Films Studies

Pascal Di Betta

Film: The third man

Perspective

As I have stated previously, a story is a point of view which gives us a new perspective on a certain object, person or idea. The Mise en Scene of the Third man is particularly fascinating; most of the shots in the film are tilted. Reading through the Understanding Movies by Louis Gianneti, the concept of framing within the perimeters of the film ratio is presented and can be seen in practice in almost every film. A beautiful demonstration of this in The Third Man is during the last scene, where Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli) is walking down the road. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) waits for her, leaning against the a small wooden wagon. The Shot puts Anna in the dead center, making her the most important subject matter within the shot. She is framed by trees flanking both sides of the road, drawing our attention to her for over a minute as she walks towards the camera. As for the tilt, it is a psychological offset sense the entire world feels as if it could fall of the scene at any moment. This technique is used in almost every other shot. Arches, doors and windows are also utilized to give a sense that everyone is within a chicken Pen, stuck in Vienna. No one gets out, no one gets in

It is implied who is under the archway in the dark. Suspense is created not in the lack of knowledge of Harry Lime’s (Orson Welles) presence, but because we don't know what he is going to do. Does he have a gun, is he going to fight or dash? He is in the shadows, making him a mysterious character. When Holly first notices the shady figure we are presented with a shot that is at a tilt of almost forty five degrees. It cuts back to Holly and then we are given a highly contrasted shot where the subject matter is slightly offset. It has an eerie feeling to it. Almost all of the shot following are at a tilt. When the light from the window comes on we are given a surprising sight. We have just been told of what Harry has been up to and yet all of it dissolves when we see him. He is a pleasant looking man, and he reacts by looking up to the light and then looks back at Holly smiling. The music playing is that of what would be played in an old western bar. As he run away to the cellars we are left with a sense of a delightful mysterious man. As we find out this is quite misleading.

Aftermath of Hiroshima

The movie is addressing the issue of the American mortality. Holly thinks that he can solve this mystery and help people in doing so, the general idea the the west was superior. Most of the films previously talked about have been around the same time period and it is interesting to see how they relate. The Grape of Wrath is about the Great Depression which then leads into world war ii, where America was reluctant to send in troops even though a high profit from weaponry was the result of the war. Casablanca is addressing this lack of firepower from America, telling them it is time to take action. And then there is The third Man, which address the post war mess that was left. America had a very different experience than most European countries, celebrating with grandeur. I unfortunately am ignorant of the cultural response towards soldiers in Europe after the war, but from what I do know it wasn’t a big old party. The movie is pointing out how Americans, such as Harry Lime have made a profit out of something that should not be profitable, despair and destruction.