I'm beginning to question why we ever moved over to color in the first place. That zither score is unique and, while at first I didn't think it would work, ultimately it proves to be one of the films greatest facets.

The film instantly draws you in to the characters that their situation and manages to keep you guessing and ripe with anticipation as you uncover, along with Holly, the tragic truths behind Lime's fate.

Aiding Reed and Graham are the entire cast, Joseph Cotton stepping into the lead role of Holly Martins, and doing a fabulous job at that. Cotton gives Holly a real sense of spark and determination, proving to the audience the importance within his motivations. As the film spirals towards its dramatic closing we see the layers stripped away from Holly and are allowed to see his humanity battling itself, which is something I always love to see plaguing my actors. Alida Valli is drop dead gorgeous as Anna, but she is far more than just window dressing. She captures the struggle of a woman in love who cannot bear to accept all that her lover really was. The single shot of her teary eyes is probably my single favorite scene in the film; a beautiful example of Reed using her actors to the full. Trevor Howard also turns in a grand performance as Major Calloway, a man that is easy to dislike yet the only one you can truly trust. He understands the true meaning of a supporting role, allowing Cotton to shine brightest yet never allowing his own character to suffer because of it.

And then that leads me to Welles, the `third man' from the title. Welles single-handedly steals this entire film with a mere ten minutes or so of screen time. When we first see him standing in the shadows (one of the greatest cinematic entrances of all time) we are intrigued, but when his character finally meets Holly face to face we are presented with Welles undeniable presence and ability. He acts circles around Cotton and delivers a superb, undeniable performance that becomes the highlight of the film. He is unforgettable in every sense of the word.

`The Third Man' truly lives up to the hype surrounding it. The classic use of shadows throughout creates a vibe of uneasiness that elevates the drama and helps instill in the audience a mystery that is slowly unfolding before them. When you add to this the immaculate script and the sublime performances you have a film that is not soon forgotten. I saw this movie for the legend that is Orson Welles, but I kept watching because of everything else that so perfectly creates a marvelous cinematic experience. There are few movies that come along like this one, movies that cannot be improved upon.

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Impressive

A fantastic story (Graham Greene wrote the screenplay), terrific acting and first-class cinematography (full of camera shots that are utterly riveting) make The Third Man a must-see classic. The score is a little heavy-handed and obtrusive at times, but almost sixty years after its release, The Third Man remains a masterpiece.

Great Classic Movie for one Who Is not Into Old Movies

I'm not a huge fan of classical movies, but this is a great script and was shot well. I definately need to watch more classic movies and this is one reason to do so. On top of that a great addition to a book lover is the book version of this movie in audio form to go with the movie. Genius. I would buy it just for that alone.

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