By NathanEdwardPriem
“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
Plot – Shortly after the end of the war, Holly Martins, a Canadian writer, goes to Vienna where Harry Lime, his childhood friend, is conducting humanitarian activities. Martins aims to collaborate with him, but he learns that Harry died and at his funeral Martins meets Calloway, the head of the American military police. He reveals him Harry was a criminal, but Martins doesn’t believe him and begins to investigate by himself interrogating some of Harry’s friends.
The Third Man is one of my favorite movies to the point I rhapsodize about it in my own work.
I love everything about it, it’s beautiful chiaroscuro lighting, the camera work that adds a slightly askew perspective (the ember of German Expressionism in film), the great acting, it’s exploration of idealism versus cynicism…
Joseph Cotton is great as Holly Martins, a naive writer who goes to Vienna in search of a job with his friend Harry Lime.
Orson Welles is a fantastic actor of course and Alida Valli stuns as actress Anna Schmidt.
I don’t want to give spoilers as it’s a mystery movie…(and unlike the Producers of Dark City I don’t want to spoil the whole movie.) but the following scenes are my favorite.
“The Reveal” is one of the best scenes in cinema history and one I find myself playing for fun when I come across the movie on my UI. The smirk and chase are legendary.
“The Ferris Wheel Scene” is equal parts awe-inspiring and chilling and includes a great monologue.
“The Penicillin Scene” is a wonderful example of horror being made worse through the human imagination.
“The Big Chase” is a legendary scene that is the best of it’s kind.
“The Ending Scene” ends the movie on a bittersweet note in an iconic scene that sears into your brain.
I strongly encourage everyone to check out this film as it is in my top five best films and one of the greatest movies of all time.
My Score-
100/100
The best of the best!
I cannot recommend it enough!
Until then I’m Nathan Edward Priem and that…was something else!