The Third Man Analysis

The Third Man (1949)

Directed and Produced by: Carol Reed
Cinematography: Robert Krasker
In 1999, British Film Institute voted this film to be the greatest British film of all time.

The most striking aspect of the film is the images - the chiaroscuro lighting, the strong contrast in images and the way different shades of black are used to tell stories. We see Harry wearing black from top to bottom, his face is mostly lit with fill lighting except in the ending scenes - and this imagery is so expressionist - whereas Anna wears lighter shades. It's used to portray the darkness of the character, Holly Martins wears a shade of grey which is lighter than the cops, but darker than the shade of Anna. It's classic film noir - shots of people smoking, people wearing hats, and a bleak outlook of the setting. If they hadn't cast a big name like Orson Welles for Harry, him being alive would've been a shocker. The screenwriter initially wrote a novella as a preparation for the screenplay, to get the mood and tone of the setting right - I think it's an interesting way to explore the world of the film.

The film is set in post-war Vienna and it's about an American man who arrives in the city and finds his friend to be suspiciously dead. As he privately investigates this, he sees a whole new world of corruption and crime. The writing of the film is so good, we hear a line from Harry about how peace never did any good which perfectly explores the truth of his character and also how he refers to people as 'dots'. The pacing and rhythm of conversations reminded me of 12 Angry Men - it was so tight, especially the way it opens with voice over, and the visual is not cut matching to the dialogue because the dialogue is too fast, where they are talking about different allies in Vienna. It felt weird to see Vienna in such a dark film - of course it's set in the post war era - but the only other way I'm familiar with Vienna through cinema is Before Sunrise.