In Search of the Third Man

The Third Man remains unsurpassed as a masterpiece of British cinema. Whether it is Harry Lime's magical, first appearance, or the climatic chase though the sewers beneath Vienna, or the haunting theme music, the film contains some of the most memorable moments in movie history.

Sixty six years after its opening in 1949 The Third Man remains unsurpassed as a masterpiece of British cinema. Whether it is Harry Lime's magical first appearance, or the celebrated cuckoo clock speech, or the climactic chase through the sewers beneath Vienna, or the haunting theme music of Anton Karas, the film contains some of the most memorable moments in movie history.
Bringing together such strong and disparate personalities as Graham Greene, Carol Reed, Orson Welles, David Selznick and Sir Alexander Korda, the film was an example of a group endeavour that depended as much on chance as design. At times the planning and making seemed more like a battle than a collaboration. And although the circumstances of its making were dramatic and eventful, until now that story has never been fully told. Drawing on both contemporary documents and accounts of the people involved, Charles Drazin will explore the many myths that over the years have grown around this extraordinary piece of cinema, and seeks to unravel the facts from the fiction.
This is the story not only of a film, but of a pivotal moment in 20th-century history. Capturing with documentary precision the look and feel of a war-torn Vienna, The Third Man mirrored all the uncertainties and confusions of its time and anticipated the mood of the post-war age.

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