Review for The Third Man: StudioCanal Collection

Following hot on the heels of an already excellent release of this film a couple of years ago, StudioCanal have done the decent thing and created the first 4K restoration of the unarguable cinematic classic, ‘The Third Man’.


The sensible thing to do to really appreciate the hard work that’s gone into this restoration would be to watch it at the cinema. If you didn’t catch it there then the next most obvious thing to do would be to get hold of the Blu-Ray. Sadly I was sent a DVD check disc so I can only base my assessment on that. In shortcut (and presuming you know and own the film already) I have to say it looks about as good a transfer of a monochrome film to the format I’ve ever seen. Sharp detail, very little wear and tear and, perhaps most impressive given the film noirish cinematography (Robert Krasker )the deep blacks and perfect contrast. In short, bloody brilliant – and that’s just the DVD. Once the price drops I’ll definitely upgrade to Blu-Ray.


It’s also worth noting, before I get to the film itself, that this is also the most feature-rich edition out there – including the US Criterion release.
Released to celebrate the centenary of its most enigmatic actor, Orson Wells as the enigmatic Harry Lime, ‘The Third Man’ has enjoyed top-five status in most polls of the best films ever made, and perhaps deservedly so. However, Wells was merely an actor in the piece. The real visionary for the film (other than Graham Greene who penned the book on which it was based) is without doubt its director, Carol Reed. Watching it again (perhaps for the tenth time) it’s easy to see why it’s now considered a classic.


It’s one of those rare films where everything works – the screenplay, the cast, the locations, the breath-taking cinematography, the dramatic direction, and the music of course. How amusing to think that when it was previewed to its backers, one of the producers was heard to exclaim that it will be much better when you get rid of the silly music. That ‘silly music’ has become one of the most instantly recognisable movie themes of all time, perfectly evoking the atmosphere of the film.


Released immediately after the war in 1949, the film’s seamless mix of location filming in the war strewn rubble and faded grandeur of Vienna and studio shots created some of the most iconic moments in film history, including the incredible conclusion in the city’s sewers, the meeting aboard the all but abandoned Ferris wheel and the sprawling city cemetery.


The city was divided into four sectors by the Allies and this is played out brilliantly in the film which shows Vienna as a surreal mix of no-go zone and access all areas (as long as you’re the enigmatic Harry Lime!).
Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), an American hack-writer (who pens pulp westerns to pay the bills) has come to Vienna on the invite of his childhood friend, one Harry Lime. But when he arrives he learns that his friend has been killed by a car whilst crossing the street. Anna (Alida Valli), Lime’s lover is struck with grief but is somewhat consoled by the arrival of his old friend.


In the meantime, Calloway (Trevor Howard), a British investigating officer is suggesting that Lime was nothing but a crook so Martin’s accepts an offer from a local ‘book club’ to clear his friend’s good name. As he starts to look into Lime’s last hours it becomes clear that an unidentified ‘third man’ was also seen at the scene of the accident but has never been identified. If Martin’s could only track him down he might have the witness he needs to the deep mystery surrounding Lime’s death.



The resulting film is certainly steeped in film noir tradition but it remains utterly unique too. It was apparently Reed’s own masterstroke to include the (then unknown) Anton Karas zither score (with the Harry Lime theme) which has helped define the film over the years.


Apart from the excellent copy of the film itself, this two DVD set comes with some great extras, some new to this release.

There are two original trailers, a stills gallery and an interview with Cornelia Mayer, a professional zither player, who also gives a live street performance in this five minute piece which is impressive enough but somehow not quite as convincing as Karas’s original.


Also included are an excellent an informative commentary with Guy Hamilton, Simon Callow and Angela Allen. There’s a nice short entitled ‘The Third Man – A Filmmaker’s Influence’ which reviews the film’s huge impact. There’s a restoration feature, perfect for film anoraks, and an audio only interview with Joseph Cotton, and another with Graham Greene. Also included is Joseph Cotton’s original alternative voice-over commentary which was cut from the original theatrical release.


On the second disc there’s an excellent documentary in contemporary Vienna called ‘Shadowing The Third Man’ which shows how little changed much of its landscape is. ‘Dangerous Edge’ is a documentary about writer Graham Greene and the feature are rounded off with a sample of ‘The Third Man’ on the radio where it ran as a popular show from some years after the release of the film. Indeed, there was even a TV show spin-off I believe though sadly no samples of that included here.


The set ships with a booklet which is penned by Charles Drazin so should be worth a read, although it wasn’t included with my check disc.
A great release and if you don’t yet own ‘The Third Man’ this (or even better, the Blu-Ray) is the best version to get.