The Third Man (1949)
Back in the day, “The Third Man” was extremely popular. Zither album music was bought by the barrel, and everyone loved tapping their toes to the catchy tune. It is catchy, and had it been used to orchestrate a sweet romantic comedy of errors set in the Swiss Alps, it would have been perfect. However, The Third Man is a mysterious drama about a man trying to solve his friend’s murder. It happens to be set in Vienna, but there’s nothing humorous about the story or the screenplay. It’s practically a Hitchcock, especially because of the slow progression of the plot. The upbeat zither tune is just out of place.
Carol Reed’s direction is also out of place and extremely distracting. In every single scene, he randomly inserts a canted angle, edited into normally framed shots and shots tilted in the opposite direction. In film school, I was taught that filmmakers’ jobs are to make the audience believe they’re actually watching reality, not to remind them of the camera, microphone, and lights. It’s impossible to believe you’re watching reality when the screen keeps tilting back and forth. Reed’s choices are so random and nearly nauseating (I mean literally, not insultingly), the only way I could make it through the movie was to create an alternate scenario in my head: To me, Reed’s budget was so small, he couldn’t afford to waste time watching the dailies. Unbeknownst to him, a crew member accidentally kept kicking the camera’s tripod every other take. When Reed finally watched the footage, he was devastated! Out of money, there was nothing for him to do but put it all together and hope the audience didn’t get motion sickness.
The good part of the movie comes in the last half hour. The slowness of the plot finally picks up, and the surprises finally appear. Joseph Cotten works tirelessly against both the Viennese villains and the uncooperative police, led by Trevor Howard, and starts falling in love with his dead pal’s girlfriend, Valli. There’s a surprise appearance by a very well known actor, and when he shows up, it’s a delightful entrance scene. If you don’t mind severe canted angles, music that doesn’t fit, and a very slow beginning, you can rent this movie. It is a classic.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie will not be your friend. There are canted angles in every single scene, so unless you just want to listen to the dialogue or watch the picture on a very small screen, it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Joseph Cotten movies here!
Carol Reed’s direction is also out of place and extremely distracting. In every single scene, he randomly inserts a canted angle, edited into normally framed shots and shots tilted in the opposite direction. In film school, I was taught that filmmakers’ jobs are to make the audience believe they’re actually watching reality, not to remind them of the camera, microphone, and lights. It’s impossible to believe you’re watching reality when the screen keeps tilting back and forth. Reed’s choices are so random and nearly nauseating (I mean literally, not insultingly), the only way I could make it through the movie was to create an alternate scenario in my head: To me, Reed’s budget was so small, he couldn’t afford to waste time watching the dailies. Unbeknownst to him, a crew member accidentally kept kicking the camera’s tripod every other take. When Reed finally watched the footage, he was devastated! Out of money, there was nothing for him to do but put it all together and hope the audience didn’t get motion sickness.
The good part of the movie comes in the last half hour. The slowness of the plot finally picks up, and the surprises finally appear. Joseph Cotten works tirelessly against both the Viennese villains and the uncooperative police, led by Trevor Howard, and starts falling in love with his dead pal’s girlfriend, Valli. There’s a surprise appearance by a very well known actor, and when he shows up, it’s a delightful entrance scene. If you don’t mind severe canted angles, music that doesn’t fit, and a very slow beginning, you can rent this movie. It is a classic.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie will not be your friend. There are canted angles in every single scene, so unless you just want to listen to the dialogue or watch the picture on a very small screen, it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Classic Movies Kristine Rose" for posting!
More Joseph Cotten movies here!