Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1065 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-09-25
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 104 minutes

Synopsis
This classic noir mystery, from the team of Carol Reed and Graham Greene, is generally considered to be the best filmwork of both of these estimable talents. THE THIRD MAN features Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a pulp novelist who has come to post-WWII Vienna with the promise of work from his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). When he finds that Lime has just been killed in a questionable car accident, he decides to remain in the city to investigate his friend's demise.

Customer Reviews

What's on Disc 2?
Does anybody know what is on Disc 2? I suspect there might be some extras and I am hoping one of which is the documentary Shadowing the Third Man, but would like to know for sure before I buy it. Shame that Amazon is sometimes so lax about product descriptions.

I have watched this film five or six times on an old VHS version and every time I watch it, I discover something new and enthralling. The film is superb, bigger than life and definitely one of the greatest ever made!

Very Noir.
The Third Man.......classic film, not only of the noir genre but a blueprint for story telling in the celluloid format.
As a movie I felt underwelmed by the third man, feeling it all a little contrived and even cliched.
When asked to appreciate the significance of the setting and cinematography....yes, very effective tools in enhancing the aesthetic of the narrative. But hardly engendering any sense of empathy for the characters. Orson Well's turn as Harry Lime probably one of the most enigmatic in movie history but somewhat starkly contrasting against an otherwise one dimensional cast.
Not wishing to fly in the face of universal adoration of the third man, simply reflecting on my impression of a renowed movie.
I see The Third Man as an ornament to be admired rather than entertaining or thought provoking film.

A slice of Lime.
The DVD cover sums this film up brilliantly (even giving away the twist!) with the angled black and white image. The wonky camera work was dismissed by many at the time, but in retrospect it reflects the feel of disorientation Holly Martins must feel when in an unfamiliar place, with no money, and discovering varying accounts of his friends death - a friend he was due be staying with. The slanted shots also mirror the broken feel of Vienna, a beautiful city ravaged by the Second World War and now home to jagged piles of broken bricks.

The strong lighting (typical of black and white films) is used to emphasise the shadows in the dark. The beautiful cinematography of Viennese streets capture a unique period in history. Most scenes have no music to accompany them, but when it does kick in, you instantly recognise it - either from watching this film in the past, or for the numerous films since which have borrowed the iconic Harry Lime theme. The natural performances mean the characters seem flawed, real, believable. And Harry Lime has a constant presence despite barely appearing on screen.

All the above make this an absolute corker of a film - but the most impressive thing is, it all feels so effortless. The film never looks as though it's *trying* to be something that bit special, it's almost as if it *knows* it has a unique chemistry which will ensure a status of `classic' for years to come.

In a nutshell: If you've never seen this film then this might seem like you've seen it all before - but this was the first to do it with style. Often imitated, never bettered.