The Third Man (1949)

This postwar film noir classic is magnificent on all levels. Graham Greene’s screenplay, based on one of his own novels, is alternately hilarious and painfully insightful, often simultaneously. The result is a darkly comic masterpiece, effective both as a plot-driven murder investigation and as a poignant treatise on the morals and mindsets of a handful of lost, unforgettable characters stumbling around war-torn Vienna. The city itself, rubble-strewn and cobble-stoned, is spectacularly depicted by sumptuous black and white cinematography, as are the crowded interiors ornately decorated with the splendor of better times.

The cast, including stars Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and a zither, masterfully capture Greene’s weary tone, and the ensemble is filled out with the kind of outstanding character actors synonymous with the studio age. Carol Reed directs with a style that calls attention to the film’s substance, all Dutch angles and expressionistic lighting. The film’s thrilling climax, a brilliantly staged manhunt in the city’s shadowy sewers, is justifiably famous, but far from the film’s only memorable scene. In fact, a long and rather beautiful final shot is among the most evocative in cinematic history.