The Third Man (1949)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Graham Greene (story)
Graham Greene (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 September 1949 (UK)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Carol Reed's Classic Thriller

Plot:

Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident.

Plot Keywords:

Black Market | Car Accident | Police | Post WWII | Stage Play

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

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

Also Known As:

The 3rd Man (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

104 min | USA:93 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (2003) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:11 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #14125) | West Germany:12 | New Zealand:G

Filming Locations:

Isleworth, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

London Film Productions

Trivia:

Graham Greene based the character of Harry Lime on British double agent Kim Philby, who was Greene's superior in the British Secret Intelligence Service.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The line about the cuckoo clock being Switzerland's only contribution to culture is factually incorrect: the cuckoo clock comes from the Black Forest, across the border in S.W. Germany.

Quotes:

Anna Schmidt: A person doesn't change just because you find out more.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Third Man Theme

the best of all time

Unrelenting fascination is what I have every time I watch this movie. It never seems old. It's in my mind, haunting me, with its unearthly music and its dark, oblique photography. And that great Orson Welles' speech, and also the best entrance in movie history to go along with the best exit in movie history. It couldn't be better. I can't even express how I feel in words. Watch it again and again, and you'll be dazed!