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IMDbPro

The Third Man

  • 1949
  • Approved
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
175K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,941
160
The Third Man (1949)
Trailer for The Third Man: 4k Restoration
Play trailer1:31
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Film-NoirMysteryThriller

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

  • Director
    • Carol Reed
  • Writers
    • Graham Greene
    • Orson Welles
    • Alexander Korda
  • Stars
    • Orson Welles
    • Joseph Cotten
    • Alida Valli
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    175K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,941
    160
    • Director
      • Carol Reed
    • Writers
      • Graham Greene
      • Orson Welles
      • Alexander Korda
    • Stars
      • Orson Welles
      • Joseph Cotten
      • Alida Valli
    • 536User reviews
    • 217Critic reviews
    • 97Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #193
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 5 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos3

    The Third Man: 4k Restoration
    Trailer 1:31
    Watch The Third Man: 4k Restoration
    The Third Man
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch The Third Man
    The Third Man - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    Trailer 1:30
    Watch The Third Man - Rialto Pictures Trailer

    Photos245

    Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli in The Third Man (1949)
    The Third Man (1949)
    Joseph Cotten in The Third Man (1949)
    Orson Welles in The Third Man (1949)
    Orson Welles in The Third Man (1949)
    Orson Welles in The Third Man (1949)
    Orson Welles in The Third Man (1949)
    The Third Man (1949)
    Orson Welles in The Third Man (1949)
    The Third Man (1949)
    Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli in The Third Man (1949)
    Joseph Cotten and Trevor Howard in The Third Man (1949)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Orson Welles
    Orson Welles
    • Harry Lime
    Joseph Cotten
    Joseph Cotten
    • Holly Martins
    Alida Valli
    Alida Valli
    • Anna Schmidt
    • (as Valli)
    Trevor Howard
    Trevor Howard
    • Maj. Calloway
    Paul Hörbiger
    Paul Hörbiger
    • Karl
    • (as Paul Hoerbiger)
    Ernst Deutsch
    Ernst Deutsch
    • Baron Kurtz
    Erich Ponto
    Erich Ponto
    • Dr. Winkel
    Siegfried Breuer
    Siegfried Breuer
    • Popescu
    Hedwig Bleibtreu
    Hedwig Bleibtreu
    • Anna's Landlady
    Bernard Lee
    Bernard Lee
    • Sgt. Paine
    Wilfrid Hyde-White
    Wilfrid Hyde-White
    • Crabbin
    Nelly Arno
    • Kurtz's Mother
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Arrow
    • International Patrol A
    • (uncredited)
    Harold Ayer
    Harold Ayer
    • Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Belcher
    • Man Chasing Holly
    • (uncredited)
    Leo Bieber
    • Casanova Barman
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Birch
    Paul Birch
    • Military Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    Martin Boddey
    Martin Boddey
    • Russian Military Policeman
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Carol Reed
    • Writers
      • Graham Greene
      • Orson Welles(uncredited)
      • Alexander Korda(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Vienna Police Dept. has a special unit that is assigned solely to patrol the city's intricate sewer system, as its network of interlocking tunnels make great hiding places for criminals on the run from the law, stolen property, drugs, etc. The "actors" playing police officers in the film were actually off-duty members of that unit.
    • Goofs
      In the two separate back projection shots of Calloway, Martins and Paine, supposedly traveling in a jeep at night in Vienna, a double-decker London bus can be seen in the background.
    • Quotes

      Harry Lime: Don't be so gloomy. After all, it's not that awful. Like the fella says, 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. So long, Holly.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: V I E N N A
    • Alternate versions
      The UK version features introductory voice-over by the director Carol Reed; in the US version Joseph Cotten provides the voice-over, as his character Holly Martins. The UK version runs 104 minutes, versus the US version at 93 minutes, which was cut by producer David O. Selznick to give the film a tighter pace. Both versions have been released on video in the U.S., but as of today the most common is the longer British cut. A video comparison between the narrations appears on the U.S. Criterion Collection DVD.
    • Connections
      Edited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      The Third Man Theme
      (1949) (uncredited)

      Written by Anton Karas

      Performed by Anton Karas on a zither

    User reviews536

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    fantastic film that takes place in postwar Vienna
    Even today in Vienna, one can take the "Third Man Tour" (Der Dritte Man) except, of course, that Orson Welles wouldn't go into the Viennese sewers and those scenes were done in England. There were actual sewer scenes with a double. Never mind, it is still a magnificent black and white film 99% filmed in Vienna. Directed by Carol Reed, it stars Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, and Alida Valli.

    Western novelist Holly Martins (Cotten) comes to Vienna at the behest of his old friend Harry Lime, but when he arrives, he learns that Lime is dead after being hit by a car. He investigates and finds the circumstances very strange indeed, especially when learning there was a third man that helped carry Harry's body to the sidewalk, a man who has since disappeared.

    He then meets Harry's girlfriend (Alida Valli). And he also meets a police officer in the British section of Vienna, Inspector Calloway (Trevor Howard), who tells him that Harry was a murderer and a racketeer, and it's better that he's dead. Holly is shocked and demands proof.

    One of the most atmospheric films ever made, with its zither music, cinematography, and Vienna at nighttime. Then there's some brilliant dialogue, particularly the "cuckoo clock" speech made by Orson Welles.

    The cinematography is particularly striking: odd angles, back lighting, and shadows on empty streets. And who can forget the man hidden in the doorway, when the light from an apartment goes on and shows his face - certainly one of the great appearances of a star in a film.

    One feels Lime's presence throughout the film, though he only has five minutes of screen time.

    Though none of these actors were the first choice to play their roles, they are all excellent.

    There was a Third Man TV series in 1959 that ran for six years and starred Michael Rennie as Lime. In the series, Lime is a hero.

    He's no hero in the movie, but it is a powerful story and film, never forgotten once seen.
    helpful•62
    14
    • blanche-2
    • Feb 6, 2016

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    FAQ8

    • What is 'The Third Man' about?
    • Is "The Third Man" based on a book?
    • Was post-war Vienna really divided into four sections?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 3, 1949 (Turkey)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • StudioCanal International (France)
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Russian
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The 3rd Man
    • Filming locations
      • 8 Schreyvogelgasse, Vienna, Austria(doorway where Harry Lime first appears)
    • Production company
      • London Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,067,364
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $13,576
      • May 9, 1999
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,226,507
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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