The Third Man (1949) (Spencer's Take on it)

Ah yes. The Third Man. I'd seen this film once before (and loved it then), but I felt I had much more of an appreciation of it this time. I've been trying to take a more analytical approach to film, critiquing and pulling out what I can so that when I create films I know what to do and not to do.

First and foremost I want to address the story. This film is quintessential film noir, and is a great murder mystery. For those of you who don't know, the story revolves around Holly Martins (played by Joseph Cotten) who came to Vienna to visit his friend Harry, who ends up being dead when he gets there. The death becomes more suspicious when we learn that there was an additional man (the third) at the scene of the crime that the police did not know of. I'll leave it at that, but just know that this film features one of the greatest character introductions in cinematic history. I got goose bumps seeing it again.

One of the other great things about this film is the soundtrack, the majority of which is played on a zither. This creates a peppy, but altogether haunting score to accompany the film. I love this music.

As far as the visual look of this film, I think I have a better handle on it then my previous viewing. We've been reviewing the visual elements in our Intermediate Production class (TMA 285) over and over, with Jeff trying to engrain them into our brains. Well it's working. I can't help but look at a composition and think of how it uses space and line to create contrast with the shot that follows. Let me just say that this film is absolutely gorgeous. It is an excellent example of how black and white can be just as good (if not better) than a lot of newer color films. The compositions themselves feature a lot of canted angles during the conversations. A canted angle is one in which the camera is tilted so that the horizon line is at an angle instead of horizontal. He uses these angles to create eye lines that zig back and forth creating a stark contrast with each cut. This film also features a lot of wide establishing shots which are set up in such a way to create these deep spaces in which the chases take place. The chases in this film are shot really well and edited in such a pace that it's easy to get worked up as you see Joseph Cotten's character chasing the third man's shadow down an alley.

I could talk about this film for quite some time, going over all the careful details that make this film so good, but I won't. I'll just leave you with the recommendation that this film is amazing. I give this classic 4 out of 4 stars.