'The Third Man' (Reed, 1949) set in post war Vienna and highlights the crumbling morality of the time. This political noir is established as being under rule of WW2 allies (Britain, France, America and Russia) following the geo-political history well though the political context is used mainly as an atmospheric backdrop; it does shade the film’s characterisations, and to my understanding is a fairly accurate depiction of post war Vienna.
An American writer of pulp western novels, Holly Martins, arrives in Vienna on a work offer from an old school friend Harry Lime. Once there he learns that Lime was killed in a car accident. Unconvinced by official accounts, he remains in Vienna to explore the strange circumstances behind Lime’s death. Once their he meets Harry's ex-girlfriend Anna Schmidt who is living in Vienna using illegal papers Harry supplied her with. Continuing on with the film Holly learns the truth about Harry's life. At first sceptical, he slowly comes to accept the harsh truth of Harry Lime as a ruthless black marketer involved in the underground trafficking of stolen, diluted penicillin (that caused the death of many sick children). The film concludes with a mercy killing from Holly to Harry, after Harry realised their was no escaping.
'The Third Man' is a fine example of British film noir. Reed uses gothic visual touches such as subtly canted low/high camera angles, ominous shadows, and dank, fog-filled streets to depict Vienna as a sinister maze.

The Third Man is considered to be a classic of british cinema, not to mention in the entire history of film-making. It came from a golden age of post-war british cinema, between the years of 1944-1950, where inventive, sharp and technically proficient films appeared abundantly. What makes The Third Man special amidst other films is the true character of the film. Taking stylistic elements from film noir and italian neo-realism, a slightly subversive comedic factor and sharp, crisp dialogue, it creates something which feels above and beyond the simple sum of its parts. The performance are the real standout here, with a perfect cast including Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton and Trevor Howard, who are able to express the roles to much deeper and more pensive meaning. Carol Reed and Graham Greene appear to work flawlessly together in creating a narratively unique vision and the film as a whole represents some of the strongest filmmaking ever produced

The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed, is a british film noir that plays on the key elements that make a movie a film noir and as a result create stylish camera work mixed with a gripping plot.

The story begins when bumbling american Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) enters a recently bombed out Vienna to see an old friend (orson Wells) about a job offer, only to find out he was killed, and the facts dont add up. So with the help of his friends wifes and a british soldier, Holly attempts to work out the riddle surronding 'the third man.'

With te sterotypical plot lines of corruption and murder and the stereotypical key characters like the 'femme fatale' This film seems like another run of the mill film noir, however on second glance this film is nothing short of a work of art. All the shots are planned out so perfectly so even the slightest tilt of the camera can deliver a feel for the sate of mind or senario the film and its actors are portraying. The Cast are all superb and convincing, with some very memorable adlibbed parts on orson wells' behalf. And the bouncy zither musc makes every scene stand out

great film.. shame about the advert.