Customer Reviews
What's on Disc 2? - By: Christian Steiner, 08 Sep 2008 
Does anybody know what is on Disc 2? I suspect there might be some extras & I am hoping one of which is the documentary Shadowing the Third Man, but would like to know for sure before I buy it. Shame that Amazon is sometimes so lax about product descriptions.
I have watched this film five or six times on an old VHS version & every time I watch it, I discover something new & enthralling. The film is superb, bigger than life & definitely one of the greatest ever made!
Very Noir. - By: S. Thomson, 14 Aug 2008 
The Third Man.......classic film, not only of the noir genre but a blueprint for story tellingin the celluloid format.
As a movie I felt underwelmed by the third man, feeling it all a little contrived & even cliched.
When asked to appreciate the significance of the setting & cinematography....yes, very effective toolsin enhancing the aesthetic of the narrative. But hardly engendering any sense of empathy for the characters. Orson Well's turn as Harry Lime probably one of the most enigmaticin movie history but somewhat starkly contrasting against an otherwise one dimensional cast.
Not wishing to flyin the face of universal adoration of the third man, simply reflecting on my impression of a renowed movie.
I see The Third Man as an ornament to be admired rather than entertaining or thought provoking film.
A slice of Lime. - By: DangermouseZilla, 24 Jan 2008 The DVD cover sums this film up brilliantly (even giving away the twist!) with the angled black & white image. The wonky camera work was dismissed by many at the time, butin retrospect it reflects the feel of disorientation Holly Martins must feel whenin an unfamiliar place, with no money, & discovering varying accounts of his friends death - a friend he was due be staying with. The slanted shots also mirror the broken feel of Vienna, a beautiful city ravaged by the Second World War & now home to jagged piles of broken bricks.
The strong lighting (typical of black & white films) is used to emphasise the shadowsin the dark. The beautiful cinematography of Viennese streets capture a unique periodin history. Most scenes have no music to accompany them, but when it does kick in, you instantly recognise it - either from watching this filmin the past, or for the numerous films since which have borrowed the iconic Harry Lime theme. The natural performances mean the characters seem flawed, real, believable. And Harry Lime has a constant presence despite barely appearing on screen.
All the above make this an absolute corker of a film - but the most impressive thing is, it all feels so effortless. The film never looks as though it's *trying* to be something that bit special, it's almost as if it *knows* it has a unique chemistry which will ensure a status of `classic' for years to come.
In a nutshell: If you've never seen this film then this might seem like you've seen it all before - but this was the first to do it with style. Often imitated, never bettered.
What can you say? - By: Jones the Film, 22 Jan 2008 Call me a heathen (or whatever), but I have never quite got Citizen Kane. Yes it 's a landmark film, but is it really that good?
The Third Man is that good. Tight direction, an omnipotent Wells as Harry Lime, a haunted post-WWII cityin ruins & the repetitive melody of the zither, all combine to create a superb masterpiece.
For me, the real star was Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Wells was of course enigmatic & Vienna was the perfect backdrop to a bankrupt Germanic landscape. Cotten as Holly Martins was a little pedestrian, yet his character was never meant to be a sophisticated moral crusader.
The film taps into the psychi of the lowest form of humanity, i.e. those that prey on the sick & inflicted.
Memorable, & yes a true classic.
The Perfect Movie - By: M. Dowden, 23 Sep 2007 This is the best British movie ever made, & is sheer enjoyment to watch. Based on a story by Graham Greene we are taken into the occupation of Vienna after the second world war. A story of black-marketeering, mistaken identity & a man wanting to solve what is happening around him. Orson Welles is on top form as Harry Lime, the main protagonistin one of his best roles. The scenes of a post-war Vienna are fantastic & everythingin this movies jells together. All the acting is excellant & the cat & mouse story is more than enough to keep you gripped to your seat.
Carol Reed's masterpiece shows us what true drama is all about. Unfortunately Hollywood have never really learned from what is a masterclassin film-making,in what makes perfection.
