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The Third Man (1949)

8.4
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Ratings: 8.4/10 from 74,670 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
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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:

He'll have you in a dither with his zither! (from reissue print) 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 starred in a radio series ("The Lives of Harry Lime," 1951-52) based on the early adventures of his character in this film. See more »

Goofs

After Calloway has shown Martins the evidence against Lime, Calloway picks up the phone. We hear his line, "Get me Police headquarters," but we don't see his lips move. See more »

Quotes

Martins: Have you ever seen any of your victims?
Harry Lime: You know, I never feel comfortable on these sort of things. Victims? Don't be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax - the only way you can save ...
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Right Way (2004) See more »

Soundtracks

"Das Alte Lied"
(1931) (uncredited)
Music by Henry Love
Lyrics by Fritz Löhner-Beda
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

A glorious thriller
22 February 2003 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

Carol Reed's The Third Man is set in post-war Vienna- a hypnotic city, which is in consideration of the mountains of rubble and general sorrow of the are- and stars Joseph Cotten as Holly, a writer of hokey B-Western novels who's come to visit an old chum named Harry Lime. He finds out Lime is dead, but that there is more to his old friend than he knew since before the war, along with Lime's girl Anna (a sympathetic character?). Then when the revelation is shown of Lime's face on a darkened street, the film reaches an elegance rarely seen today in pictures.

Orson Welles, who plays Harry Lime, has in fact a role much like a cameo, having a speech with Cotten on a Ferris Wheel. Even before his "cuckoo clock" finale, we get the sense this is one of these classic scenes of all time, leading up to an unforgettable chase in a sewer. Along with precise, Oscar Winning cinematography, and an ever-entrancing musical score, The Third Man is one of the essentials for movie buffs. A++


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