The Third Man [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray] [1949]

Film buffs have a reason to celebrate. Carol Reed's "THE THIRD MAN," perhaps the most highly-regarded film in world cinema is now available in a jaw-dropping Blu-ray transfer. This wondrous movie has never looked better and it is hard to imagine anything more that could possible be done to improve the image quality. It looks like a first viewing directly from the lab. I doubt Carol Reed ever saw it in such a pristine condition! The blacks are velvety and the grays and whites shimmer with a silvery sheen. And the retro mono sound is sharp. This ultimate edition deserves a special place in the digital library. The plot is minimal. American pulp novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) travels to post WW II Vienna to see his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But instead ends up investigating the apparent death of the black market operator in a city of fractured, shadowy loyalties. It is a tale that, on the surface, is about love, deception and murder. The dark trinity of great noir mysteries. But it is not so much the plot that makes this remarkable film so highly-regarded but rather the extraordinary sense of time and place. Graham Greene's acerbic dialogue seduces and cuts. There's the brilliant black and white photography by Robert Krasker -- often slight askew and reminiscent of German expressionism. Perhaps most memorable of all is the audacious zither score by Anton Karas. It perfectly frames the mood and atmosphere of this unforgettable film that somehow burns itself into one's own experience. If the story is secondary, what is this film really "about"? Perhaps it is about being lost in a fractured landscape where old ideals and values have evaporated. Where meaning is ephemeral. It is a post-modern amorality tale awash in the frisson of deception and cynicism of our time. But whatever the metaphor, it is a hypnotically compelling film that is much greater than the sum of it's masterful parts. Unquestionably a great film as well as art. A rare achievement indeed. This hi-def disc is a transfer of the previous, restored, two-disc edition. The watchable bonus material –- great documentaries and archival material -- is generous (see product description). I especially enjoyed the enthusiastic and insightful commentary by Steven Soderbergh and Tony Gilroy. Film scholar Dana Polan provides a second remarkably detailed commentary. This Blu-ray upgrade is one for the digital library.