Movie Classic : The Third Man (1949 -Original Release - 2024 - RE-ISSUE - 4K Restoration 75th Anniversary) *****

Starring : Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Paul Hoerbiger, Ernest Deutsch, Erich Ponto, Siegfried Breuer, Hedwig Bleibtreu, Bernard Lee, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Geoffrey Keen and Robert Brown (both uncredited)

Director : Sir Carol Reed

Duration Running Time : { approx } 1 Hour 44 Minutes [ 104 Mins ]

Certification Rating Certificate : 'A' (1949) 'PG' (2024)

Distribution : British Lion Films, London Films (1949) Studiocanal, British Lion Films, London Films (2024)

'THE THIRD MAN' in question, is in fact classed as a 1949 'film noir' directed by Sir Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and also features stars such as Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and also Trevor Howard and that in 2024 celebrates its 75th Anniversary by reissuing this timeless classic by returning to movie theaters throughout and is also showing on a 'BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION FILM PRINT'.

Let's take a look by delving into the history of this timeless movie classic.

1 : HISTORY -

NOVELLA ORIGIN : Originally written by Graham Greene, an English author, - 'THE THIRD MAN' - in question, had started as a 'SHORT NOVELLA'.

Greene, in question, had in fact created it as 'PREPARATORY DOCUMENT' during the writing of the screenplay for Sir Carol Reed's (the film director) famous film.

Greene was also originally inspired after hearing about 'A REAL-LIFE INCIDENT' - involving the 'PENICILLIN' trade in a 'post-war' Vienna and which also forms the unique basis of the film's storyline.

Meanwhile, Reed, who had originally worked for the British Army's wartime documentary unit and that Greene, in question, had not only written about 'SPIES' -but also occasionally - 'ACTED AS ONE'.

Reed, would also fought with David O. Selznick, his American film producer, over 'EVERY EXACT DETAIL OF THE MOVIE; as Selznick, in question, had in fact wanted to shoot on sets, use an 'UPBEAT MUSIC SCORE' and would also originally cast Sir Noel Coward as Harry Lime.

His film in question, would have been forgotten in a week, but also that Reed in question, had also 'DEFIED CONVENTION - BY SIMPLY SHOOTING THE FILM ENTIRELY ON LOCATION IN VIENNA', - where vasts mountains of 'rubble' had stood next to 'gaping bomb craters, and also not to mention the 'ruins of empire' supported by 'A DESPERATE BLACK MARKET ECONOMY' - and that Reed 'HAD INSISTED IN USING ANTON KARRAS' MUSIC SCORE WHICH ALSO INVOLVES THE 'ZITHER' - the theme for 'THE THIRD MAN' was 'ONE OF THE BIGGEST HITS' - during 1950.

FILM ADAPTATION : The 'NOVELLA' in question, served as a 'FOUNDATION FOR THE SCREENPLAY', and also which simply became the 1950 film adaptation (just for the record the film opened in UK cinemas in September 1949, and then opened in US movie theaters in February 1950 - five months later).

The story of the film was narrated by Major Calloway, (Howard), a law enforcer entangled during the events.

2 : PLOT SUMMARY -

SETTING : The 'ORIGINAL LOCATION' of the film in question, was set in 'POST-WAR VIENNA, situated in Austria.

Now although the film is 'SET DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR' - which at the time - was still 'SCARRED BY THE CONFLICT' and therefore, 'IT WAS DIVIDED INTO FOUR SECTORS' - notably 'BRITISH', 'AMERICAN', 'FRENCH', and also 'RUSSIAN' sectors.

PROTAGONIST : Holly 'Rollo' Martins, (portrayed by Cotten), whose job is classed as a writer of 'CHEAP WESTERNS' - is originally classed as an 'ENGLISHMAN' in the novel - but in the 'FILM VERSION' - he is classed as an 'AMERICAN'.

Interestingly, the change of this was also made to accommodate Cotten, an American actor for the role of Martins, the film character in question, however this altercation also highlights the flexibility as well as the creative choices that also occur throughout during the unique transition between 'THE FIRST PAGE OF THE FUTURE BEST-SELLING NOVEL' right through to 'THE FINAL VERSION COMPLETED FILM PRODUCT' known to many as 'THE BIG SCREEN' and shown in movie theaters/cinemas throughout the world.

FRIENDSHIP AND MYSTERY : Martins has arrived in Vienna to meet Harry Lime, (Welles), his friend, and who is described as 'a charismatic but also a mischievous gentleman'.

However, Martins, in question, soon learns that Lime has died in a traffic accident and decides to stay in Vienna and also discovers that there is corruption and also deceit inside the city of Vienna that also involves 'the black market' in question also involves the trade involving 'PENICILLIN' - which by the way has caused many numerous deaths and therefore begins the dramatic chase through the darkest sewers in Vienna.

Lime, 'THE CENTRAL CHARACTER IN THE STORY' - also became the star on the radio which Welles in question had also 'REPRISED HIS ORIGINAL ROLE' in 'THE 1949 CLASSIC' and entitled as 'THE LIVES OF HARRY LIME' which was originally broadcasted on the radio from between 1951-1952, the series was split into 'SIXTEEN CHAPTERS' and was also released on a 'TWO CD BOX SET' - 'THE FIRST PART' of the 'CD' has a duration running time of 'THREE HOURS FORTY THREE MINUTES' and also 'THIRTY TWO SECONDS' while 'THE SECOND PART' of the 'CD' also has a duration time of 'THREE HOURS FORTY THREE MINUTES' and also 'FIFTY-SIX SECONDS' - if you combine 'THE TWO CD'S TOGETHER' - this comes to an 'AMAZING RUNNING TIME' LASTING OVER 'SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS' of 'LISTENING PLEASURE' - and that the 'RADIO SERIES' in question, is actually classed as a 'PREQUEL' to the film -and also depicts the many misadventures of Harry Lime himself (also voiced by Welles himself) and who's also classed as a con-artist himself - but also - in a somewhat 'LIGHTER TONE' than the 'original character's villainy' in the film version.

VISUAL STYLE AND REALISM : Sir Carol Reed, the film's director, had insisted on filming the movie which was 'ENTIRELY FILMED ON LOCATION IN VIENNA' - by simply using the 'CITY'S ACTUAL RUINS' - to enhance 'THE FILM'S AUTHENTICITY'.

The stark, tilted, camera angles and also shadowy cinematography, courtesy by Robert Krasker, an Australian cinematographer, who has worked on more than at least 'SIXTY FILMS' in his career, was influenced by German Expressionism and also helped to convey the disorienting and also morally ambiguous world of post-war Europe.

Krasker, in question, was originally born on August 21, 1913, in Alexandria, Egypt, during a family business trip to Europe and back - and that his birth was in fact 'REGISTERED' in Perth, Western Australia.

In 1931, Krasker moved to England after studying art in Paris, and also photography in Dresden, and that after joining 'LES STUDIOS PARAMOUNT' situated in Joinville-le-Pont where he worked as a translator and also camera assistant to Philip Tannura, had found work at Sir Alexander Korda's 'LONDON FILMS' (Korda in question, was a Hungarian-born British film director, producer, and also a screenwriter who had founded his own film production studios and film distribution company) as a 'SENIOR CAMERA OPERATOR' whose credits include the following : 'THE SAINT MEETS THE TIGER' (cinematography shot in 1941) and released in 1943, directed by Paul L.Stein, 'THE GENTLE SEX' (cinematography shot in 1942) and released in 1943, directed by Leslie Howard and also 'THE LAMP STILL BURNS' (cinematography shot in 1943) and also released in 1943. that same year by Maurice Elvey.

Krasker's 'NEO EXPRESSIONIST CAMERAWORK' on both 'THE THIRD MAN' and also 'ODD MAN OUT' (1947), also directed by Reed, based on the novel of the 'same name' by F.L.Green and featured James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, Kathleen Ryan, Robert Beatty, and also F.J.McCormick.

This was classed as a 'British film noir thriller' and was set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the film follows Johnny McQueen (Mason), a wounded Irish nationalist member of the 'ORGANISATION' who attempts to evade the police in the aftermath of a robbery, but also that the film in question follows the unique character of McQueen on an anguished journey through the ''alleys'' of the sewers of Belfast, and which that also presages Harry Lime's shadowy flight through the sewers of Vienna in Reed's follow-up to 'ODD MAN OUT' in 1949, known as 'THE THIRD MAN' - two years later, they were both directed by Reed - and also may have been influenced by 'FILM NOIR' and also the 'EXPRESSIONISM' to some degree - but also his unique approach to 'CINEMATOGRAPHY' was in fact largely 'REALISTIC' and also not classed as 'EXPRESSIONIST', which in fact was influenced more by the 'BAUHAUS' and also 'NEW OBJECTIVITY' rather than 'GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM'.

But also that 'THE THIRD MAN' in question had in fact received 'THE FIRST BAFTA AWARD' for 'BEST BRITISH FILM' and was also 'NOMINATED' for BEST FILM EDITING' - Fergus McDonnell, however the film did 'WIN AWARDS' for 'CINEMATOGRAPHY' - Krasker, and that this is also cited as the favourite film of one Roman Polanski, the director of many classics such as 'ROSEMARY'S BABY' (1968), starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Ruth Gordon, 'CHINATOWN' (1974), featuring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and also John Huston, and also 'THE PIANIST (2002) featuring Academy Award Winning actor Adrien Brody as Wladyslaw Spilzman, a Polish-Jewish pianist, composer, and also a Holocaust survivor, plus Akira Kurosawa, the celebrated Japanese film director who directed films such as 'THE SEVEN SAMURAI' (1954), which became 'THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN' and also 'YOJIMBO' (1961) which also became 'THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS' as well.

Krasker also worked on 'HENRY V' (1944), for Sir Laurence Olivier, who was not only the star of the film but was also the director of the film as well, the film in question had an unusual on-screen title and which was simply known as 'THE CHRONICLE HISTORY OF KING HENRY THE FIFTH WITH HIS BATTELL FOUGHT AT AGINCOURT IN FRANCE' (can you imagine Sir Ian McKellen, star of 'THE LORD OF THE RINGS' and also 'THE HOBBIT' film trilogies as Gandalf 'THE WHITE WIZARD' teaming up with Daniel Radcliffe as 'HARRY POTTER' in the 'HARRY POTTER FILMS' and also 'COMPARING THEIR VARIOUS SIZES ON WHO'S GOT THE BIGGEST LENGTH AS A WILD WIZARD' - ON THEIR MAGIC WANDS ! of course) also 'BRIEF ENCOUNTER' (1945), for Sir David Lean, this is from a unique screenplay by Sir Noel Coward, based on his 1936 'ONE-ACT PLAY' entitled as 'STILL LIFE' and starred not only Trevor Howard and also Celia Johnson, but also that the main star of the movie was Carnforth Railway Station, situated in the 'RED ROSE COUNTY' of Lancashire, and also 'ANOTHER MAN'S POISON' (1951) for Irving Rapper.

Lean in question, had originally sacked Krasker from 'GREAT EXPECTATIONS' in 1945 - the film was released in 1946, and is based on the novel by Charles Dickens, because both Krasker and also Ronald Neame, CBE, BSE, was an English film producer, cinematographer, screenwriter and also a film director, were in fact reportedly unhappy with 'THAT HANDLING OF THE MARSH SCENE' - although the main accounts differ, but that also however 'THAT HE HIS CREDITED' with the often 'highly-praised' opening scene of that movie, and incidentally Neame also had a partnership with Lean involving at least 'THREE MOVIES' - notably 'BRIEF ENCOUNTER' (1945), as producer, plus 'GREAT EXPECTATIONS' (1946), and also 'OLIVER TWIST' (1948), receiving 'TWO ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS' - this is classed as an adaptation of Dickens's 1838 novel, and featuring John Howard Davies, Robert Newton (again), as Bill Sikes, and also Sir Alec Guinness as Fagin.

By 1951, Krasker had returned home to Australia, after winning his 'well-deserved' Academy Award for a well-deserved and also well-earned vacation, and it was while on vacation that he was to try and also setting up an international film production studio originally situated in Sydney, Australia, and also that several times after his arrival wrote about the many movies that he shot as a cinematographer.

Krasker's legacy during and also after his lifetime is relatively unknown in Australia, and also that at least 'TWO HUNDRED PHOTOGRAPHS' from his uniquely personal collection were sold after his death on August 16, 1981, - five days short of his 68th birthday - in London to the British Film Institute - BFI.

Also just for the record, Krasker was 'THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN CINEMATOGRAPHER' to win 'THE ACADEMY AWARD' while 'THE SECOND AUSTRALIAN CINEMATOGRAPHER' to win 'THE ACADEMY AWARD' was in fact Dean Semler, who in 1990, won for 'DANCES WITH WOLVES' - directed by and also starring Kevin Costner.

His death in 1981 was also noted by an Australian film director at the time - and also known as Bruce Beresford.

Beresford born on August 16, 1940, is also classed as an Australian film director, opera director, screenwriter, and also a producer, had began his career during the 'AUSTRALIAN NEW WAVE' - this was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema - particularly in the United States, and also that Beresford in question, happens to be a 'TWO-TIME ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE', in a career over 'FIFTY YEARS' and during which he has made over at least 'THIRTY FEATURE FILMS' both locally and also internationally in the United States alone.

Beresford's films include the following such as 'BREAKER MORANT' (1980) featuring Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown and also Lewis Fitz-Gerald, it is classed as 'AN AUSTRALIAN WAR DRAMA' and is also based on the 1978 play by Kenneth G.Ross, 'TENDER MERCIES' (1983) features Robert Duvall as Mac Sledge, a singer-songwriter, and whose unique performance won him 'THE ACADEMY AWARD' for 'BEST ACTOR', and then there's 'DRIVING MISS DAISY' featuring Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and also Dan Aykroyd - the original 1987 play was written by Alfred Uhry, and that Freeman had also ''reprised'' the role of Hoke Colburn, a 60 year old black chauffeur from the original 'OFF-BROADWAY' production, but also that the film was 'NOMINATED FOR NINE ACADEMY AWARDS' - and also 'WON FOUR' - including 'BEST MAKEUP', 'BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY', 'BEST ACTRESS' - JESSICA TANDY and also 'BEST PICTURE'.

Meanwhile, Krasker's later films - which also included 'MANY EPIC FILMS' such as 'ALEXANDER THE GREAT' (1956), directed by Robert Rossen, and featured Richard Burton, Frederic March and also Claire Bloom, then there was 'EL CID' (1961), produced by Samuel Bronston, directed by Anthony Mann, and also featured Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, this was followed by 'THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE' (1964) produced by Bronston, directed by Mann and featured 'AN ALL STAR CAST' including Sophia Loren, James Mason, Stephen Boyd, Sir Alec Guinness, John Ireland, Mel Ferrer, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle and also Christopher Plummer as Commodus.

Now this was classed as 'THE ORIGINAL GLADIATOR MOVIE' - that is until Sir Ridley Scott (aka 'RIDDERS) had in fact 'RESURRECTED THE EPIC MOVIE' and directed 'GLADIATOR' (2000) featuring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Sir Richard Harris, Sir Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Hemmings and also Oliver Reed, the uncle of Sir Carol Reed, the film director, as Antonius Proximo, an old gruff gladiator trainer, and who in 1968, starred as Bill Sikes in the epic musical film version of 'OLIVER' (1968), featuring Ron Moody as Fagin, Shani Wallis as Nancy, with Sir Harry Secombe as Mr Bumble, Jack Wild as The Artful Dodger (yes really) and also Mark Lester as Oliver Twist.

This was in fact Reed's 'FINAL FILM' as on May 2, 1999,that Reed had simply died from a heart attack during filming entirely on location in Valletta, Malta, and that on the afternoon of his death Reed had encountered a group of sailors from the Royal Navy frigate 'HMS CUMBERLAND' on shore leave in a pub and had 'CHALLENGED THEM TO A DRINKING MATCH' -and that it was during 'THE MATCH' in question, that Reed collapsed and sadly died aged 61 years old, the film won at least 'FIVE ACADEMY AWARDS' including 'BEST COSTUME DESIGN', 'BEST SOUND', 'BEST VISUAL EFFECTS' 'BEST ACTOR' - RUSSELL CROWE and also 'BEST PICTURE', however, there's also 'A LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL' - 'GLADIATOR II' which is scheduled to be released in movie theaters/cinemas on Friday November 15, 2024, just in time for the thanksgiving celebrations and ideal to digest 'THE DREADED TURKEY DINNER' -plus also that this will be reviewed by yours truly exclusively on this platform.

Meanwhile just before writing the screenplay for 'THE THIRD MAN', Greene, in question, had in fact studied and also worked out the atmosphere, characterisation, and also the mood of the story simply by writing out a novella as a film treatment - the meaning of this refers to a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards and also the first draft of a screenplay, for a motion picture, television programme, or even a radio play.

However, it is generally longer, and also more detailed than an outline, and also that it may include details of a directorial style that an outline omits.

But also that Greene, had in fact 'NEVER INTENDED IT TO BE READ BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC', - although that it was later published under the 'SAME NAME AS THE MOVIE'.

Then in 1948, Greene had met Elizabeth Montagu in Vienna; as she personally gave him tours of the city, its sewers, and also some of its less reputable nightclubs.

She also introduced Greene to Peter Smolka, 'THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT' for 'THE TIMES' of London, and who also gave Greene many stories about 'THE BLACK MARKET' in Vienna.

There are many critics (including yours truly) who have simply praised this movie for various reasons that include its perfect bland of music featuring the amazing score of Anton Karras and his remarkable zither instrument which gives it as the full works that you should really want to show in a movie theater/cinema, the editing, the performances by all concerned are simply 'TOP NOTCH' - and although that this is a 'BLACK AND WHITE' film - it really has you gripped from start to finish - for this is not only a unique British film - it is also regarded as a timeless classic - and also that if you have never seen this in a movie theater - but only shown on tv so many times - then you should because for its 75th Anniversary this is a film that's even better shown on a 4K RESTORATION BRAND NEW PRINT in a movie theater, that is more sharper, more clearer, and that the sound of this film is even more powerful since its original year - but better ! and also that this is simply 'ONE OF THOSE MOVIE EXPERIENCES - THAT YOU REALLY MUST SEE - BEFORE YOU DIE !

'THE THIRD MAN' IS SIMPLY ONE OF THOSE MOVIE MASTERPIECES - FOR ALL OF US

DON'T MISS IT !

David M.G.Mitchell