Rating: 
Summary: A truly classic film.
Review: This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.This film is a great movie and has remained popular to this day. In this movie, Holly Martins goes to Vienna to meet his friend who has a job for him. He later is told that his friend, Harry Lime was killed after being hit by a car. He also learns that Harry had been doing some very bad things. The music in the film is probably more famous that the movie itself. The signature piece of music the "Harry Lime Theme" is inarguably the most famous piece of music written for the zither. The DVD has numerous special features. A documentary on the sewer police who worked while the city was under joint control of Russia, France, England and the USA.
A resotration demo with the famous theme music in the background
Archive footage of composer Anton Karas playing the famous music on the zither
An alternate voice over prologue of the film which was shown in the US.
The Lux radio theater adaptation of the film, and an episode of the Harry Lime series based on the film.
There is also an alternate audio track of Richard Clarke reading excerpts of the film's treatment.
Video introduction by Peter Bogdanovich.
Behind the scenes photos and information on the film's production history. This DVD is a great one to buy especially for Orson Welles fans.
Rating:
Summary: Nostalgic thriller ranks among the best!
Review: Ranked 57 on American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, The Third Man is a murder mystery with a twist from 1949.
Set in post-WW2 Vienna, the story involves an American arriving in the city expecting to begin a job found for him by his best friend. He soon discovers that his friend, Harry Lime, has disappeared, presumed dead, in suspicious circumstances. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) makes it his new agenda to find out what has happened to his friend, and is lead down wrong paths by the police captain, Lime's underworld connections, and Lime's partner, Anna Schmidt.
This film is considered a classic for the way it uses shadow and sets to create suspense. Anton Karas creates the tense atmosphere with his famous zither score. The film won an Academy Award in 1951 for Best Cinematography, and this is best shown in the climatic sewer scenes.
Orson Welles owns this film in the brief time he is on screen, hardly speaking but always commanding in his role.
A masterful thriller, and director Carol Reed's greatest work, The Third Man deserves a place alongside the best of Alfred Hitchcock, and a place in any DVD collection. The DVD itself is outstanding! The Criterion Collection strives for perfection when it comes to restoring old films, and this disc is no exception. The video has never looked better, and the audio, while presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono-soundtrack (basically, the sounds come from one speaker), is sufficient and makes Karas' score that much better. The DVD contains ample extras, a satisfactory amount for a film over 50 years old. Included are such features as a photo gallery from oringinal production, trailers from both 1949 and the 1999 cinema re-release, and a short interview with assistant director Guy Hamilton.
Rating: 
Summary: Great story and moral dilemma
Review: The Third Man, a thriller set in post-World War II Vienna, has been lauded as one of the best movies of all time, and Orson Welles's performance in the movie, which is largely confined to the last 15 minutes, is certainly great. Watching the movie more than a half century after it was produced, it seemed well-crafted, but dated. The techniques might have been innovative when released, but they were now familiar. One effect though that retained its power was the mysterious zither music running through the movie. What I really liked about the movie was its story and the moral choice it presented. (Spoilers below) The main character (Holly Martins) must decide whether to support and protect an old friend out of loyalty or to turn the friend in to the police once he discovers the depraved actions the friend has taken. Martins considers refusing to help the police, but in the end decides to help capture his friend at some risk to himself. This behavior is contrasted with the friend's (former) girlfriend, who remains loyal to him, even though he has faked his death and left her grieving and at risk of being deported to communist controlled Eastern Europe. She not only refuses to cooperate with the police but attempts to protect him from capture. The contrast in the way that these two characters respond to the friend is what gives the movie its power, and Wells plays the friend to perfection - portraying a person who could produce such strong attachments and yet be so despicable.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: Excellent acting and camera work. The zither makes the film. The Criterion Collection version has extremely crisp sound and very good picture. Worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: There's good news and bad news....
Review: I recently went on a movie watching spree to cover the AFI top 100 Movies where 'The 3rd Man' had come in at #57. I didn't want to miss this eventhough this was waaay behind my time and I was afraid that I wouldn't find it captivating. I was sad to see that my fears were justified. To be frank, if I had put myself in a theater during 1949 watching Orson Welles and Joe Cotten doing their landmark performances, I would have held onto my seat for dear life during the rollercoaster ride. But being at the age that I am and seeing the tempo in the movies increasing to a dizzying level in this era, I found this a bit too slow and bland. I had to force myself thru the most part of it. That's the bad news. I know I am partly to blame for it. Now for the good news - As I said, it is amazing that such a movie was made so way back in time. Orson Welles turns in what he himself refers to as the 'star performance'. Trevor Howard is very good too. This is the quinessential thriller set in post-war Vienna laden with love, deception & murder. Anyone who want to be catapulted back into those times and get the 'feel' would have what the doctor ordered. To summarize, don't expect a lot of fast and furious action. Maybe not even a great deal of suspense because I could pretty much predict things along the way. Just pretend that you're in the fourties and maybe you'll have a good time. Now to the DVD features - the picture as such was restored to perfection, no white noise and no grains. Good ! But there was little else in there to catch one's fancy. Guess there wasn't anyone surviving from the days of the yore to hash together an 'Interview with the cast' or the 'Making of The Third Man'. Too Bad ! There was this feature called 'Restoration Implementation' which showed a lot of blurry moving images which didn't make any sense to me. What the heck ?? My hopes of maybe seeing technology in action in restoring an ailing print to a new found glory was shattered. There was nothing of that sort in there! What a pity !
Rating:
Summary: Finally A Classic As It Was Meant To Be Seen
Review: Carol Reed's classic of intrigue and black marketeering in post World War II Vienna needs no rehash from me in praise of a fine cast of actors, great script and masterful production. What the viewer needs to know is what they are getting here. Most people who know "The Third Man" know it from bad prints on tv, bargin basement vhs tapes made from deteriorated prints or the same on DVD. What Criterion gives here is a minor miracle. After seeing "The Third Man" for 30 years I have, thanks to Criterion, seen it for the first time. The print is beautiful and the soundtrack cleaned up. Most of the film takes place in night time Vienna. Many thought that's why the previous home videos or tv prints lacked detail. Not so and detail you will see here as Criterion has restored the picture to its prime condition.Like myself I think you will really feel like you are seeing the film for the first time. Among the added features is a short documentary on the Vienna Sewer Police whose work provided Graham Greene with much of the inspiration for his story. Criterion's price may be high but you really get what you pay for. Go for a $6.95 version and you really won't be getting "The Third Man".
Rating:
Summary: Arguably the Greatest Film Ever Made
Review: By employing much of its visionary cinematography, Carol Reed's THE THIRD MAN is a direct descendant of Orson Welles' CITIZEN KANE. Though I'm not aware of the circumstances under which Reed's film was made, it has Welles' imprimatur all over it in the way it looks and sounds -- and in its general tone. However, unlike Kane, technique is never an end in itself in The Third Man; nor is there any "fat" in it; nor are any of its central characters two-dimensional. In Kane the story was largely perfunctory, while you will continue to mull over and be haunted by the action and characters of The Third Man even after many viewings. It's a wiser and more mature work than Kane, and is largely bereft of Kane's self-conscious artiness. There is a warmth and sympathy for its characters in The Third Man that is frequently absent in Kane. The script of the Third Man is brilliant, and its dialog pregnant with meaning on many different levels in ways that never cease leaving the viewer gasping with admiration over its ingenuity. The tone of the movie is brilliantly modulated. It is one of the wittiest movies ever made, and contains some of the most economically delineated and memorable characters in all of filmdom. In its subtlety and understatement the Third Man shares much in common with great literature. Its underscore will delight you. Its atmosphere is perhaps impossible to describe in words. All in all I just can't praise this movie enough. Make no mistake about it, Citizen Kane is one of the greatest films ever made. But not only is The Third Man better, it is also a preciously rare example of an utterly perfect film. But you must watch it more than once, because the first viewing is only the precondition for beginning to appreciate it.
Rating:
Summary: Thriller, one of the better post ww2 examinations
Review: This movie asks the question, how far would you go to find the answers concerning circumstances of a murdered friend, especially when that murder takes place in chaotic post ww2 Vienna. American Holley Martins must ask himself that continually, and in the process, asks himself just how much worth he attaches to friendship and loyalty. Bleak thriller, filmed in the sewers and damp night streets of Vienna in the post WW2 environment of guilt and chaos, using the back drop of a broken society to ask the larger question, which is 'what compels man to civil behavior, personal conviction or the pressure of society?' The answer may leave the viewer with chills! The movie also points out the effect on Eastern Europe that Roosevelt's allowance of Russian control had. Top notch, Cotten, Vali, Howard, and Welles are all equally good.
Rating:
Summary: Must Have
Review: If you can only view or own a handful of "film noir" movies,
this is the one you must have. The story is now well-known and
most movie buffs have seen a copy, but the copies heretofore
available have been so poor, the technical shortcomings almost
made viewing a chore, so it was frequently by-passed. All previous prints, available in the US, were full of visible
flaws, and, to make matters worse, all US prints had been edited
(mainly by having several scenes shortened, along with a different introduction) so they detracted from the original movie and the vision that produced it. This new re-mastered DVD version is so sharp, the black and
white seems at times to have a razor-sharp quality, and many of its scenes literally jump out at the viewer, so the improved viewing quality is so pronounced, it may not seem like the same
movie. This restoration could stand as the hallmark of the
point of restorations. In addition, the British introduction, which is much better and
a little more full, as well as other previously-shortened scenes, have been restored, adding to the enjoyment of this classic. A fabulous film, now available in an equally fabulous version,
and serious fans need to rush and get a copy of this newly restored version.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Noir
Review: This has for 30 years been my favorite thriller or Film Noir. With a script by the extraordinary novelist Graham Greene (who wrote it in novella form, not as a screenplay), exceptional performances, the atmosphere of a bombed out post WWII Vienna, and one of the most memorable scores in all film, its a must see. In addition, Welles wrote (with Graham Green's permission) his famous speech at the amusement park. That scene alone is worth the price of the DVD. The Criterion DVD is definitive - do not get the cheaper versions!
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