"The Third Man Theme"

Uploader: balletamie
Video Description: Release dates, September 2, 1949 UK
2 January 1950 USA
The distinctive musical score was composed and played on the zither by Anton Karas. A single, "The Third Man Theme", released in 1950 (Decca in UK, London Records in USA) became a best-seller, and later an LP was released.
Before the production came to Vienna, Karas was an unknown wine bar performer. Reed and Howard fell in love with Karas' zither after hearing him play inside a café. Karas agreed to record some of his own compositions on a reel-to-reel tape machine that Reed set up in the bedroom of his hotel; one of these was later to become the Harry Lime Theme and become a popular hit. The exposure made Karas an international star after the movie was released.
Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Has there ever been a film where the music more perfectly suited the action than in Carol Reed's 'The Third Man'?"
And I would say that never an introduction to the sadness reality was presented so well.
_________________________________________
While musics plays, various documentary-style shots of post-war, divided, fragmented and occupied Vienna (a 'frontier' city dividing East and West - and governed by four Allied forces) are surveyed, an anonymous voice-over delivers a first-person prologue. Director Carol Reed in the original UK version. Joseph Cotten delivers prologue in US version.
- (Lines only found in the UK version)
- [CAPITAL LETTER only in the US version.]
I never knew the old Vienna before the war, with its Strauss music, its glamour and [ITS] easy charm -- (Constantinople suited me better.) I really got to know it in the classic period of the Black Market. [Boots, stockings, cigarettes, and watches exchange hands.] [THEY COULD GET ANYTHING IF PEOPLE WANTED IT ENOUGH AND HAD THE MONEY TO PAY] (We'd run anything, if people wanted it enough- mmm - had the money to pay.) Of course, a [THE] situation like that does tempt amateurs, but [OF COURSE, THEY DON'T LAST LONG, NOT REALLY, NOT LIKE PROFESSIONALS ] (you know they can't stay the course like a professional.) [A view of a dead body floating in an icy river.] Now the city - [A sign announces: "ENTERING THE AMERICAN ZONE."] it's [IS] divided into four zones, you know, each occupied by a power - [Views of signs of the British, Russian, and French zones.] the American, the British, the Russian, and the French. But the center of the city - that's international, policed by an International Patrol, [A view of guard's
duty being changed.] one member of each of the four powers. Wonderful. [ YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT A CHANCE THEY HAD ], (What a hope they had), all OF THEM strangers to the place and (none) [NO TWO] of them (could speak) [SPEAKING] the same language, (except a sort of smattering of German.) [Four guards in a jeep each represent their nationalities.] [OH, THEY WERE] Good fellows on the whole, did their best, (you know.) [Views of bombed-out sites around Vienna.] Vienna doesn't (really) look any worse than a lot of other European cities, bombed (about a bit) [A LITTLE, OF COURSE]. [Views of soldiers on guard, and then standing on parade and marching in a square.] (Oh, I was gonna tell you, wait, I was gonna tell you about Holly Martins, an American. Came all the way here to visit a friend of his. The name is Lime, Harry Lime. Now Martins was broke and Lime had offered him some sort - I don't know - some sort of a job. Anyway, there he was, poor chap, happy as a lark and without a cent.) [ANYWAY, I WAS DEAD BROKE WHE
N I GOT TO VIENNA. A CLOSE PAL OF MINE HAD WIRED ME, OFFERING ME A JOB DOING PUBLICITY WORK FOR SOME KIND OF CHARITY HE WAS RUNNING. I'AM A WRITER, NAME'S MARTINS, HOLLY MARTINS. ANYWAY DOWN I CAME, ALL THE WAY TO OLD VIENNE, HAPPY AS A LARKAND WITHOUT A DIME.
________________________________________

Tags for this video: 1950 Anton Cotten film Graham Greene Joseph Karas London Man noir Orson Reed Sir Studios The Third Welles
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Great theme, ... ( 2 months ago by BlackenedForLife)

Great theme, awesome film!

such a great movie! ( 2 months ago by twags32689)

such a great movie!

I love this opening ... ( 2 months ago by JoshuaOst)

I love this opening. One of my favorites.

the best movie ever ... ( 2 months ago by ivanovitch57)

the best movie ever!!...made in the days before special effects made up for lousy acting and the barest bones of a story line

i love the cookoo ... ( 1 month ago by schwoogie78)

i love the cookoo clock speech

The intro was a ... ( 1 month ago by Tobacc0)

The intro was a last minute insertion written by Carol Reed himself... He's (I think) giving an air of a slightly callous, feckless, gadabout ne'er-do-well, black-marketeer type. Hence the off-handed "y'know" mannerisms. We're not supposed to like him but more think of him as a familiar with Harry Lime and so the need to portray a similar style of unconcerned morals and attitudes... as seen in the black humour reference on amateurs. Sets the tone for the jaded attitudes of the day to civility.

The name Harry Lime ... ( 1 month ago by Tobacc0)

The name Harry Lime is another black joke as lime is what was then (and still is) used to cover up and somewhat prevent the stench of rotting corpses.

weikko: How is it ... ( 1 month ago by NGS712)

weikko: How is it pretentious? Don't regular people talk that way when they're telling a story?

I never realized ... ( 1 month ago by chinopisces)

I never realized that. Wow, good point.

Like most narration ... ( 1 month ago by Samurai9)

Like most narration in films, this one is not needed and distracts. The facts recited by the narrator are repeated by the characters in their scenes and can be inferred from the visuals. The story, the characters, and the setting are not hard to understand and are clearly delineated by the script, the photography, and the editing. Ah, well, at any rate, it is a brilliant film.

I don't know what ... ( 1 month ago by lestephenois1)

I don't know what people are talking about critisizing Reed's narration. I always thought it gave a real character to the opening of the film. It sounds as if a guy you just met in a bar who has been around is telling you about a man he knew, this is the way I imagine he would talk.

this tune would ... ( 1 month ago by mramo)

this tune would make a killer Promo on top of a Breakbeat/Garage tune!!

What's the ... ( 1 month ago by Dizzip23)

What's the symbolism when Joe Cotten gets bitten by the parrot?

Ughhh...please tell ... ( 4 weeks ago by christopherfrost)

Ughhh...please tell me you're joking.

Harry Lime is a ... ( 4 weeks ago by mramo)

Harry Lime is a notable UK Garage & Breakbeat Producer you know - so why not?

cool! ( 3 weeks ago by fedfedbaltoboy)

cool!

Loss of innocence, ... ( 2 weeks ago by goback3spaces)

Loss of innocence, complicity in the hunt for Lime, etc.

this is a legendary ... ( 1 week ago by BlackenedForLife)

this is a legendary tune! just amazing... there`s obviously some magic in this tune. At first I thought that this theme doesn`t fit into a suspense film... then after rewatching the great film, I realized that I was wrong; This sure fits to the film.

The third man is ... ( 1 week ago by deibid2003)

The third man is #57 in the AFI's list of greatest american movies. I think it should be near the top ten! I'm watchin all the movies in the list, in this site:
blogger-films.blogspot *com

great movie,music ... ( 1 week ago by biltom)

great movie,music and actors...unlike todays crap.

The actors of today ... ( 4 days ago by Findulidas)

The actors of today are not crap. Its true most of them arent that great but thats how it has always been. Perhaps it is that you like the mood of older movies more.

Ah good, this was ... ( 2 days ago by jayzamann)

Ah good, this was the version with Carol Reed doing the voiceover.

This movie is a ... ( 2 days ago by BlackenedForLife)

This movie is a pure masterpiece... same goes to the music! Like someone said: Actors, directors, film music and pretty much EVERYTHING used to be a lot better. This truely was the GOLDEN AGE of films.

I'm astounded that ... ( 1 day ago by matador52700)

I'm astounded that I read no comment here on how absolutely beautiful Valli was in her prime. She should have been famous as one of the great beauties of the century.

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