For the last year of the decade, I wanted to talk about Carol Reed's The Third Man, which stars Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli and Orson Welles.
My classic movie diary articles so far:
1940: Rebecca
1941: Citizen Kane
1942: There Was A Father
1943: The Ox-Bow Incident
1944: Laura
1945: Brief Encounter
1946: It's A Wonderful Life
1947: Monsieur Verdoux
1948: Rope
The film is set in Vienna, post-Second World War. Author Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) arrives in the city to visit his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles). When Martins learns that Lime has recently died, his investigation into the circumstances of his friend's death reveals a lot of inconsistencies into the accident that caused it, including the presence of a mysterious 'third man'.
'Film noir' has turned out to be my favourite genre within classic Hollywood. The Third Man is often lauded as being one of the best- and it is definitely sublimely made, utilising its shadowy and mysterious setting to great effect. It's beautifully shot and has an inexplicably quirky score that somehow just works, giving the whole film a playful tone.
Though the first half of the The Third Man took a while to fully engage me, the movie uncovers the central mystery layer by layer through intelligent dialogue and stunning black-and-white visuals. Perhaps my gripe with the film is due to the characters, who never quite muster up the spark of other film noir characters like those in Double Indemnity or Laura. Orson Welles, however, lights up the screen from the moment he arrives, revitalising the story and instantly recaptured my attention with his genuinely iconic entrance.
Perhaps this is one to revisit in the future, so I can better appreciate the intricacies of the plot twists but overall this was a well crafted mystery that became more and more compelling as it progressed.
Thanks for reading this article- we have reached the end of the '40s for this series! If you would like to know when I post my reviews for '50s movies, follow me on Twitter (@filmdomblog) or Instagram (cinematicwallflower).