In preparation for the anticipated senior trip, my parents and I have been discussing possible locals.  On the top of the list is Vienna, Austria.  As one of my mom’s favorite cities, it immediately rose in the ranks.  My mother has recounted memories of travelling with her high school band to the alpine wonderland and later returning in college.  However, my schema is entirely different.  When I think of Vienna, my mind is cluttered with images of apple streudal, Julie Andrews prancing around the Bavarian mountains in “The Sound of Music,” and Carol Reed’s “The Third Man.”

Floating in and out of mocking zither music and haunting Dutch angles, The Third Man is a macabre yet satirical portrayal of post-war Vienna and the resulting corruption of a divided city among the victories allied powers.  When Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), a cowboy novel writing drunkard, arrives in Vienna to meet his old friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discovered he has just been killed in a car accident.  However, Martins is poised to investigate the murder after the discovery that there were three men present at the time of Lime’s murder: his doctor, his friend, and an unknown third man.

Not only is this film a captivating thriller but it is also a defining example of cinematography. Most film angles are slightly askew, forming a Dutch Angle, which creates a discordant reaction from the viewer.  This transports the view into the backward post-war atmosphere of Vienna. Additionally, the abundance of shadows adds to the murky effect of the film.

This film could not have materialized without the unique talents of Orson Welles.  Known primarily for his narration of  “War of the Worlds,” which terrified a nation, his sonorous voice projects the essence of film noir.  Additionally Lime’s notoriety is encapsulated into the most famous line of the film, “Don’t be so gloomy. After all it’s not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

Watch it on Netflix!