Allô... l'assassin vous parle

Resuming a subject which Patricia Highsmith lent credibility to in "the talented mister Ripley " (1955. Twice transferred to the screen as "plein soleil" (purple noon) (1960) and later by Anthony Minghella with Matt Damon), Hubert Cornfield gave one of his most interesting efforts ;his movie,however ,owes a good deal to Edmond O' Brien whose performance is mind-boggling ; the long "rehearsals" which puzzle the viewer in the first minutes are necessary to adopt a dead man's personality ; many scenes have the impostor talking on the phone (the safe affair is not shown at all ,and it works ); and it often happens in the dark or by night ,which makes it a true film noir. Unexpected ending.

"The 3rd Voice" is a worthwhile crime drama that is painstakingly laid out and seems longer than its 79 minutes. Much of its success is due to the efforts of old pro Edmond O'Brien, who is in virtually every scene. What saves this picture from a worse rating is the unique deus ex machina to wrap up the picture. I hadn't seen that one before, and the screenwriter gets high marks for resourcefulness and mental dexterity.

This could also be called "The Phone Call Movie", as it contains more telephone conversations than I have ever seen in a full-length feature film. Just when it begins to seem as if some action will take place, the phone rings, killing the pace as the picture goes into a stall. My main objection to the film is the slow, deliberate pacing.

As stated, O'Brien carries the film, aided by Laraine Day and Julie London. For younger film fans, Julie London was a 50's singer with a sultry voice and appearance to match. She never looked better than in "The 3rd Voice" - didn't know she could act and I didn't care.

Worthwhile, but not brilliant, film noir by director/writer Hubert Cornfield. Edmond O'Brien does a good job as a man hired to impersonate a rich businessman after the businessman is murdered. A few good twists, but the movie seems to have a lot of padding (too many long driving shots), some unfortunate zooms that cheapen the style, and way too many wipes as transitions because the director gave himself no other options. It's fun, but if it had been done by Edgar Ulmer, it could have been a mini-masterpiece.

I had never heard of Hubert Cornfield and from what I have read up on his career, he was not a mainstream director, but he certainly does a good job of this B noir curiously entitled THE 3RD VOICE.

Extracting first class performances from O'Brien - on screen for most of the film -, Day and the immensely beautiful singer, Julie London, Cornfield adds nifty touches like the raven that suddenly turns up at the window, when O'Brien takes the decisive step to committing crimes, and at the dénouement at the end.

The appropriately unassuming musical score does not divert your attention from the action, sharp dialogue and clever script, adding unusual elements to run of the mill situations, all within a very tight 79'.

I found THE 3RD VOICE far better than I had anticipated. Strongly recommended.

Plot-- Edmond O'Brien (he has no movie name) collaborates with his lover Marian (Day) to impersonate her wealthy boss in order to collect a quarter-million dollars. The ruse, however, involves more telephone calls than AT&T, hence the title "The Third Voice".

For a brief time it looked like writer-director Cornfield would follow in Stanley Kubrick's footsteps with his intricately plotted, stylishly filmed Plunder Road (1957), a caper movie in the mode of Kubrick's classic The Killing (1956). For some reason, however, Cornfield's career petered out, especially following a feud with Marlon Brando on the set of The Night of the Following Day (1968), another caper film.

Looks like Cornfield worked best with small-scale b&w movies like this one, his follow-up to Plunder Road. The Third Voice is an imaginative, low-budget variation on the caper film that makes good use of a veteran cast, including a sultry Julie London. But it's really a showcase for that icon of film noir Edmond O'Brien, who runs up a monumental phone bill, that is, when not changing hotels like some modern-day Gypsy.

There're several episodes of good suspense, especially the pins & needles of wondering whether an accountant will follow protocol or not. Also, catch that sweaty hang up with the incriminating boat. The climax itself amounts to a neat, ironical twist in a hotel room that I didn't see coming. I'm just sorry Cornfield's career, for whatever reason, didn't match the early promise of this nifty little suspenser.