The Third Man by Carol Reed

Institutions
Directed by Carol Reed
Production Companies: London Film Productions, British Lion Film Corporation
Release Date: 3 September 1949 (UK)
Made in UK
Critical Review by Landen Celano
The Third Man is quite a cinematic experience. I think it goes without saying that the Oscar-winning cinematography is absolutely stunning, contributing to the overall mystery of the film. Every time I’ve seen the film, a tingle has filled me when Orson Welles first appears, and it’s a combination of how he’s revealed, but also his Kevin Spacey-like smirk when he knows his cover has been blown. There is no doubt that this is one of the greatest film noirs ever made, and it’s acted so well by all of its cast, especially Valli who has probably her best moment of the film in its final shot. This is easily a film I’ll continue to go back to time and time again when studying noir, but even if I’m just looking for an entertaining mystery.
This review shows me that the choice of shooting the film is very important in contributing to the effectiveness of the overall outcome; here film-noir has been highly successful. Also, the quality of the acting is very important, though with my thriller this isn’t going to be such a problem as there is no dialogue which will make the acting a lot easier. Also, every shot from beginning to end has to be memorable, as in this film the last shot is one of the best shots according to Landen Celano. Therefore I need to make sure that in every shot of my film I am going to maintain the audience’s interest.

Audience
Via box office returns since being re-released in 1999 the film has made a total of $596,349 (USA).
On IMDB the overall user rating is 8.5/10. Ratings from all ages tend to be very similar ranging between 8.1 and 8.7, but females tend to not enjoy it as much as males as with the rating from each age group females tend to be a few points lower than males, though there is an obvious dip in ratings for females under the age of 18 where the average rating is 6.2. Though this could be due to the unreliable amount of votes as only 62 people have voted in this category where all others are in the hundreds or thousands. Although if there was a reason why people in this demographic didn't enjoy the film as much as others it could be due to the disorientating style of filming or they don't find a noir 40's film's portrayal of a love story as much as the modern films portray them due to it being out of their comfort zone and very different to the style of film around today that they watch on a regular basis.

Generic Thriller Forms and Conventions
The Third Man is filmed in black and white which is a signifier of the early 40's noir style filming.
The Chase Scene/Sewer Scene
This scene is loaded with aspects of mise-en-scene that create a successful thriller. For instance the lighting throughout the film is chiaroscuro which is a strong contrast of light against shadow, this creates a surreal nightmare effect and a feeling of illusion making it uncomfortable for the audience to watch, putting them on edge.
Another technique is the extensive use of canted/tilt shots, which again creates unease within the audience as it creates confusion, disorientation and adds to the nightmare effect.
Within this scene there are alot of quick cuts between clips to show the speed of the action, this again disorientates the viewer.
All sound is diagetic, there is the loud uncomfortable rush of water and the echoing sound of footsteps and voices coming from misleading directions which increases discomfort and tension.
There is a selection of high and low angle shots showing the action from both Harry Lime's and the polices points of view, this puts the audience into the action building tension and anxiety for the outcome.
Looking at the settings the sewer tunnels are an enclosed space which is a generic film signifier, also it is an unglamorous setting which is high in contrast to the glossy streets of Vienna that alot of the film is set in. The contrast emphasises the drama and tension as it reflects the massive change in circumstance in such a short period of time. The unglamorous setting is a generic thriller film signifier whereas the glamorous setting is a signifier of the 1940's glam noir film style.

Another generic thriller signifier is the spiral staircase, this adds to the confusion and feeling of a nightmare.
A specific shot is used ironically to show Harry Lime's fate just before the chase scene. This is the shot where Harry is standing in a doorway which connotes he's been 'framed'. This is a clever way of making the audience think forward to what will be the outcome later in the film.

All these aspects make the film aesthetically pleasing for the audience.

Representation
The femme fatale in this film is given alot of empowerment over men, even when she makes it apparent she is in love with Harry, Holly still falls for her beauty and strength. She is given strong willpower and dignity. She is first introduced looking glamorous with perfectly curled hair, a large hat, a long raincoat, black gloves and a handbag. The raincoat and hat create a sense of mystery.