The Third Man

In post-WWII Vienna, a writer looks into the mysterious death of his old friend. His investigation leads him to some troubling discoveries amidst the ruined city’s web of intrigue and corruption., The classic Graham Greene-Carol Reed thriller, set in post-Second World War Vienna. American writer Joseph Cotten finds his friend Orson Welles is not dead, but is alive and dealing in drugs on the black market. With Alida Valli and Trevor Howard and, of course, the classic zither soundtrack., Holly Martins, a third-rate American pulp novelist, arrives in postwar Vienna, where he has been promised a job by his old friend Harry Lime. Upon his arrival, Martins discovers that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident, and that his funeral is taking place immediately., In this Cold War spy classic, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a third-rate American pulp novelist, arrives in postwar Vienna, where he has been promised a job by his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Upon his arrival, Martins discovers that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident, and that his funeral is taking place immediately. At the graveside, Martins meets outwardly affable Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and actress Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), who is weeping copiously. When Calloway tells Martins that the late Harry Lime was a thief and murderer, the loyal Martins is at first outraged. Gradually, he discovers not only that Calloway was right but also that the man lying in the coffin in the film’s early scenes was not Harry Lime at all–and that Lime is still very much alive (he was the mysterious “third man” at the scene of the fatal accident). Thus the stage is set for the movie’s famous climactic confrontation in the sewers of Vienna–and the even more famous final shot, in which Martins pays emotionally for doing “the right thing.” Written by Graham Greene, The Third Man is an essential classic, made even more so by the insistent zither music of Anton Karas. The film is currently available in both an American and British release version; the American print, with an introduction by Joseph Cotten, is slightly shorter than the British version, which is narrated by director Carol Reed. Nominated for several Academy Awards, The Third Man won Best Cinematography for Robert Krasker., The classic Graham Greene-Carol Reed thriller, set in post-Second World War Vienna. American writer Joseph Cotten finds his friend Orson Welles is not dead (as the police believe), but is alive and dealing in drugs on the black market. With Alida Valli and Trevor Howard and, of course, the classic zither soundtrack., The classic Graham Greene-Carol Reed thriller, set in post-Second World War VIenna. American writer Joseph Cotten finds his friend Orson Welles is not dead (as the police believe), but is alive and dealing in drugs on the black market. With Alida Valli and Trevor Howard and, of course, that famous zither soundtrack., An American pulp writer arrives in post-WWII Vienna only to find that the friend who waited for him is killed under mysterious circumstances. The ensuing mystery entangles him in his friend’s involvement in the black market, with the multinational police, and with his Czech girlfriend., Classic film noir about an American writer who visits postwar Vienna to see an old friend but is told that his friend is dead. Incredulous at the suggestion his friend was a criminal, the writer attempts to clear the dead man’s name but soon finds events taking a strange turn – his friend is very much alive, dealing drugs on the black market.