The Third Man
The Third Man
post ww 2 vienna....a murder....joseph cotten playin a cowboy pulp fiction writer turned detective....an amazing cast of intriguing characters ...one of the best sountracks ever and a surprise performance by Orson Welles in his prime are all ingredients to make this a genuine masterpiece.....don't hesitate get it.....wired
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Zlatko Waterman
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Dear WIREMAN:
I couldn't agree more on "The Third Man", a great classic film.
"The Fallen Idol", which Carol Reed made about the same time, is a subtle and twisting drama about a boy and his idol, the family butler, brilliantly played by Ralph Richardson.
The reviews on this site call it somewhat disappointing, muted and low-keyed, but I found its subtlety appealing, and the images and camera work fascinating.
( link)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040338/
Also wonderful is "Outcast of the Islands", also by Carol Reed, based on the Joseph Conrad story, with Trevor Howard in the South Seas, a white man in love with a polynesian woman, and his rejection, first by her tribe, then by the English. Brilliant.
(link)
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/c_ ... y/022.html
Unfortunately not available at this time on VHS or DVD. One of Reed's finest.
--Zlatko
I couldn't agree more on "The Third Man", a great classic film.
"The Fallen Idol", which Carol Reed made about the same time, is a subtle and twisting drama about a boy and his idol, the family butler, brilliantly played by Ralph Richardson.
The reviews on this site call it somewhat disappointing, muted and low-keyed, but I found its subtlety appealing, and the images and camera work fascinating.
( link)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040338/
Also wonderful is "Outcast of the Islands", also by Carol Reed, based on the Joseph Conrad story, with Trevor Howard in the South Seas, a white man in love with a polynesian woman, and his rejection, first by her tribe, then by the English. Brilliant.
(link)
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/c_ ... y/022.html
Unfortunately not available at this time on VHS or DVD. One of Reed's finest.
--Zlatko
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Doreen Peri
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This is one of approx. 276 film and tv reviews (mostyly film reviews) by Ben Burgraff to be published on Studio Eight in the Film section ( http://www.studioeight.tv/tvvideo.html )
RE: BBC TV adaptation of the film
"The Third Man" (1959) - Review by Ben Burgraff
http://www.studioeight.tv/artists/benbu ... rtben.html
20 January 2004
"The Third Man", at first glance, would seem an odd choice of movie to adapt into a television series. The Carol Reed-directed 1949 thriller, was, after all, about a notorious criminal, Harry Lime, and his plot to convince Interpol and the Vienna police that he was dead, to allow him to continue his corrupt activities. A film rich in atmosphere, with an unforgettable sewer chase finale, and a haunting, yet lilting zither theme, it seemed to offer little to hinge a television program on.
But the BBC was enjoying a 'rebirth' in the 1950s, aided by a large input of American money from the use of British studios and production companies (for tax purposes, many American studios utilized British facilities, throughout the decade), and as the British studios became stronger, the quality of the television product being offered to the BBC improved, as well. "The Third Man" was actually an ideal candidate for television, as it had been a world-wide success, and, as it had offered American actors Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton in the leads, a series based on the film opened a door to a potential American market that few other British film titles could match.
Of course, Welles and Cotton would never agree to star in a weekly series, but in the retooled format of "The Third Man" (involving the international 'Robin Hood'-like escapades of a wealthy 'art dealer' with an obligation to Interpol, and his associate/friend), the BBC was able to utilize the services of Michael Rennie as a 'kinder and gentler' Harry Lime. Rennie was very familiar to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, having starred as 'Klaatu' in the classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, as well as the Christian leader, Simon Peter, in THE ROBE. His Harry Lime possessed a wry sense of humor, a strong code of honor, and a naughty habit of 'tweaking' law enforcement noses while pulling off his capers (qualities that would be 'inherited' by Simon Templar when "The Saint" became a weekly series, in 1962).
The true pleasure of the "The Third Man", however, was watching Lime's loyal, if somewhat cowardly assistant, Bradford Webster, portrayed to perfection by Jonathan Harris. Webster had the aplomb of a Clifton Webb, but the ineptitude of Nigel Bruce's 'Dr. Watson', and Harris was so endearing in the role that he recreated virtually the same character as 'Dr. Zachary Smith' in "Lost in Space", which debuted shortly after "The Third Man" completed production. Rennie and Harris had a warm, wonderful chemistry together, and made each episode a delight.
As with nearly all of the 'international' shows of the 50s and 60s ("I Spy" was the only exception), the episodes were shot in the studio or on the back lot, with set 'dressing' and costumes creating the exotic flavor of the 'foreign' locales. While this tends to make the episodes appear 'low budget', today, to the audiences of the time, it was all wonderful escapism. And that theme song is ageless!
If "The Third Man" reappears on a 'nostalgia' channel, check it out...it is really a very entertaining series!
RE: BBC TV adaptation of the film
"The Third Man" (1959) - Review by Ben Burgraff
http://www.studioeight.tv/artists/benbu ... rtben.html
20 January 2004
"The Third Man", at first glance, would seem an odd choice of movie to adapt into a television series. The Carol Reed-directed 1949 thriller, was, after all, about a notorious criminal, Harry Lime, and his plot to convince Interpol and the Vienna police that he was dead, to allow him to continue his corrupt activities. A film rich in atmosphere, with an unforgettable sewer chase finale, and a haunting, yet lilting zither theme, it seemed to offer little to hinge a television program on.
But the BBC was enjoying a 'rebirth' in the 1950s, aided by a large input of American money from the use of British studios and production companies (for tax purposes, many American studios utilized British facilities, throughout the decade), and as the British studios became stronger, the quality of the television product being offered to the BBC improved, as well. "The Third Man" was actually an ideal candidate for television, as it had been a world-wide success, and, as it had offered American actors Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton in the leads, a series based on the film opened a door to a potential American market that few other British film titles could match.
Of course, Welles and Cotton would never agree to star in a weekly series, but in the retooled format of "The Third Man" (involving the international 'Robin Hood'-like escapades of a wealthy 'art dealer' with an obligation to Interpol, and his associate/friend), the BBC was able to utilize the services of Michael Rennie as a 'kinder and gentler' Harry Lime. Rennie was very familiar to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, having starred as 'Klaatu' in the classic THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, as well as the Christian leader, Simon Peter, in THE ROBE. His Harry Lime possessed a wry sense of humor, a strong code of honor, and a naughty habit of 'tweaking' law enforcement noses while pulling off his capers (qualities that would be 'inherited' by Simon Templar when "The Saint" became a weekly series, in 1962).
The true pleasure of the "The Third Man", however, was watching Lime's loyal, if somewhat cowardly assistant, Bradford Webster, portrayed to perfection by Jonathan Harris. Webster had the aplomb of a Clifton Webb, but the ineptitude of Nigel Bruce's 'Dr. Watson', and Harris was so endearing in the role that he recreated virtually the same character as 'Dr. Zachary Smith' in "Lost in Space", which debuted shortly after "The Third Man" completed production. Rennie and Harris had a warm, wonderful chemistry together, and made each episode a delight.
As with nearly all of the 'international' shows of the 50s and 60s ("I Spy" was the only exception), the episodes were shot in the studio or on the back lot, with set 'dressing' and costumes creating the exotic flavor of the 'foreign' locales. While this tends to make the episodes appear 'low budget', today, to the audiences of the time, it was all wonderful escapism. And that theme song is ageless!
If "The Third Man" reappears on a 'nostalgia' channel, check it out...it is really a very entertaining series!
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panta rhei
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