The Third Man

How Reed uses, develops and challenges generic thriller

conventions in this noir film.

Lighting and colour:

Reed has used black and white to generate a noir style film. The use of these colours make the atmosphere more threatening. Also, the use of this creates tension.

The lighting used throughout the film often forms shadows to add more suspense. For instance, the boys shadows when they’re standing in the dark neighbourhood; they were portrayed as quite tall and big – this could cause the audience to feel intimidated. However, they could appear as patronising characters as they are tall and they may think they are superior.

Chiaroscuro lighting is used to create more of a noir effect. This used when Holly sees Harry. His costume appears to be dark, whereas his part of his face is noticeable, so we are able to understand his emotions via his facial expression. As we can only see half of Harry’s face, the use of chiaroscuro lighting could symbolise that has two personalities of good and evil. Moreover, chiaroscuro lighting creates the mise-en-scene with illusions and nightmare effects.

The use of this chiaroscuro lighting indicates that Harry has a negative side – the dark represents this. However, he also has a positive side illustrated by his face being in the light, also the music that is playing as well.

This lighting illustrates the boys silhouette, his figure is all black; this could suggest that he his menacing. Also, this lighting creates a shadow on the wall which is bigger than him as we can see he is small. This could be portraying how a child is actually vulnerable to some situations.

Sound: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 Limes personal charm. Harry’s character is represented through non-digetic sounds as an excellent character. In contrast, his terrible side is demonstrated through his actions. Digetic sound is used in the dialogue. However, there are no subtitles for German dialogue, therefore the audience is positioned with Holly Martins resulting in them feeling uneasy. The sound that is used usually denotes the mood or actions of a character or a particular scene. Additionally, the sound of the music is played on a zither which is significant in the location of the film – Vienna.

Genre characteristics: Location – The film is set in Vienna which is perceived to be a fractured place

from the aftermath of the war. Also, it is seen as a shattered and hostile place with the black market and the segregation of the city. Furthermore, the streets are deserted, dark and shiny, this indicates a labyrinth.

This is the first scene the audience see of the location. It is clear that this is very unglamorous setting which is a generic thriller convention. Also, it appears to be isolated and looks dirty. It seems like objects have been left there to rot. For instance, the shipwreck. Furthermore, there is a dead body in the water which would make the audience feel perturbed.

Vienna is represented as unappealing and the black market is too mentioned which shows illegal actions. This highlights that Vienna is an unsafe, risky place in which Holly will experience.

Characters –Holly Martins and Harry Lime are binary opposites. Holly is gauche, an innocent abroad, a man who wants to do the right thing. In comparison, Harry is a hoodlum and but he is whimsical, charming but also devious and evil.

Holly Martins is the protagonist, who is unable to speak German as he is originally British. Already, this connotes confusion because he isn’t completely aware of what is happening around him. Carol Reed has challenged thriller conventions by portraying Holly as a man and is strong. However, he is always at a disadvantage in the location because he is unsure of his way around Vienna, resulting in him being puzzled.

Anna is first seen at a funeral and it’s a depressive place to be. This creates a ominous atmosphere. She has no facial expression and she looks empty and lost. It suggests she is unreadable but this could still indicate the type of personality she has. She could come across as a femme fatale which is a generic convention in noir thrillers – these women appear as powerful and seductive. Femme fatale are usually attractive women who are very dangerous.

Costume – The main costumes in this film are suits which makes the men seem sophisticated. However the trilby hat and over coat reflect the male dress code from the 1940’s. Harry Lime and Holly Martins wear these costumes as they are both significant characters. The use of these costumes could be an inter-textual reference to ‘L.A Confidential’ and ‘L.A Noir’ as they use suits and hats which could by implying that this is traditional in noir style films.

Camera Angles and Movement - This film involves a large variety of different shots which all have their own purpose. For example, tilt shows indicate confusion, high angle shots imply weakness towards characters and low angle shots could suggest that someone or something is intimidating.

This tilt shot illustrates confusion and shows Holly’s position in Vienna has made him feel very uncomfortable and feels lost. It appears as if he can’t comprehend the situation that he is in. Reed uses a majority of tilt shots which connotes a lot of a confusion.

In this shot, as the train gets closer, it getters bigger and the audience may find this daunting. Holly steps out of the train which immediately indicates that he is an important character in this film.

Enigma: The sense of enigma is always in Vienna, mainly when Anna and Harry lime

are around. Both characters are instructable as the audience never really know what they are thinking or planning. In Anna’s case, her detachment adds further to Holly’s sense of discomfort and confusion.

When Holly arrives in Vienna, he goes towards his destination and we see him walk under a ladder which is seen as bad luck for superstitious people. This results in the audience feeling tension it creates a lot of suspense – the suspense builds up more when Holly see’s a black cat which is also seen as bad luck, thus the audience are waiting for something to happen but they are completely unaware of what’s about to come.

Alienation: The city is divided into four occupying armies, this gives a sense of Vienna

being enigmatic as the Austrians feel alienated in their own city, which does not seem normal.

Inter-textual references:1) The third man could be an inter-textual reference of ‘Kill Bill 2’. This is because at the end of the film Harry is clearly trapped in the sewers which also indicates a dark labyrinth, however, as he wants to escape, he moves towards a train and sticks his fingers out. Similarly, in ‘Kill Bill 2’ the burial scene shows The Bride, who is buried in a coffin underground suddenly reach her hand out of the ground.

2) Furthermore, in the sewer scene where Harry first enters, all we see is a long shot of him and the sewer which illustrates a vanishing point as we are unable to see anything else that is further than the length of the sewer we can already see. This could be an inter-textual reference with clockwork orange where there are vanishing points used with shadows that appear bigger than the actual character. Additionally, the use of a vanishing point could be an inter-textual reference to ‘Essex Boys’ in the tunnel scene – the audience are unaware of what is beyond the tunnel, likewise with the sewer in ‘The Third Man’. This builds up tension, and generates a lot of suspense.

3) Moreover, another inter-textual reference could be the stair case used in ‘Shallow Grave’ as they are winding, likewise in ‘Third Man’ the staircase is winding.

Shallow Grave The Third Man

The use of these staircases makes the atmosphere more menacing. Also, it could be foreshadowing that something is always around the corner, this creates more suspense. The angles used here make the audience feel more confused and they are oblivious of what is yet to come.

Inter-textual reference between two German films: “Nosferatu the Vampyre” - 1929 and 1979There are visual similarities between the establishing shot of Harry Lime and the lighting used in both the German films. Consequently, the connotations between the earlier film made in 1929 and “The Third Man” suggests Harry Lime links Harry to the perception of a phantom. These gothic references are reinforced when Holly Martins sees Harry in the door way and his subsequent vanishing into the night. Also this inter textual reference indicates that Lime, like Nosferatu is a vampire/the archetype of evil – a creature of nightmares.