#246. The Third Man (1949) - Spotlight on England

Directed By: Carol Reed

Starring: Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard, Alida Valli, Orson Welles



Tag line: "You've never met anyone like him!"

Trivia:  The film's infamous "Cuckoo Clock" speech wasn't in the script; it was allegedly written by co-star, Orson Welles

Poor Holly Martins. 

That's the one sentiment that hits me hardest whenever I watch Carol Reed's classic 1949 thriller, The Third Man. Played wonderfully by Joseph Cotten, Holly Martins is alone in a foreign country with nowhere to turn for help. Yet, despite his disadvantage, he always tries his damnedest to do the right thing. 

Unfortunately for Holly, the 'right thing' usually blows up in his face. 

It's just after WWII, and Martins has traveled to war-torn Vienna to meet with his old college friend, Harry Lime, who has written to Holly saying he might have a job waiting for him. 

But Holly's excitement at the prospect of finding employment quickly turns to sorrow when he learns that Lime was killed in a traffic accident several days earlier, and has only just been taken to the cemetery for burial. 

Holly arrives at the cemetery as the funeral is winding down, and there meets Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) of the international police force. Calloway informs him that his deceased friend, Harry Lime, had been a key figure in the Viennese Black Market, specializing in the sale of stolen medications. 

Holly refuses to believe Calloway, and decides to remain in Vienna in the hopes of restoring Harry's good name. He meets with many of his pal's known associates, including Lime's girlfriend, Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli), in an effort to prove Calloway was after the wrong man. 

But despite being frustrated at every turn, Holly does manage to make one very startling discovery...

The Third Man is an elusive thriller; the various characters Holly Martins comes across during his investigation spend much of their time cowering in dark shadows, and the truth he so desperately searches for only stubbornly reveals itself, and in very small doses. Holly Martins is our guide through The Third Man, even if his chances of figuring out what's going on aren't particularly good. 

Like Holly, we the audience must sift through copious amounts of misinformation to uncover even the slightest glimmer of truth. Holly does eventually learn enough to cast some doubt on the integrity of his friend, Harry Lime, and as a result turns his attention away from salvaging Harry's good name to instead help Anna, who has run into some trouble of her own with the Russian wing of the International Police. Even here, Holly can't catch a break; after putting his reputation on the line to protect Anna, she can't even remember his name (she is constantly calling him “Harry”). 

Yet through it all, Holly Martins can at least take comfort in the fact that he remained an honest man, an island of truth adrift in the sea of deceit that was post-war Vienna. 

Yes, Holly Martins always did what was right, even after he realized doing so would never work to his advantage. 

Poor Holly. He was living proof that nice guys do, indeed, finish last. 

Well, at least that's how it was in Vienna.