The Third Man (1949)

What makes a "classic" a classic?  Is it being the first to venture into a certain subject matter, or to first achieve a certain twist in a plot?  Is it a story that stands the test of time, never to be evenly matched?  Is it a cast of characters which showcase some of the greatest acting talent and performances ever seen?  What makes The Third Man a classic?  Is it the first film to invent the faked death twist?  Is Orson Welles ten minute cameo appearance worthy of such high esteem?  Or is the "third man" simply a third wheel in a second rate noir vehicle?

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) travels to Vienna to visit his old childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles).  Upon his arrival he learns of Harry's recent untimely death, but something simply doesn't seem right.  All of Harry's close friends, even his personal doctor, seemed to be at or nearby the scene of the accident, and none of their stories add up.  In fact all signs point to foul play, not merely an accident.  Holly brings this to the attention of the police, but they don't seem too interested to investigate it.  They inform him that Harry was a notorious racketeer and that his death, whether accident or murder, was a welcome one.  Holly finds it hard to believe his best friend is a harden criminal so he sets out to discover the truth, the truth that reveals there was a third unidentified man at the scene of the "accident", who could hold the key to everything.

The Third Man is one of my first ventures into the era of film noir, and I must admit I was a little thrown off guard by the film's comedic angle with the campy music and comedic side characters; and the overwhelming absence of Orson Welles.  I was expecting a serious, dark mystery, not a cross between Get Smart and Kojak.  For a film that's regarded as a classic I was hoping for a deeper, more mysterious storyline, but if you know that Orson Welles is playing the role of Harry Lime (which you do now) you'll quickly figure out the real one and only twist in this film.  The rest of the story is simply a game of cat and mouse as the main character attempts to discover why his friend is doing what he's doing.

Aside from Orson's ten minutes of outstanding screen presence the rest of the acting is average and a little over-cooked.  Although, I can overlook the acting seeing that the embellishment was simply a trend of the 40's and 50's.  Still the story wasn't that great, in fact the story was rather average, it's a plot that has been tremendously improved upon over the last sixty years, and in my opinon a film that's earned the title of classic ought to have a little more to show for it.  Ten minutes of Welles and the same off center artsy shot over and over again simply doesn't prove to me that The Third Man really deserves the title.

7/10