Holly Martins, écrivain de romans de gare, se rend dans une Vienne ténébreuse d'après-guerre et se retrouve à enquêter sur la mort mystérieuse de son vieil ami, Harry Lime.Holly Martins, écrivain de romans de gare, se rend dans une Vienne ténébreuse d'après-guerre et se retrouve à enquêter sur la mort mystérieuse de son vieil ami, Harry Lime.Holly Martins, écrivain de romans de gare, se rend dans une Vienne ténébreuse d'après-guerre et se retrouve à enquêter sur la mort mystérieuse de son vieil ami, Harry Lime.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
- Récompensé par 1 Oscar
- 6 victoires et 4 nominations au total
- Anna Schmidt
- (as Valli)
- Karl
- (as Paul Hoerbiger)
- Kurtz's Mother
- (non crédité)
- International Patrol A
- (non crédité)
- Soldier
- (non crédité)
- Man Chasing Holly
- (non crédité)
- Casanova Barman
- (non crédité)
- Military Policeman
- (non crédité)
- Russian Military Policeman
- (non crédité)
Résumé
Avis à la une
I spent a number of months in Europe after I graduated from college in 1971. Although the war had been over for more than 25 years by then, I was struck by a very pronounced attitude of cynicism on the part of many Europeans regarding uniquely American ideals and principles, which were widely considered to be naive. To me, this film accurately captures this cultural and moral conflict, which lasted for decades and may even survive to this day. "You and your American principles," they would often scoff at me with mocking derision. In many ways, the character of Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), an American who crashes into post-World War II Europe, is a victim of a serious cultural divide. Unlike the Europeans, Martins always has the option of fleeing from the chaos and returning to the United States. For that alone, he may be resented by the local Viennese.
What does Anna (Alida Valli) know about the illegal activities of her lover, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), which includes the sale of diluted penicillin to Vienna's hospitals? For children with meningitis, watered down penicillin was not only useless, but it created an immunity from full strength penicillin so that these afflicted children could never receive effective treatment. Corrupted penicillin is a glaring symbol of a totally corrupted Vienna. Harry surely understands the consequences of his business, but what about Anna? Even after the truth about Harry's conduct is clearly revealed to her, she still sticks by him to the bitter end. Love conquers all? Stand by your man, regardless of the misery that he is causing to his innocent victims? While I don't blame her for rejecting the romantic overtures of Martins, who is somewhat of a schnook, what's with her anyway? She reminds me of the Europeans who never once caught a whiff of the burning flesh from the overworked crematoria of the concentration camps that blackened the air all around them. She is deeply in love with Harry, so just shut up about children with meningitis. OK, Anna, whatever you say, sweetheart. Perhaps those silly 18th century costume comedies in which you appear will provide the escape from reality that you so desperately seek. At least you manage to crack a weak, forced smile on stage, which is the only smile that we will ever see from you.
From beginning to end, the unusual camera angles, the dark, somber, haunting sidewalks of Vienna, and the conquered city's eerie, drenched cobblestone streets contribute to the overall foreboding atmosphere of the film, which was remarkably photographed by Australian Robert Krasker ("Odd Man Out", "Brief Encounter"). From every direction and without advance notice, unforgettable images and characters appear before us, emphasizing an overall mood of mayhem and unpredictability. We witness, for example, Anna's landlady, draped in a bedspread for warmth in a state of deep distress by the sudden invasion of her house by "officials" representing not one foreign nation but four of them. Then we observe a ludicrous, bureaucratic "cultural re-education conference" offered to the Viennese by the allied victors, presumably to rehabilitate them after seven years of Nazi domination. And from where on earth did the balloon seller come as he pathetically peddles his merry merchandise on the dark, abandoned streets of Vienna, which are not only completely void of children at the time but of all people?
And what of the inquisitive, confused character of Holly Martins, played with the usual, smooth agility of Joseph Cotten? As the writer of mass marketed western novels that even a young British sergeant happens to read, why is he broke, and what kind of job would Lime have offered him in an unfamiliar, German-speaking Vienna that is gripped by post-war disorder, unemployment, and foreign occupation? Construction work, perhaps?
While some reviewers disliked the zither music of Anton Karas, I think that the unique, high pitched sound contributes to the general atmosphere of nervous tension and uneasiness that prevails. Would you prefer Strauss waltzes instead? They wouldn't be nearly as effective in conveying the overwhelming atmosphere of chaos, even insanity, that plagues Vienna on so many levels at the time.
Finally, we are brought to the hidden network of grand Vienna's underground sewers. What could be a more fitting symbol of the underlying foulness that lurks beneath the thin, shallow surface of what we call "civilization"? This subterranean labyrinth provides the perfect setting for the ending of an extraordinary film that very effectively portrays a world that has succumbed to a state of disorder, misery, and even madness. Ultimately, it is all destined for the sewer. Bal-loon?
In the story our protagonist (Joseph Cotten), a writer, travels to Vienna a city still recovering from the effects of the war, now divided into separate zones.
Our protagonist has come to attend the funeral of his charismatic friend, who was seemingly killed in an accident. However something doesn't seem right and foul play it soon suspected. An alluring young woman is introduced (Alida Valli) who herself has secrets she wishes to keep. A web of lies and corruption begin to unravel and our hero must make a choice about how loyal he can remain to his old friend.
Western novelist Holly Martins (Cotten) comes to Vienna at the behest of his old friend Harry Lime, but when he arrives, he learns that Lime is dead after being hit by a car. He investigates and finds the circumstances very strange indeed, especially when learning there was a third man that helped carry Harry's body to the sidewalk, a man who has since disappeared.
He then meets Harry's girlfriend (Alida Valli). And he also meets a police officer in the British section of Vienna, Inspector Calloway (Trevor Howard), who tells him that Harry was a murderer and a racketeer, and it's better that he's dead. Holly is shocked and demands proof.
One of the most atmospheric films ever made, with its zither music, cinematography, and Vienna at nighttime. Then there's some brilliant dialogue, particularly the "cuckoo clock" speech made by Orson Welles.
The cinematography is particularly striking: odd angles, back lighting, and shadows on empty streets. And who can forget the man hidden in the doorway, when the light from an apartment goes on and shows his face - certainly one of the great appearances of a star in a film.
One feels Lime's presence throughout the film, though he only has five minutes of screen time.
Though none of these actors were the first choice to play their roles, they are all excellent.
There was a Third Man TV series in 1959 that ran for six years and starred Michael Rennie as Lime. In the series, Lime is a hero.
He's no hero in the movie, but it is a powerful story and film, never forgotten once seen.
Holly Martins, the main character, is who's eyes we see the post-war world through as he uncovers the mystery of the death of his friend Harry.
Back to Graham Greene - He wrote the novella. He writes about human misery as well as anyone. And there was no shortage of misery and lack of morals in post-war Vienna. He's also a master of conflict, both external and internal, which is where I'm going here. His characters struggle with their own souls to the point of anguish. Loss is another thing he nails.
There are a few more reasons this is the best movie ever made. The next is the editing. The chase scene at the end gets all the love but-this is going to be hard to articulate but the editing is so innovative I have to try-unlike most editors who edit based on sound and dialogue, this movie is kind of reverse. It's almost like the rhythm of the scene is dictating when to cut. It's a "feel" thing established either within a scene or the entire movie or both. It really has to be experienced, not just written about.
The next reason is the grandiosity of the visuals. It's unbelievable how grand everything is. This totally falls in line with Orson Welles noir style and the German expressionism that influenced this film. Carol Reed's choice of lenses throughout the film are perfect. Space is played with perfectly. This falls in line with my next reason, which is the noir style that is done so well. The mood is established and kept throughout, employing the noir and the expressionist style.
And lastly, this movie didn't just defy convention, it obliterated it - the visuals, the sounds, the story, the locations, the style, the score (which consisted of one musical instrument), and the people; the way Carol Reed presented their despair. I'm preaching to the choir. I know you know.
The finished product innovatively, was years ahead of its birthright. Time and time again the viewer is bailed up by stunning camera angles and back-lighting. The eerie shadows around the deserted streets and of course the unforgettable first glimpse of Harry Lime (Welles) himself as he skulks like the rat he is, in the corner of the building, lit in close-up suddenly from the light in an adjacent apartment. Offhand I cannot think of a character's more dramatic entrance to a film.
Welles in fact has minimal screen time, though his dark presence and influence infiltrate proceedings like an insidious disease. Yet somehow his ultimate demise in the sewers brings into play an incredible sadness and compassion that has absolutely no right being there. It remains for me one of my top five film favorites. I have always given it a "10" personally but hey, to be voted an "8.6" universally is a pretty fair vindication of my words here.
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesThe Vienna Police Dept. has a special unit that is assigned solely to patrol the city's intricate sewer system, as its network of interlocking tunnels make great hiding places for criminals on the run from the law, stolen property, drugs, etc. The "actors" playing police officers in the film were actually off-duty members of that unit.
- GaffesIn the two separate back projection shots of Calloway, Martins and Paine, supposedly traveling in a jeep at night in Vienna, a double-decker London bus can be seen in the background.
- Citations
Harry Lime: Don't be so gloomy. After all, it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long, Holly.
- Crédits fousOpening credits prologue: V I E N N A
- Versions alternativesThe UK version features introductory voice-over by the director Carol Reed; in the US version Joseph Cotten provides the voice-over, as his character Holly Martins. The UK version runs 104 minutes, versus the US version at 93 minutes, which was cut by producer David O. Selznick to give the film a tighter pace. Both versions have been released on video in the U.S., but as of today the most common is the longer British cut. A video comparison between the narrations appears on the U.S. Criterion Collection DVD.
- ConnexionsEdited into American Cinema: Film Noir (1995)
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Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Site officiel
- Langues
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- El tercer hombre
- Lieux de tournage
- 8 Schreyvogelgasse, Vienne, Autriche(doorway where Harry Lime first appears)
- Société de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
Box-office
- Montant brut aux États-Unis et au Canada
- 1 067 364 $US
- Week-end de sortie aux États-Unis et au Canada
- 13 576 $US
- 9 mai 1999
- Montant brut mondial
- 1 421 864 $US
- Durée1 heure 44 minutes
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 1.37 : 1