The Third Man (1950)

the audience applauded

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Just what I expected

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

I must say , after 30 minutes from the beginning , I slept , and I continued watching it the next day just to know , why is this on the top rated movies !? and why this movie won an oscar award ! for what !? for the boring story !? or for the stupid music !? a total waste of time . I warn all of you . skip it !!.

I expected much more from this film, as usually they claim it to be a classic movie, one of the best in history of cinema etc. But in my opinion it isn't. It has too many shortcomings. First of all -- the music is totally inappropriate for such a thriller, it is mocking and amusing, which does not fit with the whole story at all. It makes it all look like a light-hearted comedy, not to be taken seriously. The dialogues are presented in a mechanical, artificial way: normal people do not respond so quickly to surprising and unknown information. The plot fixes too much attention to the girl, rather than to the complex and confused story. The good things are the cinematography and the atmosphere of postwar Vienna, where the action takes place, but even they should have been given more attention.

As a film-noir fan I though to myself this might be one of the best settings: Post-war Vienna with bombed buildings, a multinational police force by the occupying countries, investigation on black market dealings, foreign languages and accents all around. The main actor: an American who doesn't speak German, who learns his friend died in a mysterious accident. But sadly they failed to use this setting and the premise to create suspense for almost the entire movie. It's not the cinematography's fault, which is excellent: Long shadows on Vienna's places while people are being chased. Hm, but something seems off about it. They thought let's put it in traditional Austrian music for the soundtrack, well, because it's Vienna. But this is the kind of cheerful music that fits when you're strolling through the streets in bright daylight with a smile on your face and a lady in your arms. It certainly is the wrong choice for a supposedly suspenseful foot chase. Or when you surprisingly see your presumed dead friend across the street. Or while you're in a children's hospital. Or when people are digging at a graveyard at night and reveal who the "third man" was. It kills all mood in a black and white thriller and becomes almost absurdly comical. I guess they felt eager to try out new things. Thank god they dropped it when Orson Welles showed up and they talked eye to eye on the Ferris wheel. Great acting. Another great scene was the chase in the sewer. This redeemed the movie a bit. But after thinking about it I noticed there are plot holes. The soundtrack achieved at least one thing: it distracted me enough to not think about the plot too much.

The movie is great. Perfect storyline, Perfect acting, Perfect dialogs and Perfect ending! the scene at the carousel is a masterpiece.