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Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Third Man (1949)



The Third Man is one of the best film noir thrillers out there. It's one of Joseph Cotten's best films and it's my favorite from Orson Welles. I'm all about Welles' cuckoo clock scene! Forget about Citizen Kane (1949), The Third Man is where it's at! It's full of suspense and awesomeness.


The Third Man is about an unemployed pulp novelist, Holly Martins. He decides to travel to post-World War II Vienna in order to visit an old friend, Harry, who has offered him a new job. Upon his arrival, he learns that Harry has died in an accident. However, something about the death seems extremely fishy. He decides to talk to some of Harry's associates, only to find that none of the stories are consistent with each other. Holly realizes that if he wants to uncover the truth about his friend's death, then he's going to have to do quite a bit of investigating on his own.


I don't know how anyone could watch The Third Man and find it to be boring. The story is interesting and Joseph Cotten gives a brilliant performance as Holly Martins. I love following Holly's story and how his investigations unravel the truth of his friend throughout the film. The black-and-white world being exhibited in this film is gloomy, dark and fantastic due to the different angles, as well as the use of both light and shadows. This film is sensational.

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