The Third Man │ StudioCanal
by JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
I think it’s fair to say that if you poll any film critic or historian and asked them what were the five most notable films to have come out of this country last century, they would count Brief Encounter, A Matter of Life and Death, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Lawrence of Arabia and The Third Man. As such then, it is always a welcome opportunity to return to any one of the gilded quintet, particularly if they have been painstakingly restored to their former glory, as well as top-loaded with reams of informative and educational bonus material, of which the extras here are an embarrassment of riches. In short, released to celebrate the film’s 75th anniversary as part of StudioCanal’s Vintage Classics Collection, this 4K UHD package is a gift to film buffs: the picture quality is so sharp you can actually see the skin pores of the actors.
Ask any film buff what is memorable to them about The Third Man and they will probably come up with a different answer: Graham Greene’s sharp, complex screenplay, the stunning location work of a post-war Vienna in ruins, the shadowy, Expressionistic black-and-white cinematography of Robert Krasker, the intelligent, wily direction of Carol Reed, the charismatic supporting turn from Orson Welles as Harry Lime, the chase in the city’s sewers, the overarching atmosphere of a largely deserted metropolis, the memorable one-liners or perhaps the indelible theme tune delivered on zither by Anton Karas. Take your pick. And of course each time you re-visit a classic feature film, there’s always more for you to discover. I’d forgotten how good Trevor Howard was in the supporting role of the military police office, Major Calloway. The film’s historical importance is key, too, showing Vienna divided up between the Americans, English, French and Russians, as it really was in 1949, a city equally split between its former architectural glory and the mountains of rubble everywhere.
Joseph Cotton stars as Holly Martins, a pulp novelist of Western penny dreadfuls with a certain popularity who visits Vienna to meet up with his childhood friend Harry Lime (who has offered him a job). However, Martins has barely stepped into the city when he is told that Lime has been killed in a traffic accident and, while attending the funeral, he meets the mysterious actress Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), who was Lime’s love interest. Asked to give a lecture about literary form by Wilfrid Hyde White, Martins is provided with free hotel accommodation and gradually realises that the facts surrounding Lime’s death don’t actually add up – and that there was a third man at the scene of his death…
Look it up on Wikipedia, and you can read that in 1999 the British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of all time, while in 2011, a poll for Time Out ranked it the second-best British film ever – after Don’t Look Now. And the extras here are outstanding, with contributions from assistant director Guy Hamilton, Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, Carol Reed and Graham Greene, along with some startling audio commentary. Its bounty speaks for itself.
STUDIOCANAL’s release of The Third Man is now available on Blu-ray and in 4K
STUDIOCANAL is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and series, operating in all nine major European markets - France, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Spain, Denmark and Benelux - as well as in Australia and New Zealand. It owns the largest library in Europe and one of the most prestigious film libraries in the world, boasting more than 8,000 titles from 60 countries, which span 100 years of film history. 20 million euros has been invested into the restoration of 750 classic films over the past 5 years. Known for releasing a stunning roster of incomparable vintage classics titles, StudioCanal’s releases include outstanding thrillers, heart-rending masterworks, horror favourites, war dramas, Ealing comedies, and plenty of lesser-known gems. The collection boasts some of the greatest and beloved stars of British cinema.