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PAL,
Black & White
Outstanding study of the glamour of evil
Carol Reed's international crime thriller
a timeless classic thriller |
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The Third Man directed by Carol Reed and
starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten |
A writer of westerns arrives in post war Vienna
after an invitation from an old school friend. But he finds that his
friend has been killed in a strange accident.
Review
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 post-war intrigue,
Martins finds layer upon layer of deception, which he desperately tries to
sort out. Welles' 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 post-war
society. Cotten and Welles give career-making performances and the Anton
Karas zither theme will haunt you.
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