The Third Man (1949) | Directed by Carol Reed

The Third Man is a British film noir set in postwar Vienna, a city divided among Allied powers and rife with corruption. American pulp novelist Holly Martins arrives to meet his old friend Harry Lime, only to learn that Lime has been killed in a mysterious accident. As Martins investigates, he becomes entangled in a web of deceit, espionage, and moral ambiguity—culminating in the revelation that Lime is not only alive but deeply involved in the black-market trade of diluted penicillin. The film’s haunting atmosphere, striking visuals, and unforgettable zither score make it one of cinema’s great masterpieces.

Genre: Film Noir, Mystery, Thriller

Director: Carol Reed

Carol Reed (1906–1976) was one of Britain’s most distinguished filmmakers, known for his mastery of atmosphere, tension, and character-driven storytelling. Starting in the 1930s, Reed developed a reputation for intelligent, visually inventive films that explored moral complexity. His best-known works include The Fallen Idol, The Third Man, and Oliver!, the latter earning him an Academy Award for Best Director. Reed’s collaboration with novelist Graham Greene on The Third Man produced one of the most acclaimed British films ever made, renowned for its noir aesthetic and moral depth.

Star Cast:

Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins

Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt

Orson Welles as Harry Lime

Trevor Howard as Major Calloway

Bernard Lee as Sergeant Paine

Paul Hörbiger as Porter

Ernst Deutsch as Baron Kurtz

Siegfried Breuer as Popescu

Wilfrid Hyde-White as Crabbin

The Third Man was an international critical and commercial success upon release. Audiences were captivated by its intrigue, shadow-drenched cinematography, and the morally ambiguous world it portrayed. Critics hailed Orson Welles’s performance as Harry Lime, though he appeared only briefly, and the film quickly became a cultural landmark of postwar cinema. It won the Grand Prix at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White). Over time, it has been consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made, celebrated for its artistry, haunting score, and unforgettable final scene.

Fun Facts:

The screenplay was written by Graham Greene, who first drafted the story as a novella to develop the plot before adapting it for the screen.

Orson Welles’s famous line, “In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias…” was improvised and is now one of cinema’s most quoted speeches.

The film’s distinctive zither score, composed and performed by Anton Karas, became a worldwide hit and sold millions of records.

Much of the film was shot on location in the bombed-out ruins of Vienna, lending it authentic postwar realism.

The unforgettable “cuckoo clock” speech was not in Greene’s script but added by Welles during filming.

Welles reportedly disliked working in Vienna’s sewers and used body doubles for some of the underground chase scenes.

The film’s ending, featuring Anna silently walking past Holly, was insisted upon by director Carol Reed against producer David O. Selznick’s wishes—and is now regarded as one of the greatest closing scenes in cinema history.

In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of the 20th century.

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