What happened to Harry Lime?

Post-WW2 Vienna has been divided into zones controlled by France, Great Britain, Russia and the United States, each managed by a cluster of variously corrupt or corruptible officials. Into this sinkhole of intrigue falls an American innocent: Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), alcoholic author of pulp Westerns. He has come at the invitation of his college chum Harry Lime. But Lime is being buried when Martins arrives in Vienna. At the gravesite, Holly spots Anna (Alida Valli), Lime’s romantic entanglement, and follows her in the hope that she has some answers. But Holly may not survive long enough to even figure out the questions.

The Third Man was made by people who knew the devastation of Europe at first hand. Director Carol Reed worked for the British Army’s wartime documentary unit, and the screenplay was by Graham Greene, who not only wrote about spies but occasionally acted as one. Reed and his Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Robert Krasker, also devised a reckless, unforgettable visual style, full of oblique angles and expressionist lighting He fought relentlessly with David O. Selznick, his American producer, over every detail of the movie; Selznick wanted to shoot on sets, use an upbeat score and cast Noel Coward as Harry Lime. Film history is grateful that he lost. Reed defied convention by shooting entirely on location in Vienna, where mountains of rubble stood next to gaping bomb craters, and the ruins of empire supported a desperate black market economy. And he insisted on Anton Karas’ zither music (“The Third Man Theme” was one of 1950’s biggest hits).

The Third Man opened at Tampa Theatre in May of 1950.

Presented as part of BIG PICTURE: A Century of Stories

This screening is held in the Historic Duncan Auditorium. This space utilizes open seating for this event, seat selection is not required.