The Third Man (1949)
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An American writer travels to post-war Vienna to find a friend, only to discover a web of mystery and deception.
The story
American author Holly Martins travels to the British sector of Allied-occupied Vienna to meet his friend, Harry Lime, for a job offer. Upon arrival, Martins learns that Lime has died in a car accident. While investigating the circumstances of Lime's death and his connection to the local underworld, Martins becomes involved with Lime's girlfriend, Anna Schmidt. As the two navigate the suspicious atmosphere of the city, they begin to uncover inconsistencies in the official reports of the accident, leading Martins to question the truth behind his friend's demise and the motives of those surrounding him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Holly Martins, an American author, arrives in Allied-occupied Vienna to find his friend Harry Lime, only to learn Lime died in a car accident. While investigating, Martins meets Anna Schmidt, Lime's girlfriend. They discover inconsistencies in the reports of the accident, including a 'third man' who helped move the body. When Martins confronts authorities, he learns Lime was a black-market dealer of diluted penicillin. Later, Martins discovers Lime is actually alive and hiding in the city's sewers. He meets Lime on the Wiener Riesenrad, where Lime admits to his crimes and his betrayal of Anna. After a series of tense encounters and a chase through the sewers, a final confrontation occurs. Lime is eventually cornered and killed by police, and Martins attends his second funeral, while Anna leaves for Paris.
- First release year
- 1949
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Carol Reed
- Writers
- Graham Greene · screenplay; Alexander Korda · screenplay; Carol Reed · screenplay; Orson Welles · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Joseph Cotten · Holly Martins; Alida Valli · Anna Schmidt; Orson Welles · Harry Lime; Trevor Howard · not specified
- Genres
- film noir; mystery; thriller
- Themes
- betrayal; post-war disillusionment; moral ambiguity
- Tone and mood
- atmospheric; cynical; noir
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; noir; thriller; historical
- Source material / true-story basis
- novella
- Reception
- The film is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest films of all time, praised for its acting, musical score, and atmospheric cinematography. It has been ranked as a top British film by the BFI and Time Out.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · scale: percentage · review count: 96; Metacritic · score: 97 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Production trivia
- The script included a famous 'cuckoo clock' speech written by Orson Welles.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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