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The Third Man (1949)

8.4
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Ratings: 8.4/10 from 74,806 users  
Reviews: 347 user | 170 critic

Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime.

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(by), (screen play), 3 more credits »
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Title: The Third Man (1949)

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Top 250 #74 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
Anna Schmidt (as Valli)
...
...
...
Sgt. Paine
Paul Hörbiger ...
Karl - Harry's Porter (as Paul Hoerbiger)
Ernst Deutsch ...
'Baron' Kurtz
Siegfried Breuer ...
Popescu
Erich Ponto ...
Dr. Winkel
...
Hedwig Bleibtreu ...
Anna's Old Landlady
Edit

Storyline

An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has lead to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime. Written by Mark Thompson <mrt@oasis.icl.co.uk>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

death | black market | writer | police | czech | See more »

Taglines:

You've never met anyone like him! (from reissue print ad) See more »


Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

31 August 1949 (UK)  »

Also Known As:

The 3rd Man  »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£17,856 (UK) (16 July 1999)

Gross:

$596,349 (USA) (17 December 1999)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Recording)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Orson Welles said that when he agreed to play Harry Lime, he was offered either a straight salary or a percentage of the profits. Welles chose the salary but he later regretted it because the film went on to become such a huge hit, the percentage was ultimately worth far more than the salary. See more »

Goofs

When Calloway and the police stand waiting for Harry to arrive at the station, an elderly balloon man tries to sell them a balloon. His balloons have designs printed on them. Calloway has the Seargant buy one to get rid of the old man but the balloon has no printing on it as the shot of the police was filmed later in London. See more »

Quotes

Porter: He is now
[points up]
Porter: in hell, or
[points down]
Porter: in heaven.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Just Henry (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"Managua, Nicaragua"
(1946) (uncredited)
Music by Irving Fields
Lyrics by Albert Gamse
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Joseph Cotten is Excellent in Revolutionary Film Noir
21 May 2002 | by (New York) – See all my reviews

"I never knew the Old Vienna, before the war, with its Strauss Music," opens Carol Reed's The Third Man, and we catch a glimpse of the New Vienna, with its Black Market and its Shady Deals. Joseph Cotten plays cheap novelette author Holly Martins, just arrived in Vienna to meet with long-time friend Harry Lime, who offered him a job. He instead meets with the mysterious facts surrounding the death of Lime, learned bit-by-bit from Lime's friends, a woman named Anna Schmidt, who has problems of her own (played excellently by Valli), and two British officers, Calloway and Paine. Learning, that there is more to death of Lime than there seems to be, Martins begins his investigation for the truth. This film was shot with some of the greatest, most ahead-of-its-time cinematography ever, and it creates mystery and deceit. It is complimented by the excellent use of shadows. The soundtrack is essentially one long song, which plays throughout the film, changing and stopping as the emotion calls for. It is a zither composition by Anton Karas made for the film. This is all topped off by an engrossing storyline, and a great performance by Joseph Cotten, as the ordinary man mixed up in this web of mystery.


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WHY do you love this film SO MUCH? mali167
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