Rating: 
Summary: A landmark Film Noir. Seldom equalled: will not be beaten.
Review: The Third Man is, unquestionably, one of the greatest films of all time. It is probably the greatest British film of all too. Based on a screenplay by Graham Greene, set amidst the rubble of post-war Vienna and starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten and Trevor Howard, this one was always going to be good. It was, for many years, regarded as the film noir to beat all others and is my favourite movie. Radical in it's cinematic concept and brilliantly shot by Robert Krasker, the film has more atmosphere than any film I have seen before or since.It all starts with Holly Martins (Cotten), a drunkard who writes the type of books which used to be known as "penny dreadfuls", arriving in Vienna not long after the end of WWII on the promise of a job. It turns out that his prospective employer, Harry Lime (Welles), has been killed in an accident and Martins has arrived just in time for the funeral. Lime's friends soon make contact with the wayward Martins, who becomes convinced that his friend has been murdered, and eventually through a series of encounters, he winds up in the hands of the Military Police. In the opinion of this reviewer, this is Cotten's best film and though I've never been a big fan of his, he suits the role admirably. I also believe this is Trevor Howard's finest performance. So good is Howard that there is little doubt over his conviction that Martins is wrong and the scene where all is revealled to him is a feature of the film. Orson Welles was an acting giant in anyone's terms although by this time he was almost universally regarded as box office poison. His characterisation of the psychopathic Lime has been the model for so many film baddies and in may ways is as sinister as Hannibal Lecter. The cinematography is superb. Shot on the streets of bombed-out Vienna and using minimal lighting, it gives definition to the film noir genre. The lighting reflected off wet cobblestone roads and the hard shadows created by single brute arcs create a cold, stark landscape for Carol Reed's direction and the underlying suspense of the plot. Much of the film; certainly the majority of the interiors as well as nearly all the sewer scenes, were actually shot in studio in the UK but all the location stuff is real, so much so that you can even do a "Third Man" tour if you are in Vienna. The Criterion transfer is the sharpest B&W I have ever seen and rather than being merely technically precise, really adds to the atmosphere of the film. There was an enormous number of repairs made to the original print (something like 22,000, if my memory serves me correctly) and the ultimate product is almost seemless and has a beautiful grey scale. There are a few added features, including a rather comical short of Anton Karas playing the famous theme on his zither in a London club. Karas, incidentally, a Gypsy who could not read music, was first spotted in a seedy Vienna nightclub and contracted to do the film more-or-less on the spot. It is extraordinary how much the zither adds to the film. Reckoned by many to be the finest suspense film ever made and containing more cinematic innovation than almost anything which came afterward it, until the arrival of the French New Wave, this film wants for nothing. The acting performances are top notch, the pictures are beautiful and the plot is terrific. There is even a little wry humour at the expense of Viennese society. A cinematic gem not to be missed and essential to any serious film buff's library.
Rating:
Summary: A true film masterpiece
Review: The Third Man could be considered one of the best movies ever made. What the others say about this movie is true; the acting, and especially the camera angles are first rate. And who could forget that fabulous zither?
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable!!!
Review: Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives in Vienna expecting to meet his childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). When he arrives, Lime is not there to greet him. Apparently, Lime was accidently killed after being hit by a car, and their 'meeting' is at his funeral. The one discrepancy that bothers Martins is that in the official report, two men were said to have carried Lime from the street to the sidewalk, still alive at that point; but an eyewitness claims not only was Lime killed instantly, but another man--a third man--helped carry him. Martins, curious of the accident, begins to investigate and hears contradictary stories about the circumstances surrounding Lime's death.
Exactly how did Harry Lime die? That question is the engine driving the plot. The film constructs a picture of Lime through the comments of all those who knew him. Martins remembers Lime as a loyal friend. Lime had a girlfriend named Anna (Alida Valli), who speaks very highly of him. After all, he was the man she loved, and apparently still does. Anna's unquestioning devotion paints the picture of Lime as a romantic. There is obviously something likeable about him, given the attitude Anna has for him and the way the tenants in the rooming house feel, but Calloway (Trevor Howard), the British officer in charge, says Lime was an evil man and advises Holly to take the next train home. He shows Martins the effects of Lime's work in a hospital full of children dying from the watered-down vaccines that were part of the dead man's 'business enterprise'. This all makes for a fun, entertaining and intriguing thriller that may be implausible, but will keep you on the edge of your seat, anticipating all the twists that keep coming!
Rating:
Summary: Need I say more?
Review: I love this movie, must have seen it five times...and I love Anton Karas zither music in the movie. I can't hear that piece without being transported to the Vienna of the Third Man.
Apparantly, Graham Green wanted a happy ending, but Carol Reed did not. I am glad that we got the Reed ending.
Rating:
Summary: Arguably the greatest British film ever made
Review: One could make an exceptionally good case for this being the best film ever made by a British production company. Certainly, it is at worse one of the very best. The film impeccably freezes in our imaginations images of post-war Europe in general and Vienna in particular. And anyone who has seen this will discover scene after scene emblazoned in his or her memory. Indeed, this film is a succession of stunning images and scenes: the first time we see Harry Lime (Orson Welles), lurking in the shadows of a doorway, hands in pockets, an ambiguous, almost apologetic yet amused smile. The Ferris wheel towering over Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) as he waits to meet Harry Lime. The extraordinary "Cuckoo Clock" speech that Harry delivers as he and Holly ride the Ferris Wheel high above the "ants" below. The chase through the sewers. The unforgettable as Anna Schmidt (Valli) walks towards and then past Holly as Anton Karas plays utterly unforgettable zither piece known today as "The Third Man" theme. An enormous amount of great talent was involved in this picture, and nearly all were at the height of their powers. Graham Greene produced one of the great scripts the movies has seen, about an hack writer who has arrived in post-war Vienna to take a job that has been offered him by his old friend Harry Lime, only to discover that he has died in a car wreck. In talking with various friends, the friend, Holly Martins, discovers that the various stories told about Lime don't quite mesh with one another. The climax of the movie comes when Holly learns that Harry not only didn't die but also is making a fortune on the black market. Joseph Cottons turned in perhaps the finest performance in his career as the good natured, but always-one-step-behind Holly Martins. Orson Welles was never better as an actor than he was in this film as the enigmatic Harry Lime, managing to be both thoroughly charismatic and completely reprehensible at the same time. Trevor Howard was as solid as always as Harry Lime's nemesis Major Calloway. Many, many of the minor characters turn in memorable performances. Today, Carol Reed is not well remembered in the United States. This is unfortunate, because he was a truly first rate director with many very fine movies to his credit (among which I do not include the hard-to-take OLIVER). Part of the reason for this has been the widespread influence of French auteur criticism, which pretty much tarred all British cinema with the same inconceivably broad brush, excepting perhaps only the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. As much as I enjoy the work of the latter (jointly known as "The Archers"), I believe that Carol Reed is not as appreciated as he deserves. This film certainly is highly regarded, but he left behind many, many other superb films that also deserve continued viewing. At any rate, regardless of the amount of attention his work as a whole received, this film incontestably remains one of the truly great films in the history of cinema.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the *BEST* DVD I own
Review: This is one of the most feature-rich DVDs I own and it's certainly my favorite. So I have a hard time reading the reviews which say that this film is "so-so" or just plain bad. "The Third Man" was on many a list of the best films of the 20th Century and deservedly so. I will admit that Joseph Cotten's acting is a little stiff by today's standards, but Welles' performance more than compensates for it. The suspense leading up to his appearance is palpable. Perhaps Harry Lime isn't the most evil arch villain ever filmed (a claim that's a more than a little overblown, given the film's immediate post-war/pre-Cold War setting) but his cynicism and complete lack of sympathy for his victims are both timely and very disturbing. Lime is, at best, a morally ambiguous character. But audiences found him so interesting that "The Third Man" was given its own radio show, two episodes of which are contained on the DVD. The DVD itself contains a lot of other great extras like newsreel footage of the Vienna police detail charged with patrolling the sewers made famous by the film. Incidentally, if you like that scene, you might also enjoy Anthony Mann's "He Walked by Night." This similarity leads me to my final point in defense of "The Third Man." A lot of people say they don't like old films. This may be because they've seen their key elements reused too often and too poorly in later movies. While this can't possibly make "The Third Man" any less of a great film, I can see how it might detract from some peoples' experience.
Rating:
Summary: 4.75 stars and excellent
Review: What more can you say about the Third Man except excellent, they don't make them like this anymore. As for the DVD, what more could you expect from Criterion? The movie is excellent, the DVD is great with a great number of special features and extras that you normally don't get on classic movie DVD's. The only two knocks I have against the DVD: while the film is running you can hear the treatment written by Graham Greene; it reads like a literary story. It's good but I would have like it better if Criterion had also included a general feature-length commentary, maybe by Bogdanovich who only introduces the film. My other knock (and it really isn't a knock) is that this release looks beautiful compared to earlier video releases. BUT, if you look at the recent Citizen Kane release, that print looks prisitine, very clear. While the print used here is very good (as the demonstration shows) I'd only give it a 9; its good but you still see the occasional scratch, dirt, etc. Also, while I didn't do a complete side by side, frame by frame comparison, I did notice at least two instances where they omitted a few frames that you could get on earlier video releases. But in total, I only noticed less than two seconds missing. Overall though, I highly recommend this DVD to any film buff.
Rating: 
Summary: Really just so-so
Review: I really expected to love this movie (going by the reviews I've read) but I was seriously disappointed by this film. The music is certainly unique, but it seemed inappropriate for the content and overall tone of the film. The main character, Holly, seemed mildly interesting, while Orson Welles, whom I've always enjoyed, is only in a handful of scenes. I read in one review that the Welles character is one of the "all time great villians committed to celluloid". Huh? Ok, the guy is a little evil, but certainly nothing to write home about. I also found the cinematography annoying. There are some cool shots of post-war Vienna, but there are several shots which are angled (sometimes approaching 45 degrees) for NO apparent reason. It reminded me quite a bit of Battlefield Earth, which had several such shots, the result being that the characters/buildings look like they're facing downhill! Anyway, this film struck me as amateurish, and I definitely feel it is the most overrated film I've come across. Perhaps if it is seen in the context of film history ("first movie to do this and that", etc.) it's worth viewing. But I've found other classic film-noir much more to my liking. This one just seems like a real nothing.
Rating: 
Summary: what a let down!
Review: this is one of the most disappointing films I have ever experienced...a supposedly top notched film noir thriller is a limp noodle compared to the shades and shadows of john alton's 'the big combo'.....here's one boring meaningless dialogue after another....maybe if they had spoken entirely in english without translations the film could have been cut in half...I don't care if it is a special criterion edition..they can't make a bad movie good.
Rating:
Summary: Reed's Classic Not Remastered To Perfection
Review: The Third Man was in a terrible state of disrepair before Criterion got their hands on it. Unfortunately, this edition of the film suffers from extreme grain, digital and film, shimmering details and a rough appearance that still makes for a gritty viewing experience despite considerable restoration efforts. Orson Welles is Harry Lime, a con artist who's black market insulin sales have either killed or crippled hundreds. Joseph Cotten is Lime's best friend and totally unaware of the scam. The film is one of the post war cinemas greatest acheivements. Unfortunately, it needs a more pristine transfer than this to make it worth the while and price that Criterion is asking.
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