The Third Man

I found the movie The Third Man to be very interesting and enjoyable. I loved the suspense and twist in characters, however I felt as though I saw certain plot aspects coming. Maybe I watch too many movies, but I noticed a lot of foreshadowing that gave certain aspects away from the characters role as well as what Holly was in for. First off, When Holly walked under the ladder in the opening scene upon arriving in Vienna, I felt as though he walked into a trap that awaited him. He quickly looked up after walking under the ladder as if sensing it himself. Secondly, when Holly met that strange feminine man at the cafe to inquire about the death of his dear friend Harry Lime, I noticed he wore a glove on this right hand. I perceive the right hand as truthful, honest. I suppose I perceive this because we pledge with our right hand. By wearing a single black glove on his right hand, to me, foreshadowed a switch in character to more of darker involved man with a motive of his own.

As far as the way in which the movie was filmed, I found it rather interesting. I noticed that the camera angles always went slanted during secretive conversions involving Lime's death, which at times threw me out of my focus. I felt that the zither music did not truly fit the style of this film until we discussed it in class. It annoyed me that the movie dealt a lot with confusing circus like features but then I realized these elements captured the chaotic sense of the movie. The strange little boy, the ball, the balloons, the farris wheel, along with the larger then life shadows reflected the craze Holly was consumed in. It seemed unreal as well as chaotic, much like a circus. I also loved how one student pointed out that the shadows represented another world that was occurring along side reality. I noticed the heavy use of shadows but had a hard time understanding its meaning/symbolism. I guess I feel as though the use of shadows was used to capture a deeper darker meaning. The shadow world is a world that captured the characters grim emotions that was reflected upon the walls.

The article " The Revenant of Vienna: A Critical Comparison of Carol Reed's Film The Third Man and Bram Stoker's Novel Dracula," was really interesting. The purpose alone, Lime compared to Dracula, had me make some comparisons on my own before reading the article. I noticed a lot of similar things but I also learned a lot too. What I did notice was how Lime only really revealed himself at night, he wore dark clothing, vanished without a trace at times and had a dark/twisted respect for the life of humanity. I learned from this article, that like Dracula, Lime is hardly ever present throughout the film. You truly learn of him from what other characters say about him. I found it also very interesting how both Dracula and Lime first appear standing in doorways. Really cool stuff. I wonder if director Carol Reed meant to portray Lime as being quite similar to Dracula on purpose.....

Overall, awesome movie and very interesting article.