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/
Facts
Classification
Original Language AwardBAFTA Award for Best British Film 1 Release Year Connections
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Source The Third Man (Wikipedia)
In Medium
Source The Third Man (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: United Kingdom, originated there.
- Also in Language Atlas: English, original language there.
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
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
Wikimedia Foundationen.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.
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