THE THIRD MAN (1949)
Carol Reed
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Director: Carol Reed
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 1949
Running time: 104 minutes
Territory: The Netherlands
Format: 4K DCP
Language: English, Russian, German
Subtitle options: Dutch
Director Carol Reed outdid himself with this noir-like thriller set against the backdrop of war-torn post-World War II Europe. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), a naive writer of pulp westerns, arrives in shadowy postwar Vienna to meet his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discover that Lime has died in a suspicious accident. Martins meets a British military policeman (Trevor Howard) and Lime’s girlfriend (Alida Valli), and as he hears conflicting stories about the circumstances of Lime’s death, he is forced to reconsider both his relationship with his friend Harry and his own worldview.
The Third Man is a flawless production, from Graham Greene’s witty and unsettling screenplay to Robert Krasker’s evocative cinematography and Anton Karas’ unforgettable zither score. Despite his minimal screen time, Orson Welles steals the show in an iconic role as the amoral Harry Lime. In honor of its 75th anniversary, The Third Man has been beautifully restored in 4K for the first time, showcasing the brilliance of this beloved classic, which has been repeatedly voted ‘the greatest British film of all time’ by the British Film Institute.