The Third Man

1949.

#57 / Unlisted

Winner of 1 Academy Award.

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) goes to post-WWII Vienna to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), but upon his arrival, Holly discovers that Harry is dead. When the facts don't add up, Holly discovers the criminal truth to Harry's disappearance. Along the way, Holly falls in love with Harry's girlfriend, Anna (Alida Valli). Soon, Holly discovers that Harry had faked his own death, but when Holly grasps the scope of Harry's crime - stealing, smuggling, and diluting penicillin - he betrays his friend, leading to Harry's death.

Eddie: I love this movie. I saw it once in a small basement theater in Vienna. This movie contains so many great moments, but three are worth pointing out. First, our initial glimpse of Orson Welles may be the greatest character appearance in any movie. For forty minutes, we've been hearing so much about Harry Lime, believing him to be dead. Then, when he emerges from a shadowy doorway in Vienna, with that characteristic Wellesian smirk, I nearly leap to my feet and clap my hands, relieved that the old boy is alive and well. Secondly, while Welles is famous for some choice lines in CITIZEN KANE, it's an ad-lib in THE THIRD MAN that stands out as his most timeless:

In Italy, for thirty 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 five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock.

So good. Pure Orson Welles genius (although the quote is historically inaccurate).

Sarah: Let me give you a little background on how this blog works. Whoever reviews the movie first will also fill in a fake line or two, under the other person's review. So if I review a film first, I'll write a line under Eddie's review (usually implying he can't live without me or is in love with men). He gets to see it before he adds his half. Likewise, if Eddie reviews first, he will write a line for me (usually implying I am an old woman, full of hate). Well today, I am actually in full agreement with Eddie's entry for me. So here it is, unedited.

It was good, but Eddie is being melodramatic.

Why You Should See It: The closing shot - a long take of Holly waiting for Anna as she walks down the road from Harry's funeral. We expect her to stop. We expect them to have their final scene together - to deal with what they've had to endure. But she just walks on by. Too good!