The Third Man (1949) - Lionsgate Limited 4K UHD SteelBook

“Step out into the light, let’s have a look at you!”

As my former colleague Nate Boss previously reviewed this film on Blu-ray, I’ll soon defer to his thoughts. As one of my ultimate favorite films, I love Carol Reed’s The Third Man. A noir classic, Joseph Cotten gets to play detective as the fish-out-of-water down-on-his-luck writer Holly Martins. Called to Vienna by his old friend Harry Lime (Welles), he has the hope of lucrative employment, but learns upon arrival that his childhood friend is dead. Unable to move on or let go of the matter, he soon discovers the man he thought he knew had more than a few skeletons in his closet. 

It’s a tantalizing setup for a thriller where a curious mind starts pulling away at the thin strands of the story of the man known as Harry Lime. One reveal to the next, the film is a tightly wound thriller with excellent performances captured against the ominous backdrop of a post-war city in recovery. And then there’s that famous zither score from Anton Karas. I know some who don’t take to it or find it distracting, but something about that jangly tune that every time I hear it, my ears perk up and a sly grin stitches across my face. It’s one of the few films I’d call “perfect” where everything stitches together into an exciting tapestry of plot threads. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is cheated or telegraphed. It’s just fantastic filmmaking from frame one through the final shot. 

For a fun side trek, check out Around the World with Orson Welles. In one episode dedicated to Vienna, Welles shares some interesting stories about the making of the film. He amusingly stops talking about The Third Man and gets hung up for a long spell discussing the famous Sachertorte, how it's made, and how many he's consumed. I don't recall how old I was when I first saw this film, but I was old enough to appreciate it and still young enough for it to be impressionable, and decades later it remains a true, genuine favorite. 

Now here’s what Nate had to say about this film for his The Third Man Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review:

There is no shortage of films about war. The subject has captured the minds and imaginations of the world, with the limitless amount of amazing first hand accounts, and the fictional dramatizations that hit the theaters on a yearly basis, telling the tales of the heroes, villains, great loves, miracles, and tragedies that have befallen the world in time of battle. The funny thing, to me at least, is that there aren’t anywhere near as many films that tell the story of the world recovering from the war, the men and women rebuilding their lives and families, or those who set out for their own selfish means, to become rich, in the areas hit hardest by the bloodshed. Carol Reed’s ‘The Third Man,’ is one such tale, concerning a man who used the desperate post-war situation around him to further his own means.

The story follows Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten), a fledgling writer, who arrives in Vienna, responding to a message from his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles) that offered him a job. Nearly immediately, though, Martins discovers that Lime is dead, as the result of an auto accident just before his arrival. Wanting to find out what happened, Martins begins to probe Lime’s friends and neighbors, only to discover discrepancies in the stories, and is told that, contrary to the police report, there were three men who helped move Lime’s body to a nearby statue, not just two. Martins sets out to find out about the third man, unraveling the shroud of mystery surrounding Lime and his racket, crossing paths with the police, and with Lime’s female companion Anna Schmidt(Alida Valli), an actress who may know the truth behind the story.

To say that Welles steals this show is an understatement. The entire film up to his introduction leads up to discovering he is not as dead as his tombstone would indicate. This may be considered a *spoiler*, but anyone who knows Welles is in the film can figure out who he plays by his conspicuous absence through most of ‘The Third Man.’ His silent first appearance in the film is memorable and haunting. His diatribe in the famous ferris wheel scene is ominous, and disturbing. The film takes a drastic turn in tone upon his introduction, yet doesn’t fall apart; instead, it draws viewers in, as a new level of tension is introduced. Instead of wondering what really happened, we are now curious to know why a man would go to the lengths that Lime went to fall off the face of the Earth.

The depths that man would go for material gain, to the point of losing one’s humanity (and life), is a theme that is barely skimmed in ‘The Third Man,’ but it is an important plot point to consider when viewing the film, as one becomes informed of Lime’s selfish transgressions, ones that did irreparable harm to others. As Lime's famous ferris wheel rant reveals, he places very little value on a human life if it is not his own.

The city of Vienna, the sole setting of ‘The Third Man,’ plays as important a part as any actor in the film. The bombed out city, with rubble scattered everywhere, had a powerful look, which presented the desperate situations of the inhabitants fantastically. Piles of bricks and dirt are stacked against buildings, playing an important part of a few crucial scenes in the film, while the labyrinth-like sewer system creates a setting of wonderful tension for the finale, where danger is lurking around any corner. These sewers can seen as a very thinly veiled analogy, especially the shots of the fingers protruding through the grates, desperate to escape.

I've always imagined the story told in the film to be the one that Martins later writes to recount the complicated affair. He makes numerous references, when discussing the situation with police, that he will use the situation in a novel he is working on, entitled “The Third Man.” The story is told solely through Martins’ eyes, and encompasses the perfect mix of intrigue and suspense, a mysterious love triangle, and a betrayal. Whether you romanticize the film in this matter, or not, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this bit of classic cinema. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
As part of the growing Lionsgate Limited collection of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook releases, Carol Reed’s The Third Man enters the scene with a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital set. The 4K is pressed on a Region Free BD100 disc with a Region A BD50 disc serving the 1080p disc. The discs are housed in an artful SteelBook case with plastic slipcover. Also included is a 56-page booklet with an excellent run of essays celebrating the film’s 75th anniversary.

Last November, StudioCanal released an elaborate gift set 4K UHD of The Third Man. Hearing great things, I avoided grabbing that in the hopes that Criterion or someone would license it here in the States. It didn’t take long for Lionsgate to announce the film as part of their Lionsgate Limited collection. After finally springing for this edition, I can see for myself the incredible restoration work StudioCanal put into this release. From the first frame, it’s in marvelous condition. This is a genuine night and day improvement over the poor StudioCanal Collection Blu-ray and a significant upgrade from Criterion’s disc. The incredible details in facial features, costuming, and the shadowy sights of Vienna are on full display with a nice layer of naturally cinematic film grain. Every woolen, tweed, or houndstooth coat pattern gets that micro attention befitting of 2160p.

The Dolby Vision grade delivers lovely nuance to the film’s grayscale. From bright whites to the deep impermeable blacks, the image is often stunning for a film first screened 75 years ago. Getting down into some deep nitty-gritty minuscule nitpicks, there are a couple of scenes with some small visible scratches or nicks, a couple of bits of speckling. Usually, those moments surround some kind of optical effect or transition, so not completely out of the ordinary. Nothing to get fussy about, not enough to negatively affect the score, but I felt it was still worth the notation.

On the audio side, we have a very clean DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track to enjoy. The dialog, the score, the splashes in a sewer, and the echoing footsteps clacking away on the brick Vienna streets get their due. Right from the start, that zither score from Karas commands the mix. Thankfully, nothing dominates over the other audio elements, so the whole track is clean. Again massive step up over the StudioCanal collection Blu-ray. Compared to the Criterion disc, these are pretty damned close in comparison beyond the obvious 2.0 vs 1.0 distinctions. Levels are about on par, and dialog is clean. My only slight slip for this mix is I felt like there was a bit of hiss peppered throughout. It’s not overly distracting, but it’s there and not hard to miss.

For this release we have a nice selection of new and archival extras. Upfront and out of the way, none of the Criterion exclusive extras and commentaries have been carried over here. Not too surprising since they rarely(if ever)  share assets they created for a disc - so if you still have that 2008/2009 Blu-ray disc and want all of the extras, hold onto that one. What’s here and now is pretty great. The Hamilton, Callow, Allen commentary is a terrific piece of informative conversation about the film. The making-of documentary Shadowing the Third Man is also essential viewing. The rest of the featurettes and tidbits are nice additions and worth the time, but aren’t necessarily as weighty. While this may not be strictly everything ever produced for The Third Man, it’s a healthy assortment of worthwhile bonus content. 

4K UHD & Blu-ray Discs

• Audio Commentary featuring Guy Hamilton, Simon Callow, and Angela Allen
• Noreen Ackland on Saving the Thrid Man (Excerpt from BEHP Audio Interview) (HD 5:42)
• The Third Man - A Filmmaker's Influence (HD 16:48)
• Restoring The Third Man (HD 19:23)
• Joseph Cotten’s Alternate Opening Narration (HD 1:23)
• The Third Man Interactive Vienna Tour
• The Third Man on the Radio (30:14)
• Interview with Zither Performance by Cornel Mayer (HD 4:43)
• Shadowing the Third Man (HD 1:33:29)
• Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
• Anniversary Trailer 
• Booklet Essays

Often held as the best British film ever made, I’d go further to suggest The Third Man is one of the best films ever made, period. From start to finish, this film has a unique and exciting energy. Before long, you’re thrust head-first into a tantalizing mystery with a variety of colorful characters, each with their own motives. Throughout, Joseph Cotten is our “detective” pulling the plot threads together, learning the truth about his dear old friend Harry Lime. On 4K UHD, this Lionsgate Limited SteelBook release delivers the new restoration from StudioCanal in fine order with an impeccable A/V presentation and a very nice assortment of extras all bound together with some slick original artwork. I’m glad I finally bit the bullet and picked this one up, it’s a true favorite, and I’m delighted to see it looking and sounding this good. Must Own 

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