The Third Man is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Allied-occupied Vienna, it follows American writer Holly Martins, who arrives to take a job with his friend Harry Lime only to learn that Lime has died, and stays on to investigate the death while becoming drawn to Lime's girlfriend Anna Schmidt. The film is known for its black-and-white, German expressionist-influenced cinematography by Robert Krasker and for Anton Karas's zither theme, which topped international music charts in 1950. In 1999 the British Film Institute voted it the greatest British film of all time, and it is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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Classification
Original Language AwardBAFTA Award for Best British Film 1 Release Year FAQs
Why does The Third Man end on a bleak note instead of the happier ending from the novella?
Carol Reed refused the novella's hopeful ending, which Selznick preferred, as artificially happy.
Producer David O. Selznick preferred the hopeful ending of Graham Greene's novella, in which Holly Martins and Anna walk away arm in arm. Director Carol Reed refused to end the film on what he felt was an artificially happy note, and the film closes with Anna walking past Martins without looking at him. Greene later wrote that Reed had been proved triumphantly right.
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Source The Third Man (Wikipedia)
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Source The Third Man (Wikipedia)
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Also in Language Atlas: the original language of this subject.
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Sources
1. The Third Man (Wikipedia)
The Third Man, Introduction section
The Third Man is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard.
The Third Man, Description, original language
In 1999 the British Film Institute voted it the greatest British film of all time, and it is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.
Wikipedia category, checked 2026-09-27
Category:Best British Film BAFTA Award winners
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man, opening sentence
The Third Man is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man, reception section, BFI poll sentence
In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Third Man the greatest British film of all time.
In Medium: Film, Article lead sentence
The Third Man is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard.
Created By: Carol Reed, Article lead sentence
The Third Man is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard.
View the Source2. Wikipedia
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