With exteriors shot in war-ravaged Vienna, this iconic film noir thriller boasts writing, cinematography, editing and music comparable to Citizen Kane, winning it the Palm D’Or at Cannes, the British academy award for Best Picture of 1949, as well as an Oscar for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White). Its unique zither score rose to #1 on the Billboard Charts. In 1999, the British Film Institute voted it the greatest British film of all time.

The story, by celebrated novelist and spy Graham Greene, is full of mystery, intrigue, irony, fraught relationships, and action. Joseph Cotten plays the American plunged into a world beyond his understanding, with Alida Valli as the beautiful, jaded woman beyond his grasp. Orson Welles turns in a knock-out performance as the mysterious title character.

Our panel of film-lovers young and old discusses the films they love that owe their roots to this classic, which parts of it are still cool and what now seems dorky, and why people today would want to watch black & white movies at all.

Hosts: Mark Netter & David Tausik

Panelists: Grace Chapman, Jake Flowers & Guy Lewis

Guest Panelist: Ann Michelle

An ElectraCast Production

AFI Greatest American Movies (original list): #57

IMDb with restored trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man

Original Variety Review: https://variety.com/1949/film/reviews/the-third-man-1117795637/

Guardian Review: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/02/the-third-man-review-philip-french

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices