Ep. 44: The Third Man (1949) - 70th Anniversary

Celebrated as the best British film ever made, and one of the greatest films of all time, Carol Reed's The Third Man is the perfect embodiment of post-war cynicism which gave birth to the eclectic style of Film Noir. The ravaged setting of quadrated Vienna reflects the fusion of influence in Carol Reed's production. The sensibilities of the British director, the American producer, and the German Expressionist influence of Film Noir all come together to paint a beautifully dour portrait of a world left in shambles and the conflicting morality that arises from its ashes. Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles pair phenomenally, as they once had in Welles' influential masterpiece, Citizen Kane (1941). They play diametric opposites in terms of philosophy, attempting to pull one another towards closer to the center resulting in a dual of ethical grayness that exemplifies the muddied morality of film noir. The cinematography is astounding, the performances are legendary, and there's never a more timely film to capture that brief moment of the post-war world quite like Carol Reed had with his unassailable masterpiece, The Third Man.

Timestamps:

0:00 - 14:30: Traffic, weather, Joker hot takes
14:30 - 29:43: New Releases - In Fabric, Tigers Are Not Afraid, IT: Chapter II
29:45 - 1:07:13: The Third Man