New "Oscars" were handed over two nights ago. The reaction that is almost certain is the multitude of furious rants by film lovers who can't forgive the Academy for favouring Shakespeare in Love, "crowd-pleasing" romantic comedy over "true art" in Spielberg's WWII epic Saving Private Ryan. Of course, this is nothing new and the debate between those who judge films solely as "art" and those who judge them as "popular entertainment" has been waged for decades. This distinction could also be seen in a different perspectives of film critics and average audience when they judge films made in certain time periods. Nice example is the question "What is the best film made in 1940s?" Average movie goer would quickly answer with a single word: Casablanca. Average critic would offer at least two other titles. One of them is The Third Man, 1949 thriller by British director Carol Reed - film that could be perfect companion piece to Casablanca.
Same as Michael Curtiz's celebrated melodrama, The Third Man cleverly uses relatively obscure and now almost forgotten details of that time period in Europe. The setting is post-WW2 Vienna, picturesque capital of ancient and mighty Austrian Empire. The empire is long gone and Austria reduced to small country, carved up into occupation zones by victorious Allies. The population of the bombed out capital is enduring unimaginable economic hardships and many of once proud citizens are forced to earn for a living through the thriving black market. To this city comes Holly Martins (played by Joseph Cotton), American writer of cheap pulp westerns, who has been invited to the city by his old college friend Harry Lime. Martins is alcoholic and broke, and writing about Lime's medical charity operation could help him to start his career all over again. However, soon upon the arrival, he is greeted with the shocking news of Lime's death in automobile accident. To make things even more puzzling, British Major Calloway (played by Trevor Howard) tells him that Harry Lime happened to be one of the worst black market racketeers in town. Disbelieving and against Calloway's wishes, Holly decides to stay in Vienna and try to clear his friend's name. In the process he meets Anna Schmidt (played by Allida Valli), actress and Harry's mistress. Soon, details about Harry's illegal activities with fake penicillin emerge, as well as contradictory details about his death. Martins becomes convinced that his friend was murdered, but the real truth is even more shocking.
Comparisons between Casablanca and The Third Man are simply unavoidable. They both have World War 2 in the background, complex characters with various motivations and not so clear moral alignment. They both have protagonist who is torn between conflicting loyalties, self-interest and desire to do the right thing. However, under that superficial similarity lies clear distinction and the very reason why the public prefers the former, and the critics the latter. Casablanca, despite being excellent film, is nothing more than a piece of WW2 propaganda wrapped into crowd-pleasing melodrama. The Third Man, on the other hand, is made four years after the war ended. Its author, Carol Reed, spent the war covering it as documentary film-maker in British military, and seen enough things to know that the world can't be divided into two worlds of Black and White. The characters in his film, thanks to screenwriter Graham Greene, are set in the different shades of Grey. The film reveals the real results of the noble and epic struggle heroes of Casablanca engaged in. Europe, instead of enjoying freedom and democracy, is impoverished, demolished, occupied and humiliated. War time alliances are breaking apart in the eve of Cold War and noble ideals are replaced with pragmatic policies.
In such gloomy and nihilistic world, there aren't any place for old-fashioned heroes. Holly Martins is the last of them, still believing in things like friendship and doing the right thing. Unfortunately, this simplistic division of people into good guys and bad guys, that came straight out of his pulp westerns, would bring him nothing but misery. Joseph Cotton was excellent in this role. Another character that still clings to something like moral code is Anna Schmidt (played by Italian actress Allida Valli, great diva of 1940s), but her character is already damaged with the unimaginable horrors and moral disasters she had endured through the war years. Her devotion to the deceased lover, involved in outrageous racket with faulty medicine, is the attempt to hang onto something solid in the world with the lost foundations. Even the representatives of law and order, who are supposed to be the good guys, are people without scruples. Calloway shows no signs of sympathy towards Martins or Anna - for him they are simply means to the end. It was an excellent idea to have Bernard Lee (later best known as M in the James Bond series) cast as his trusted sergeant and some kind of comic relief.
However, the pearl that shines most brightely among the actors in this film is Orson Welles. He plays the worst villain of them all, yet the viewer, same as poor Anna, can't escape his captivating evil charisma. Welles' appearances in film are relatively brief, but they are the most memorable - whether it is his effective entrance in the last third of he movie, the final confrontation in Vienna sewers or the great dialogue at the Ferris Wheel. The latter scene is most remembered by Welles' immortal words about Switzerland and Renaissance Italy. Welles simply chews the screen and it shouldn't surprise anyone, since he actually wrote all his lines and practically directed those scenes.
Among other things that distinguishes this film from the others is the atmosphere. Carol Reed employed all his talent to picture despair, cynicism and nihilism through visual means. Many scenes are filmed from unusual angles, which is metaphor for the twisted moral perspectives of the movie protagonists. The locations of post-war Vienna were also perfect -they possess strong contrast between glorious past, represented in old imperial architecture, and gloomy present, represented through bombed out ruins. This contrast serves as metaphor for distinction between nice fa‡ade and ugly reality (another good example is the scene where gangster Popescu makes threat to Martins in the form of literary criticism). The streets of Vienna, especially in the night, seems like a scenery more appropriate for horror than for thriller, but Reed amends that by employing zither music by Anton Karas. The lighthearted music (especially the title theme that later became unofficial Viennese anthem) is in another deep contrast with anything but cheerful events of the film, and it also serve as ironic commentary. Finally, Reed ends film with the one of the longest but most powerful shots in the history of cinema.
The Third Man was the film in many ways before its time. The quantity of cynicism, misanthropy and nihilism seemed more suitable for some future time periods, including our own. Luckily, we haven't been exposed to the remake yet (if we don't count dreadful 1997 Croatian version called Treća žena). Until that happens we can enjoy The Third Man as true, unhindered masterpiece and the ultimate film noir of all times.
RATING: 10/10 (+++++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on March 24st 1999)
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