How Carol Reed establishes and develops the thriller genre in ‘The Third Man’.
About The Third Man • The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. • The film is celebrated for its acting, musical score and atmospheric cinematography. • The Third Man has a running time of 1hr 44 minutes. • The Third Man won the 1949 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the British Academy Award for Best Film, and an Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography in 1950. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing and the Academy Award for Best Director.
Location • The Third Man is shot in the city of Vienna. This pathway creates a vanishing point as it seems to be never-ending. As the pathway is so bare and empty it creates a threat to the audience and a sense of discomfort as it is a location where it is impossible to hide. Streets are usually dark, damp and lifeless suggesting that Vienna is almost a labyrinth. • Another generic location used is the underground sewers. Sewers are used in thrillers and The Third Man as they are very isolated and claustrophobic places to be. The sewers are used to connote danger and that there is no escape. • The time in which The Third Man is set reflects how Vienna is perceived. In 1946-1949 the war would have been coming to an end meaning the city would be a very scary and dangerous place to be. The location reflects the city at this time as being very dangerous, this can be seen through the damaged buildings. These damaged buildings make the audience feel pity for the characters having to live around them and also add a negative atmosphere as Vienna is perceived as very unglamorous.
Lighting • Chiaroscuro lighting is used throughout The Third Man, this is a typical convention of thriller films as it creates a spotlight effect to allow the audience to focus on the targeted character or object. Shadows are also created to build a sense of mystery and to make both the character and audience question what is hiding in the dark. • One example of when chiaroscuro lighting is used in a close up of Harry Lime being shown in the darkness. The chiaroscuro lighting allows us make out that it is Harry and see him, whereas without the spotlight-like lighting we would not have seen him at all. This may also show Harry as having a good and bad side of himself. The outline of Harry is very dark and black which connotes that he is a menacing character however, his face being lit up could signify that there is some hope and good in him. • Chiaroscuro lighting is also effectively used down in the sewers. The darkness created by artificial lighting adds suspense for the audience as it shows darkness is all around.
Soundtrack • The soundtrack used in this film is called ‘The Harry Lime Theme’. This music sounds very happy and cheerful. This makes the atmosphere feel positive and could be associated with Harry Lime. Harry’s character is represented through non-diegetic sounds as a good character. In contrast, his bad side is demonstrated through his actions. • The non-diegetic soundtrack is in contrast to the action and mood unfolding visually, adding to the viewer experience. The cultural signifier for Vienna is the music being played on a zither. Also, the use of diegetic dialogue is used throughout, there are no subtitles, so the German dialogue isn’t translated, leaving it not understandable. This allows the audience to be in the shoes with Holly Martins, adding realism to the scene.
Costume • The costumes used in The Third Man reflect the male dress code from the 1940’s. Male characters are dressed very smart to show that they are sophisticated and have a great deal of power in most cases. • Harry Lime and Holly Martins both use trilby hats and over coats to show their significance to the film. The clothing used in this film were a common costume choice for leading males within the thriller genre which explains how The Third Man uses costume to develop the genre. • Shirts and ties reflect work clothing that suggests that males are above females, unlike men, women of this time period worse dresses which did not reflect a working environment.