WHY do you love this film SO MUCH?
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alfa — 13 years ago(May 04, 2012 10:19 AM)
No one should rip you for asking questions.
The superficial problem, as Selznick discovered when he got the first edit, is that it makes no concessions. The war is over, the winners aren't admirable, the losers are no longer the bad guys, the American isn't the hero, the girl doesn't do anything she's supposed to, the unique music isn't heroic but intrusively morbid and Orson Welles, in his longest scene on the Prater, seems to be totally inhuman.
Even worse, the movie-maker seems to be saying, 'look, this is the world we have made for ourselves' without a smile on his face (unlike Catch 22-another masterpiece).
Selznick, in his US version, tried to make Holly a sort of noirish hero but it didn't work and cut the amoral heart out of the film.
But there's no denying the impact it had at the time. And if you sit and watch with with open eyes and a bit of background knowledge, it still has the same impact today.
'Or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to lose. Tax free.' One of the scariest lines in movie history. -
deeveed — 13 years ago(May 04, 2012 12:31 PM)
and Orson Welles, in his longest scene on the Prater, seems to be totally inhuman.
alfa.. you hit the nail on the head..that's it. There's no other word for it after what transpired before. What a world of D-R-E-A-D which comes across the characters and the time they happened to live in. You'd have expcetd some sort of a ceiling with regard to certain types of behavior but humanity confounds it enough already. -
osgrath-1 — 13 years ago(November 29, 2012 01:53 PM)
If you could get a transcript of the landlady's speech on the stairway up to Anna's apartment, you could have any even more gripping feel for the sense of dread. She represents the Old Vienna - not pre-World-War-II, but the Vienna of the Hapsburg Empire - before the old war. World War I actually did more to disrupt the status quo of Europe than the second war because it upset the entire fabric of society and introduced an age of cynicism that made Naziism and the second war possible.
The landlady - in a very old-time Viennese accent (much, much different from the German of Germany) talks on and on about the way things used to be, the morality, society and even the politics of the time when she was young and she thought she knew what the world was. Everything has now been turned upside down and she cannot cope with the change. -
jd-276 — 13 years ago(May 12, 2012 02:52 AM)
This film has more atmosphere than any film has a right to.
Orson Welles at his best.
Trevor Howard's best performance.
A host of creepy characters.
Screenplay by Graham Greene.
And as if that wasn't enough, it was made in Vienna. -
deeveed — 13 years ago(June 08, 2012 07:02 AM)
and Orson Welles, in his longest scene on the Prater, seems to be totally inhuman.
Watching and hearing about the atrocities going on now in Syria kind of shows how life imitates art. Syria now is as much in the atrocious mire and muck as the Third Man was, i.e. the blasted ruins, the brutal killings, the inhumanity and last but not least morality going off the rails. Well it looks like we haven't learned much kids. -
jimjoejohnmoore — 13 years ago(February 09, 2013 02:26 PM)
.because of the great atmosphere, hauntingly beautiful and mesmerising music, great acting, wonderful cinematography and because it was made in 1949. Arguably the greatest movie ever made. One of my top 3 films of all time and always has been. The final scene in the cemetery is the greatest scene in film history and truly unforgettable.
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nursewratchet_romanorn — 13 years ago(June 19, 2012 09:59 PM)
This is one of the few perfect movies ever made. Yes it is slow by today's standards. The cinematography is amazing, especially because it was filmed in Vienna in post wwii era. Everything on the street- all the rubble and bombed out buildings were real!! The best part of the movie though, besides Orson Welles, is the moral dilemma of a story. The two main characters Holly and Harry are long time childhood friends. Anyone who has had a friend like that never wants to think that the worst could be possible. Holly spends the whole movie defending Harry along with his lover Anna. Even when he discovers that he really is that bad, he still doen't want to help the police. Only after he sees all the kids at the hospital does he realize the rest of the world is more important than his life long friendship. Not an easy thing to accept. Anna never does accept it. She blames the world for Harry's behavior, and the last shot of the movie is perhaps the best ever done. Watch the movie again, and put yourself in Holly's or Anna's shoes-thats what I did!! A better story of love and betrayal, cannot be made!! Add the Zither music, amazing cinematography, first rate actors, and the locale, and you have a movie that cannot be remade or equalled. It is one of the 3 best movies ever made period!!
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lewiskendell — 13 years ago(July 14, 2012 09:18 AM)
I just finished watching The Third Man for the first time a few minutes ago. I haven't quite made up my mind about the movie yet. It's probably not going to end up as one of my favorite classic films (I'm pretty much certain that nothing will ever top Rear Window, Notorious and Casablanca for me). I had much of the story and ending spoiled for me before hand, unfortunately (from a totally unrelated book, no less!). But that final scene was indeed incredible. I'd put it on par with the endings of Chinatown and Notorious, which is the highest praise I can give. Don't think I'll ever forget that, and it has me looking forward to watching The Third Man again one day.
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schwapj — 13 years ago(December 06, 2012 09:41 PM)
That's a damn good review. It's certainly not one of my three favorite movies, but as to the craft of moviemaking, it could be one of the three best. If you see this comment, I'm curiouswhat are the other two, in your opinion?
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yespat — 12 years ago(October 22, 2013 06:00 PM)
I just finished watching this film for the first time and I have to say, I don''t get how it is so revered, from a plot pov at least. Harry calls his old friend to come to Vienna, gives him money and buys his ticket, then hides from him. Then when he does see him, he runs away from him. If Harry did not want holly to go to the police, harry should have stayed and talked with him, letting him in on what was going on. I just don't get how, what roger ebert used to call idiot plots, could be overlooked. Perhaps plot is not as important as actors, cinematography, black and white photography and an interesting score. Or maybe I am missing something. I'm open to someone explaining what that was all about and look forward to being enlightened. Thanks!
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Krustallos — 12 years ago(December 20, 2013 09:34 AM)
Harry calls his old friend to come to Vienna, gives him money and buys his ticket, then hides from him. Then when he does see him, he runs away from him. If Harry did not want holly to go to the police, harry should have stayed and talked with him, letting him in on what was going on.
It's a while since I saw this, but didn't Harry invite Holly when things were going well for him, then when they got too hot he had to 'disappear'? So he had an enforced change of plan, basically. He didn't actually want Holly to know what was going on because on some level he was ashamed of what he'd become and knew Holly wouldn't approve. But perhaps I've misremembered. Will be watching it again soon
I used to want to change the world. Now I just want to leave the room with a little dignity. -
jsrrtzjr10 — 13 years ago(September 28, 2012 12:49 PM)
Maybe that noir atmospheric Europe immediately after World War II. A once proud and beautiful continent now downtrodden, defeated and ruined, but people still trying to make a big buck by betraying one another. And that remarkable dialogue, good acting and a smart music. Don't mark me wrong: there are plenty of old classics I like such as 1933's "King Kong", "Casablanca" and "Citizen Kane" [and surprisingly I love science fiction classics like "Things to Come" of 1935 and others]. But if so many consider "The Third Man" a great film, they must have good reason why they love this classic. And it is impossible today to make a movie like this one.
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jd-276 — 13 years ago(November 10, 2012 06:47 PM)
But if so many consider "The Third Man" a great film, they must have good reason why they love this classic. And it is impossible today to make a movie like this one.
Have you seen Pepe Le Moko? It's very similar and influenced Carol Reed in the making of The Third Man. -
bouzane — 13 years ago(September 28, 2012 08:02 PM)
Personally, I enjoyed every aspect of this movie from the acting and the story to the setting and cinematography. That being said, nothing was particularly outstanding (except the music, which was outstandingly awful). I liked it but not enough to re-watch it or recommend it to anybody I know. I though it was good but I don't see what makes it good enough to be #73 on the tops.