The Third Man
The war-ravaged streets of late-1940s Vienna embody post-World War II Europe in all its existential weariness. The city has been divided into American, French, British, and Soviet occupation zones, and is rife with black-market racketeering, and nascent Cold War paranoia and intrigue. Into this devastated landscape rides American innocent Holly Martins, writer of pulp Westerns. Holly has been invited to Vienna by his old college friend, Harry Lime, but by the time he arrives Lime is dead—or is he? Holly sets out to find out what happened to Harry and in the process descends into circles of deceit and corruption. The Third Man, the only film on both the AFI and BFI top 100 lists, is based on a story by Graham Greene and contains many of the most iconic scenes in film history, including Orson Welles’s extraordinary star entrance and an unforgettable ferris wheel sequence. From its evocative zither score to its expressionistic camera angles to director Carol Reed’s legendary last shot, The Third Man validates its place in film history as one of the finest movies ever made. Restoring 11 minutes cut by its American producer, Rialto’s restoration brings this classic of American naiveté meeting modern cynicism in post-war Vienna closer to Graham Greene’s dark vision. TCM's Robert Osborne will introduce the screening
Cast & Crew
Director: Carol Reed
Producer: Carol Reed
Editor: Oswald Hafenrichter
Screenwriter: Graham Greene
Cinematographer: Robert Krasker
Music: Anton Karas
Principal Cast: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard
Filmography: Oliver! (1968), The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), Our Man in Havana (1959), The Key (1958), Trapeze (1956), The Fallen Idol (1948)
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