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The Third Man[Widescreen B&W Special] - Blu-ray Disc

SKU: 9083458 | Release Date: 12/16/2008

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Format: Blu-ray Disc
Theatrical Release: 1949
Length: 104 minutes
Screen Formats: Black & White
Genre: Thrillers
Studio: Criterion
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Other Formats: DVD (Fullscreen B&W) - $32.99

Synopsis

In this Cold War spy classic, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a third-rate American pulp novelist, arrives in postwar Vienna, where he has been promised a job by his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Upon his arrival, Martins discovers that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident, and that his funeral is taking place immediately. At the graveside, Martins meets outwardly affable Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) and actress Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), who is weeping copiously. When Calloway tells Martins that the late Harry Lime was a thief and murderer, the loyal Martins is at first outraged. Gradually, he discovers not only that Calloway was right but also that the man lying in the coffin in the film's early scenes was not Harry Lime at all--and that Lime is still very much alive (he was the mysterious "third man" at the scene of the fatal accident). Thus the stage is set for the movie's famous climactic confrontation in the sewers of Vienna--and the even more famous final shot, in which Martins pays emotionally for doing "the right thing." Written by Graham Greene, The Third Man is an essential classic, made even more so by the insistent zither music of Anton Karas. The film is currently available in both an American and British release version; the American print, with an introduction by Joseph Cotten, is slightly shorter than the British version, which is narrated by director Carol Reed. Nominated for several Academy Awards, The Third Man won Best Cinematography for Robert Krasker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Version Details

Sound

monaural

Screen Formats

Black & White

Additional Features

Restored high-definition digital transfer with uncompressed mono soundtrack Video introduction by writer-director Peter Bogdanovich Two audio commentaries: one by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and director Tony Gilroy and the other by film scholar Dana Polan Abridged recording of Graham Greene's treatment, read by actor Richard Clark Shadowing "The Third Man" (2005), a ninety-minute documentary on the making of the film "Graham Greene: The Hunted Man", an hour-long 1968 episode of the BBC's Omnibus series featuring a rare interview with the novelist Who Was the Third Man? (2000), a thirty-minute Austrian documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew The Third Man on the Radio: the 1951 "A Ticket to Tangiers" episode of the series The Lives of Harry Lime, written and performed by Orson Welles, and the 1951 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of The Third Man Illustrated production history with rare behind-the-scenes photos, original UK press book, and U.S. trailer Actor Joseph Cotten's alternate opening voice-over narration for the U.S. version Archival footage of postwar Vienna A look at the untranslated foreign dialogue in the film Plus: a booklet featuring an essay by critic Luc Sante

Cast

Nelly Arno - Kurtz's Mother
Leo Bieber - Barman at Casanova
Siegfried Breuer - Popescu
Martin Boddey - Man
Hedwig Bleibtreu - Anna's "Old Woman"
Alexis Chesnakov - Brodsky
Bernard Lee - Sgt. Paine
Martin Miller
Erich Ponto - Dr. Winkel
Eric Pohlmann
Annie Rosar - Porter's wife
Paul L. Smith - MP
Orson Welles - Harry Lime
Joseph Cotten - Holly Martins
Ernst Deutsch - Baron Kurtz
Alida Valli - Anna Schmidt
Jenny Werner - Winkel's Maid
Thomas Gallagher
Paul Hardtmuth - Hall porter
Herbeil Halbik - Hansel
Trevor Howard - Maj. Calloway
Paul Hoerbiger - Porter
Wilfrid Hyde-White - Crabbin
Geoffrey Keen - British Policeman

Crew

Production Designer: John Hawkesworth
Set Designer: John Hawkesworth
First Assistant Director: Guy Hamilton
Editor: Oswald Hafenrichter
Composer (Music Score): Anton Karas
Cinematographer: Robert Krasker
Producer: Alexander Korda
Production Designer: Vincent Korda
Costume Designer: Ivy Baker
Set Designer: Dario Simoni
Director: Carol Reed
Producer: Carol Reed
Associate Producer: Hugh Perceval
Producer: David O. Selznick
Production Designer: Joseph Bato
Camera Operator: Denys Coop
Screenwriter: Graham Greene
Makeup: George Frost
Book Author: Graham Greene
Screen Story: Graham Greene

The Third Man: AMG Review
Bruce Eder , AMG

Carol Reed's The Third Man is one of the odder successes among international films of the late 1940s: at a time when movies were supposedly getting dulled-down, in keeping with audience sensibilities, here was a quirky movie from England, with Hitchcock-like touches and an odd sense of humor, that manages to be grim, topical, and wryly witty, while retaining, even augmenting, a good bit of author Graham Greene's sensibility. For all the film's virtues, its making was a tale of compromises turned into inspiration. Producer Alexander Korda wanted No�l Coward to play the mysterious Harry Lime, but, once Orson Welles was cast in the part, the movie became a testament to his presence and impact; he's only on screen for about a quarter of the movie, but he's the actor that everyone remembers. In fact, Welles was off shooting another movie, reporting to The Third Man only late in the shooting, and he was doubled for many scenes: that was Carol Reed's assistant, future Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton, in the black trench coat running down Vienna's darkened streets, and those were director Reed's fingers reaching through the sewer grating at the chase's end. Recasting Joseph Cotten's Holly Martins as an American in turn allowed Greene to bring to the screen for the first time his antipathy toward Americans and their bright-eyed, bushy-tailed innocence in approaching the world's problems, a theme that would manifest itself even more directly in relation to Vietnam in The Quiet American. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

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The Third Man[Widescreen B&W Special] - Blu-ray Disc

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The Third Man[Widescreen B&W Special] - Blu-ray Disc

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Synopsis

Version Details

Cast

Crew

Related Movies

Order Support

Legal

Product Support

Credit Cards

Reward Zone® Program

Get Connected

Corporate Info

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Need help? We're available 24/7 at 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289)