‘The Third Man’ released in 1939, still packs a punch in terms of storytelling and various crafts of movie making. The film sports an ensemble cast and crew, with an international co-production helmed by Alexander Korda and David O.Selznick.

‘The Third man’ kicks off with the fiction writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), reaching Vienna to meet his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Holly is in for a shock when he is told Harry is dead. He quickly recovers from it and soon, his simple fact finding mission turns into a full-fledged investigation in Harry’s death.

The movie is set in two parts. Act 1 (with the inciting incident of Harry’s death), is about a writer who can be accused of resorting to flights of fancy and imagination, considering his profession, and is unnecessarily meddling with an open and shut case as projected by police. Act 2 (inciting incident being Harry or his ghost appearance), is when Holly knows the truth. Act 3 (inciting incidents being his conversation with Anna, and then the unscheduled stop at the hospital), is his struggle to come to terms with and his necessity to act or withdraw.

Orson Welles charm is in full flow and his dramatic entrance is whistle worthy in the halls. His character though comes much later in the movie, still holds your attention. Rest of the characters too, are etched out in interesting details. One noteworthy aspect of it is that, all the characters right from the point of their introduction stay true to their core, irrespective of the story movement. The only person who changes and is forced to, is Holly Martins character. It’s a difficult feat to achieve in story-telling, especially with so many important characters.

The climax is well shot and deserves a special mention. So, is the music by Anton Karas and his ‘zither’ based compositions.

Walter Matthau on the paper might have been a wrong choice but he proved his detractors wrong by his understated performance. (Donald Sutherland was the first choice, but the producers wanted an Easter friendly audience, so he was dropped). Don Siegel directed this film just after ‘Dirty Harry’ and the excellence of efficiency continues. Right from the word go, he weaves a thriller of different sorts, never losing the human touch. ‘Charley Varrick’ is a worth revisit anytime, and over the years has aged like good wine.

Lalo Schifrin’s haunting score adds the gravitas to the proceedings. When asked in the making feature, he mentions he went in for the percussion based instrument, to represent Charley Varrick’s mind that was always ticking and thinking about the next move, yet no one knew exactly what. Incidentally, Walter Matthau played it the same way, as he man who kept his emotions and enemies in check, always thinking ahead.

The climax chase is one of its kind, which once again would seem far fetched on paper, but when shot the way Don Siegel did, is believable in its every frame.

Here’s a good video about the film.

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Interesting article on the movie

‘North By Northwest’ in a way is a departure from the typical Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. But it is also a testament to the genius of Hitchcock who wanted to reinvent himself in different genres. What he did with ‘North By Northwest’ is create a template for Hollywood blockbusters, and even James bond films for that matter. Steven Spielberg openly acknowledges Hitchcock’s influence, and the scenes where Indiana Jones is picked up from the college in ‘Indianan Jones and the last crusade’ and taken to a house, are a almost a carbon copy of similar scenes in ‘North By Northwest’. What more the villain in the Indiana Jones movie, seems to take a leaf or two from the characterization of James Mason.

According to the writer (from the making feature in the DVD) Ernest Lehman, it all began when Alfred Hitchcock gave an idea of a scene of a delegate’s speech in the United Nations and the ensuing murder, and asked him to work on it. Ernest Lehman then wrote a 65 page treatment which Hitchcock used to green light the project. The rest of the story was developed just in time, before the big shoot of Rushmore sequences.

A must watch for all movie and Hithcock’s fans and the theme music by Bernard Hermann will stay with us long after we finished the movie.

Here is an excellent conduction of the same theme.