The Third Man (1949)
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100% of critics liked it
(60 reviews) -
93% of users liked it
(47,241 ratings)
In this Cold War spy classic, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a third-rate American pulp novelist, arrives in postwar Vienna, where he has been promised a job by his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Upon his arrival, Martins discovers that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident, and that his… More In this Cold War spy classic, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a third-rate American pulp novelist, arrives in postwar Vienna, where he has been promised a job by his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Upon his arrival, Martins discovers that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident, and that his funeral is taking place immediately. At the graveside, Martins meets outwardly affable Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and actress Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), who is weeping copiously. When Calloway tells Martins that the late Harry Lime was a thief and murderer, the loyal Martins is at first outraged. Gradually, he discovers not only that Calloway was right but also that the man lying in the coffin in the film's early scenes was not Harry Lime at all--and that Lime is still very much alive (he was the mysterious "third man" at the scene of the fatal accident). Thus the stage is set for the movie's famous climactic confrontation in the sewers of Vienna--and the even more famous final shot, in which Martins pays emotionally for doing "the right thing." Written by Graham Greene, The Third Man is an essential classic, made even more so by the insistent zither music of Anton Karas. The film is currently available in both an American and British release version; the American print, with an introduction by Joseph Cotten, is slightly shorter than the British version, which is narrated by director Carol Reed. Nominated for several Academy Awards, The Third Man won Best Cinematography for Robert Krasker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Carol Reed
- Written By
- Graham Greene (I)
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Classics
- In Theaters
- Sep 3, 1949 Wide
- Studio
- Selznick
Critic Reviews
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David Ansen, Newsweek
It transformed the way I looked at the world.
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Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Welles gives Harry a mask of irony that turns all moral judgment back on itself. He turns a mass murderer into a wry rogue, and makes his villainy all the more horrifying because we rather like him.
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Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Seen today, The Third Man ... can be appreciated as a prophetic statement on the eventual moral bankruptcy of the one-world euphoria that clouded men's minds immediately after the second 'war to end all wars.'
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
Top credit must go to Mr. Reed for molding all possible elements into a thriller of superconsequence.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
For lovers of film noir, The Third Man is unquestionably a must-see -- one of the masterpieces of a genre that has contained everything from milestone motion pictures to low-budget potboilers.
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Cast
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Joseph Cotten
as Holly Martins
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Alida Valli
as Anna Schmidt
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Orson Welles
as Harry Lime
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Trevor Howard
as Maj. Calloway
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Paul Hörbiger
as Porter
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Bernard Lee
as Sgt. Paine
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Ernst Deutsch
as Baron Kurtz
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Wilfrid Hyde-White
as Crabbin
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Siegfried Breuer
as Popescu
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Erich Ponto
as Dr. Winkel
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Hedwig Bleibtreu
as Anna's "Old Woman"
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Nelly Arno
as Kurtz's Mother
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Leo Bieber
as Barman at Casanova
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Martin Boddey
as Man
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Alexis Chesnakov
as Brodsky
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Herbeil Halbik
as Hansel
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Paul Hardtmuth
as Hall porter
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Geoffrey Keen
as British Policeman
- Martin Miller
- Eric Pohlmann
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Annie Rosar
as Porter's wife
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Jenny Werner
as Winkel's Maid
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Paul L. Smith
as MP
- Thomas Gallagher



