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The Third Man [Blu-ray] | ![The Third Man [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41CI1%2BbJk0L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Carol Reed
Actors: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli
Studio: Criterion Collection
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $28.99
You Save: $10.96 (27%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  262 reviews
Sales Rank: 3102
Format: Black & White, Dts Surround Sound, Ntsc, Special Edition, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: Blu-ray
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 104
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
UPC: 715515033824
EAN: 0715515033824
ASIN: B001EP8EKS
Theatrical Release Date: 1949
Release Date: December 16, 2008 (In 14 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet released
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
The fractured Europe post-World War II is perfectly captured in Carol Reed's masterpiece thriller, set in a Vienna still shell-shocked from battle. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an alcoholic pulp writer come to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But when Cotton first arrives in Vienna, Lime's funeral is under way. From Lime's girlfriend and an occupying British officer, Martins learns of allegations of Lime's involvement in racketeering, which Martins vows to clear from his friend's reputation. As he is drawn deeper into postwar intrigue, Martins finds layer under layer of deception, which he desperately tries to sort out. Welles's long-delayed entrance in the film has become one of the hallmarks of modern cinematography, and it is just one of dozens of cockeyed camera angles that seem to mirror the off-kilter postwar society. Cotten and Welles give career-making performances, and the Anton Karas zither theme will haunt you. --Anne Hurley
Amazon.com
The fractured Europe post-World War II is perfectly captured in Carol Reed's masterpiece thriller, set in a Vienna still shell-shocked from battle. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) is an alcoholic pulp writer come to visit his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But when Cotton first arrives in Vienna, Lime's funeral is under way. From Lime's girlfriend and an occupying British officer, Martins learns of allegations of Lime's involvement in racketeering, which Martins vows to clear from his friend's reputation. As he is drawn deeper into postwar intrigue, Martins finds layer under layer of deception, which he desperately tries to sort out. Welles's long-delayed entrance in the film has become one of the hallmarks of modern cinematography, and it is just one of dozens of cockeyed camera angles that seem to mirror the off-kilter postwar society. Cotten and Welles give career-making performances, and the Anton Karas zither theme will haunt you. --Anne Hurley
Product Description
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Lime and thus begins this legendary tale of love, deception, and murder. Thanks to brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles; Anton Karas s evocative zither score; Graham Greene s razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Krasker s dramatic use of light and shadow, The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol Reed, just continues to grow in stature as the years pass.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
Restored high-definition digital transfer
Uncompressed mono soundtrack
Video introduction by writer-director Peter Bogdanovich
Two audio commentaries: one by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Tony Gilroy, and one by by film scholar Dana Polan
Shadowing The Third Man (2005), a ninety-minute feature documentary on the making of the film
Abridged recording of Graham Greene s treatment, read by actor Richard Clarke
Graham Greene: The Hunted Man, an hour-long, 1968 episode of the BBC s Omnibus series, featuring a rare interview with the novelist
Who Was the Third Man? (2000), a thirty-minute Austrian documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew
The Third Man on the radio: the 1951 A Ticket to Tangiers episode of The Lives of Harry Lime series, written and performed by Orson Welles, and the 1951 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of The Third Man
Illustrated production history with rare behind-the-scenes photos, original UK press book, and U.S. trailer
Actor Joseph Cotten s alternate opening voice-over narration for the U.S. version
Archival footage of postwar Vienna
A look at the untranslated foreign dialogue in the film
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Luc Sante
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| Customer Reviews: Read 257 more reviews...
 The Third Man October 26, 2008
True masterpiece in every sense of the word. Try it . . . You'll like it!
 Mystery most foul September 29, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The lure of the stars of this film give you great anticipation of what will unfold. Joseph Cotton walks a circuitous path to find out what happened to his old friend who has brought him to Europe with the promise of a job. Orson Welles as usual is the character in the focal point even though he doesn't appear till the final third of the movie. The story line is off putting to me, but the actors give a solid perfomrance. This shares the title of a tv show from the 50's but the plot is nothing like the TV series.
Blu-Ray disc in DVD case September 25, 2008
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
One of the best movies ever made. But what I'm reviewing is the case. It's my understanding that Criterion is release all their Blu-Ray discs in standard DVD cases in order to blend them in with all their previous DVD releases. I think this is a big mistake. Why didn't they release the DVDs in Laserdisc sleeves? I want to be able to distinguish my Blu-Rays from my DVDs. Any thoughts?
The Third Man: A pillar of Cinematic Vision September 20, 2008
What happened to Harry Lime? Who is the third man? These are just two of the questions Holly Martin wants answers to in post-WWII Vienna. Martin arrives to find Harry Lime, his long time friend, isn't there to meet him. He goes to Lime's apartment and is shocked when he discovers what happened. Then we are taken on an exploration of this city and important questions begin to rise: is justice possible here and what is its nature?
The Third Man, in its beautiful black and white depicts a city occupied by ally forces, shaken by war, and architecturally disheveled. Camera angles from balcony windows, ancient sewer systems, the lighting on cobble stone streets, and the twisted frames bringing into focus medieval steeples, winding broken staircases, and citizens fraught with paranoia and fear--all add to a composition of unique quality, texture and magnificent vision.
An important highlight is Orson Welles' role. Welles is a master of character acting to the point you can feel his conflict. His monologue after the ferris wheel ride is simply magnificent. You can feel Martin's conflict too, as he decides between the truth and friendship, justice or loyalty, during the tension ridden final moments of the film!
As the film progresses the characters cement a representation of different ideas: The English soldier, Callaway, is a realist, Anna is a fatalist, and Holly Martin, the American, is fittingly the idealist, who almost naively believes in a higher sense of justice that can only be obtained by taking things into his own hands. This film is beautifully shot, brilliantly acted, and memorable for its tension, conflicts, philosophy, and enduring plot that holds up against anything contemporary Hollywood can put out today. This is a true classic and pillar of cinematic vision.
Great Film Noir,and Criterion Showcases it with quality and class! September 7, 2008
Well,Criterion has another release triumph here with "The Third Man".Criterion is well known for its' quality and an eclectic array of films already released in its' catalogues with many more on the way.Most are unavailable anywhere with Criterion consistently setting the release standards for DVDs,and this film is no exception.
"The Third Man" is a film originally released in /49 in Britain to great acclaim(this is the film we see),then released a year later in the U.S.The latter market had about 11 minutes cut out of it and the opening narrative changed from director Carol Reed's voice to star Joseph Cottons'.
This two disc collection includes everything you ever wanted to know about this film,and so much more.Included is a nine minute vignette with a self explanatory title "Insiders' Info" ,the US Trailer,the UK Press Book,another small vignette translating the foreign language sequences into English with sub-titles(five min.),a /51 radio show starring Orson Welles as "Harry Lime" in "Ticket to Tangiers",a Lux Radio Theatre show from /51 of "The Third Man",an award winning documentary from 2000 called"Who was the Third Man?"(30 min),a /68 profile of Graham Greene from the BBC show "Omnibus",a three min./54 newsreel of zither player Anton Karas at London's Empress Club,another three min.Pathe newsreel of the policing of the Vienna sewers called "The Underground of Vienna",and "The Third Man's Vienna",a background vignette on the real post war Vienna that Greene brings to life in the film.To top this all off is a 26 page booklet with several articles about the making and producing of the film which are quite intriguing,along with production credits,transfer specs,cast credits and much more.
I won't go into the plot as it is very well known by most by now.I must say that I have never seen the film looking as good as it does in this release.They made a great transfer using a high grain positive master and took out thousands of extant marks,dirt,etc, to bring the B&W print gloriously back to life.It's not perfect but it is light years beyond anything I've ever seen before.I've always said that a great print can only add to ones enjoyment of a film and the proof is abundantly clear in this "pudding".
The film comes from the "Janus" collection which,as I noted in my review of Criterions'glorious release of "Pandora's Box",has been known to me as a firm that has released only countless cut and butchered films over the years.However,as I have nothing to compare films with(as I did with Pandora)I can only say that nothing appears to be amiss here so I will leave it at that.
In conclusion this is a film which belongs in every serious film collectors collection.A classic of its' genre,"The Third Man" is without doubt a very important film.Its' cast is rock solid,the script and on film atmosphere that is created through its' brilliant use of lighting and cinematography,serves to enhance the films' quality and stature.
With all the extras included,and this being a Criterion product which is ALWAYS a superior product,it is a must have DVD set.
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