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The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition) (1949)

Orson Welles , Alida Valli , Carol Reed  |  Unrated |  DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (395 customer reviews)


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Product Details

  • Actors: Orson Welles, Alida Valli, Trevor Howard, Ernst Deutsch, Joseph Cotten
  • Directors: Carol Reed
  • Format: Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Rated: Unrated
  • Studio: Criterion Collection
  • DVD Release Date: May 22, 2007
  • Run Time: 104 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (395 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000NOK0GM
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,859 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition)" on IMDb

Special Features

None.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There have been few better movies in the history of the planet than The Third Man, and fewer still as brilliantly directed from second to second. Orson Welles played the title role, and his legend has tended to engulf the film. But it was directed by Carol Reed and written--except for a Wellesian riff on the Borgias--by Graham Greene, and the credit for this masterpiece is properly theirs. Theirs and Joseph Cotten's; for awesome as Welles is, his Citizen Kane second banana is onscreen about six times as much, and Cotten uses every minute to create one of the most distinctive--if also forlorn--of modern heroes.

You know the story. Holly Martins (Cotten), a writer of pulp Westerns and one of life's congenital third-raters, arrives in post-WWII Vienna only to learn that his old pal Harry Lime, the guy who sent him his plane ticket, is being buried. Everybody, from a cynical British cop named Calloway (Trevor Howard) to Harry's Continental knockout of a girlfriend (AlidaValli) and his sundry absurd/Euro-sinister business associates, feels that Holly should get on another plane and go home. He doesn't. Things come to light. Other deaths follow. The world lies in utter ruin.

The Third Man completed a sublime hat trick--an international critical and popular smash following upon the success of Reed's Odd Man Out ('47) and The Fallen Idol ('48). Although other filmmakers had begun to use war-ravaged Europe as a great movie set, The Third Man is so vivid in its canny mix of gray semidocumentary and insanely angular, Expressionist/Surrealist chiaroscuro that it seems to have imagined not only the postwar thriller but also postwar Europe itself singlehandedly.

What great movie moments: The throwaway details like a mourner who forgets to drop his wreath on a newly dug grave. The sly editing whereby thick-headed Sergeant Paine (Bernard Lee, once and future "M" to 007) goes on leafing through a magazine, knowing just the moment he must rise and subdue the nervy Yank who would take a punch at his boss. The way Anton Karas's legendary zither score seems to jangle in the very guy-lines of a bridge where, far below Robert Krasker's Oscar-winning camera, the Third Man calls a war council. The shadow of a dead man towering, big as Europe, over the nighttime streets of Vienna. --Richard T. Jameson

Stills from The Third Man (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Cynical pulp novelist Holly Martins arrives in shadowy Vienna to investigate the mysterious death of his old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime, and thus begins an ever-thickening web of love, deception, and murder that adds up to one of cinema’s most immortal treats, as well as one of its trickiest. Thanks to brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles; Anton Karas’s timeless, evocative zither score; Graham Greene’s razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Krasker’s haunting deep focus shots, off-kilter angles, and dramatic use of light and shadow, The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol Reed, only grows in stature as the years pass.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
233 of 258 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great surrealist drama of truth and loyalth February 17, 2000
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It was with great anticipation that I viewed The Third Man recently. I had last seen it nearly 25 years earlier. At the earlier viewing I was impressed with the atmospheric treatment of Vienna and the mystery surrounding Joseph Cotton's search for the truth about his friend Harry (Orson Wells). However, though I then thought of it as a very fine movie, I did not think it would rank in my top 20. Now I see what I missed as a younger person. I can also see why this film would rank as number one on a British list of greatest films of the 20th century.

The film is a surreal examination of the tension between loyalty, love, and friendship on the one hand, and truth and justice on the other. The Viennese are suffused with the cynicism of a destroyed continent and damaged culture. The British know only about the truth and justice side of the equation. The American writer of simple westerns still is naďve enough to care about friendship and truth, and follows both wherever they lead. At the same time, Carol Reed scarcely shoots a scene in which there are right angles. Nearly everything is tilted. Close-ups of faces exaggerate their features. The black and white of the film emphasizes the shadowy nature of the story and its moral underpinnings.

At first Holly Martins (Cotton) thinks he is helping his best friend, Harry Lime (Wells). At the same time he becomes Harry's rival for the woman, Anna. When Harry realizes that Holly has discovered his true evil scheme, Harry has a chance to murder Holly and make it look like an accident. What stops him? Friendship? And why does Harry accept Holly's invitation to meet? In the penultimate scene in the underground sewer tunnels, does Holly fire the final and fatal shot, or does Harry kill himself?

This magnificently filmed and wonderfully acted masterpiece has remained in my mind for days after seeing it. If you are a lover of cinema and not merely of movies, please get this classic. It richly deserves its reputation. Highly recommended.

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38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but........ October 7, 2010
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Studio Canal blu ray version of the Third Man is an ok transfer--but not as good as the version released by Criterion Collection. Having purchased the Studio Canal version, and then subsequently finding a new copy of the Criterion Collection version, it is apparent that each has used a print from a different source. In regards to the Studio Canal version, I noticed some less than stellar frames near the end of the film----where Joseph Cotton is leaning at the road side, watching Alida Valli walk by. In any case, the Studio Canal version isn't bad and I wouldn't discourage its purchase. But if you love this film and want the best print available---try to locate a copy of the Criterion Collection---before they completely disappear.
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63 of 67 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have DVD for film noir fans! July 28, 2000
Format:DVD
I have always seen inferior prints of this film until I found this Criterion DVD and I must say, it was like watching a completely different film. The crisp b&w photography has been restored to the original pristine quality and one can easily see why this film took home the Oscar for best cinematography. The sound is also superb. The DVD is loaded with extra features such as the original opening monologue to the British release (voiced by director Carol Reed), a reading of the novel by author Graham Greene, archival footage of the sewer system "police" in Vienna (which plays a significant part in the film), and numerous stills with tantalizing behind the scenes information (like the fact that Orson Welles was so put off by working in the actual sewers that he refused to return and the crew had to build a sewer set at Shepperton Studios). There are many other extras as well, actually too many to remember. Bravo to Criterion for their amazing work on this classic film!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
Terrific Graham Greene dark storyline, great cinematography in post-war Vienna, superb casting and great performances by the cast. Well worth seeing, even considering its age.
Published 1 day ago by Douglas Muir
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional movie! You can't go wrong with this one!
OUTSTANDING movie and DVD release! I absolutely recommend both the movie and this Criterion release to anyone who loves really great movie masterpieces, impressive, stunning... Read more
Published 8 days ago by D. P. Wilson
1.0 out of 5 stars DVD was not the right area code
Your service in sending the DVD of The Third man was great but after it arrived at my home I tried to play it but it is not able to be played on my Blu-ray player - it has the... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Ross Perry
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the 100 best
A classic, not to be missed by anyone who loves movies. Welles' last great performance, and Cotten is perfectly cast as the clueless American.
Published 13 days ago by George Jones
3.0 out of 5 stars Storyline is okay
Had been looking for this oldie for a while and was happy to find it downloadable for only $9.99!!! UNFORTUNATELY in my exuberance I failed to notice that I either needed a Kindle... Read more
Published 13 days ago by Filrod
5.0 out of 5 stars terrific
i was recommended this movie by my sister and this is so far one of my all time favorite movies. the camera angles and the witty cracking dialogue and the wonderful graham greene... Read more
Published 1 month ago by harlowfan87
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic
The Third Man has no explosions, CGI effects, robots, extended sex scenes or 3D effects. In fact, it's not even in color. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael J. Edelman
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Best movie ever. This is my all time favorite movie. You can watch this movie over and over again and not get sick of it.
Published 1 month ago by argo
5.0 out of 5 stars A Film Whose Memories Linger Forever in the Mind
Carol Reed's 1946 film is one of those texts that could justifiably be described as 'great.' The cast is just brilliant, contrasting Joseph Cotten's brilliant Holly Martens with... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dr. Laurence Raw
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Transfer To BD
I owned the Criterion DVD of this classic film. I have not seen their BD version, which is now oop and commands top dollar from third-party sellers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mark E. Stenroos
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Bootleg copies of "The Third Man"
Well the Criterion version is now out of print, so its no longer possible to buy it from Amazon. If you ordered the Criterion and received the StudioCanal edition, let them know and they'll probably refund you. As far as quality, the Criterion edition appears to have a better picture and arguably... Read more
Jul 12, 2011 by Quexos |  See all 2 posts
Is "The Third Man" Studio Canal Collection Blu-ray in COLOR?
it is not colorized
Format: Closed-captioned, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Black & White
Sep 19, 2010 by nichtkomisch |  See all 3 posts
The Third Man Blu-ray Case
Criterion caught on that people hated the cardboard Digipak cases so they started releasing new titles in the plastic cases around April 2009. Older titles continue to ship in the paper cases (except The Third Man, briefly).

In the case of The Third Man, they started replacing the paper cases... Read more
Nov 12, 2009 by James Goss |  See all 4 posts
going out of print
thats why i just bought mine
Oct 28, 2009 by J. Fanning |  See all 5 posts
blu-ray edition coming
This forum IS for the BD edition.
Dec 15, 2008 by BubbaCoop |  See all 3 posts
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