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starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Bernard Leedirected by: Carol Reed
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786303473277
Format: Black & White, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, NTSC
ISBN: 630347327X
Label: Homevision
Manufacturer: Homevision
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Homevision
Release Date: July 25, 1995
Running Time: 104 minutes
Sales Rank: 8855
Studio: Homevision
Theatrical Release Date: 1949
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
The fractured Europe post-World War II is perfectly captured in Carol Reed's masterpiece thriller, set in a Vienna still shell-shocked from battle. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an alcoholic pulp writer come to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But when Cotton first arrives in Vienna, Lime's funeral is under way. From Lime's girlfriend and an occupying British officer, Martins learns of allegations of Lime's involvement in racketeering, which Martins vows to clear from his friend's reputation. As he is drawn deeper into postwar intrigue, Martins finds layer under layer of deception, which he desperately tries to sort out. Welles's long-delayed entrance in the film has become one of the hallmarks of modern cinematography, and it is just one of dozens of cockeyed camera angles that seem to mirror the off-kilter postwar society. Cotten and Welles give career-making performances, and the Anton Karas zither theme will haunt you. --Anne Hurley
Amazon.com:
The fractured Europe post-World War II is perfectly captured in Carol Reed's masterpiece thriller, set in a Vienna still shell-shocked from battle. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an alcoholic pulp writer come to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But when Cotton first arrives in Vienna, Lime's funeral is under way. From Lime's girlfriend and an occupying British officer, Martins learns of allegations of Lime's involvement in racketeering, which Martins vows to clear from his friend's reputation. As he is drawn deeper into postwar intrigue, Martins finds layer under layer of deception, which he desperately tries to sort out. Welles's long-delayed entrance in the film has become one of the hallmarks of modern cinematography, and it is just one of dozens of cockeyed camera angles that seem to mirror the off-kilter postwar society. Cotten and Welles give career-making performances, and the Anton Karas zither theme will haunt you. --Anne Hurley
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Great Film Noir,and Criterion Showcases it with quality and class!
Well,Criterion has another release triumph here with "The Third Man".Criterion is well known for its' quality and an eclectic array of films already released in its' catalogues with many more on the way.Most are unavailable anywhere with Criterion consistently setting the release standards for DVDs,and this film is no exception.
"The Third Man" is a film originally released in /49 in Britain to great acclaim(this is the film we see),then released a year later in the U.S.The latter market had ... Read More
Rating: - In my top 10 films ever made
I grew up in Germany in that time and a similar place where this movie is set. From the stories that I was told about the black market, and from what I saw as a child, this movie captures the time and the place perfectly.
The story, acting and camera work are all excellent. I have given this movie as a present more than once. I never lend out my copy.
Rating: - A moody trip through postwar Europe.
Graham Greene is one of the most acclaimed authors of the 20th century, and, unlike many such literary talents, he recognized the merits of film, and took work as a screenwriter for the British film industry, including several collaborations with producer/director Carol Reed, of which "The Third Man" is the most famous. Greene's works tend to be divided into two main genres: his meditations on Catholicism in the modern world ("The Power and the Glory", for example) and his work in the spy and crime ... Read More
Rating: - CAROL REED'S MASTERPIECE, and One of the Great Films of Cinema
Carol Reed's The Third Man is his best known film, it was ground-breaking for many reasons, and it is one of the finest and most influential of all Film Noir classics. One of its hallmarks is the exceptional camera work by cinematographer Robert Krasker, for which he won an Oscar. The lighting and angles he used cannot be forgotten. But equally memorable is the music by zither artist Anton Karas, for which he was nominated. It is one of the very few films in which a single instrument carries the entire ... Read More
Rating: - A Great Film, But Demands the Viewer's Patience
There are moments of absolute brilliance in this extraordinary morality play that explores the tension between loyalty to friends, self interest, and loyalty to the overarching moral code imposed by the social contract. The dialogue between Wells and Cotten in the ferris wheel poses the moral dilemma quite vividly (do you really care about those little dots moving along the ground below?). Also there is a great deal of suspense during this scene as to what Wells will do. One of the great scenes in the ... Read More
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