WHY do you love this film SO MUCH?
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ComposerKuandohan — 11 years ago(June 26, 2014 01:11 AM)
Oh now I get it. Holly is kind of a satirical character for general western noir films like Casablanca, where things that characters like Rick Blaine do, just do not work where Holly is. His mannerisms. actions, ect.
That ending especially was different than what he imagined. It's like Holly had in his mind that he could play the "Cool" guy till the end, but he just doesn't get it.
I had this whole movies wrong in the beginning. LOL
Wow, that makes me like the film more. -
Pierre_D — 12 years ago(November 08, 2013 10:23 AM)
I saw it for the first time a few weeks ago and it's absolutely superb on many levels.
1)Holly Martins as the Outsider. He arrives in Vienna because his friend wants to help him with work. Martins is ping-ponged around from Anna to the housekeeper to Calloway to the police to others. You get the impression they all know something and don't want him to know.
2)Harry as the mysterious proganist. We know he's an entrepreneur, we find out he's in the black market, later that he smuggled drugs. We never see him until that fated shot of a spotlight on his shoes then a pan to Welles' face, iconic shot. Then we find out more about him, despicably charming.
3)The camera work is excellent. The shaded view of the underground, the isolated shots of the balloon merchant, the child, Anna. The feeling of isolation in Vienna, all great stuff.
4)The story is convoluted. It goes from a murder to an impersonation to a criminal hunt to
Just a very deep movie, you leave it wondering who was really telling the truth. -
suicidea — 12 years ago(January 04, 2014 07:35 AM)
I'm NOT just 13! I justed TURNED 14! That's Why I TYPE like THIS.
And in my 14 YEARS of oh so CINEMATIC life, I still HAVEN'T realized that IF I DIDN'T like a film, I probably WON'T like it AFTER SOMEONE explains it to me EITHER. But WHO cares, as long as I keep TROLLING.
Never be complete. -
cinema_forever19 — 11 years ago(December 24, 2014 09:18 PM)
I honestly didn't like the music at first, but it grew on me the more I realized that it sets the tone for the movie with some of it's humorous undertones. At the beginning when the main character arrives to Vienna and finds that his friend was murdered, the whole situation is actually quite comical how it plays out, as is a lot of other moments in the movie. In the end this is a great mystery thriller with a neat twist, and an epic sewer chase sequence at the end. Need not to say more, this movie is a masterpiece.
Without mercy, man is like a beast.
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=33163288 -
cowgoesmoo — 10 years ago(August 03, 2015 06:13 AM)
I just saw the restoration on the big screen yesterday.
I'm 58 and was easily the youngest guy there - perhaps 30 moviegoers, all at least 75. They have reserved space in the back row for wheelchairs and that filled up fast. Other patrons with canes and walkers also filled out the back - and had a terrible time getting into the cramped seats, but I digress I assumed that I was surrounded by fellow TTM lovers. However, when the lights came on at the end, some of the comments were scathing:
"I was confused the entire time."
"I don't know what I just saw."
"The music was terrible."
"I think its boring - and its gets more boring every time I see it." (said by an elderly woman to her husband, who must make her watch it with him)
I really like this movie for reasons that were more eloquently stated by other posters, so it is a bit of a shock to hear other people dislike something that you enjoy so much. I'm disappointed that they can't see it the same way I do. But I guess that's where personal taste comes in. There's plenty of movies I don't like that others cherish, so I just accept that not everyone appreciates everything in the same way. -
trevrockone — 10 years ago(August 11, 2015 10:20 PM)
That's funny, because I just saw it today at the Film Forum (is that where you saw it). I'm 24 and there were plenty of other younger people there too. And the film got a big round of applause at the end. How can we account for that?
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degree7 — 10 years ago(October 03, 2015 03:19 AM)
The gritty atmosphere, the way it was filmed in postwar, bombed out Vienna just lends so much authenticity. This movie has everything, a great story, great acting, cinematography, music, action, and an iconic ending. What's not to like?
~ I'm a 21st century man and I don't wanna be here. -
Errington_92 — 10 years ago(January 07, 2016 10:42 AM)
The Third Man
is fantastic on many levels. The acting, soundtrack, direction and mise en scene all come together to create a highly suspenseful film noir.
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not. -
leadingrole344 — 10 years ago(February 24, 2016 12:26 AM)
I concur with MoviemanCin. It's similar to explaining why a joke is funny to someone who didn't laugh at it the first time. A panel of British film critics several years ago rated "The Third Man" the greatest British film ever made. To me this film has everything going for it, and it's not even necessary to know the historical backdrop, though it naturally would deepen the experience. The story, acting, dialogue, directing, cinematography, music, the whole package is absolutely top tier. And rare for a dark, suspenseful movie, this one also has a lot of humor. But like most great works of art, one can't absorb it all in one or even a few viewings. In the world of classical music, for example, I love Beethoven, yet some of my favorite pieces of his I didn't start to fully appreciate until I'd listened to it five or six times. Give this movie a chance and more than likely it will grow on you.