The Third Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Third Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 20, 2015

Carol Reed's "The Third Man" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with assistant director Guy Hamilton, Simon Callow and Angela Allen; interview and zither performance by Cornelia Mayer; audio interviews with Joseph Cotten and Graham Greene; interactive tour of Vienna, with commentaries by Dr. Brigitte Timmermann and tour guide Gerhard Strassgschwandtner; collection of early 1950s radio announcements; documentary feature; and a lot more. In English, French, or German, with optional English SDH, French, or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"Where is Harry Lime?"

A young American novelist, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten, The Killer is Loose), heads to Vienna looking for his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles, Citizen Kane). Once in the city, however, he learns that Lime has passed away. Shocked by the news, Martins starts asking questions -- a lot of questions. He is told a number of different stories that eventually lead him to believe that Lime was killed.

Determined to find out who is responsible for Lime's murder, Martins embarks on a treacherous journey amidst the unfriendly streets of Vienna. Eventually, he encounters the beautiful Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli, Eyes Without a Face), a Czech national with forged Austrian papers, who agrees to help him find his friend.

Based on a screenplay by Graham Greene (The Quiet American), Carol Reed's The Third Man is a terrific hybrid of a film in which noir, neo-realism, and Hollywood bravado are mixed to perfection. Set in post-war Vienna, it is very much a dark caricature of sorts where the finesse, elegance, and tradition of Old Europe are seen through the eyes of a naive but ambitious American looking for his missing friend.

Contrary to what many critics have claimed, the narrative is rather complicated. A giant mystery surrounding Welles' character is slowly peeled off, piece by piece, and as a result, The Third Man quickly evolves into a guessing game in which every little detail must be scrutinized. As expected for a film noir, there is also a dangerous femme fatale who becomes a prominent player as soon as the main protagonist reaches Austrian soil.

In addition to strong dark overtones, The Third Man boasts a great deal of nihilism. For example, betrayal and impossible love are depicted by Reed with a sense of realism that feels uncannily contemporary. Not surprisingly, The Third Man works incredibly well not only as a non-stop adventure film, but also as a realistic depiction of a world struggling to recuperate after an enormous tragedy.

Even though The Third Man is a British film, its take on Old Europe is distinctly American. The clash of cultural ideologies, as witnessed through the interactions between Valli and Cotten, is particularly intriguing. There are entire sequences where Reed focuses on the American, whose alarming naivety produces some of the most hilarious moments.

Anton Karas' score is most unusual but strikingly beautiful. The mellow sounds produced by his zither give The Third Man a very special flavor, one that blends with the dark vistas from Vienna's sewers exceptionally well. Predictably, the atmosphere that The Third Man sustains is often cited as its greatest strength.

The Third Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carol Reed's The Third Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from the recent 4K restoration of the film, which StudioCanal is releasing on Blu-ray in France, the United Kingdom and Germany. I assume that the other two releases are identical to the French release because the disc's main menu can be set in French, English, or German (see screencapture #23).

The 4K restoration is excellent. Some of the improvements in terms depth and color gradation may not be immediately noticeable, but the larger your screen is, the easier it will be to see that the film now has a much better balanced appearance. Generally speaking, edges are better defined and a number of close-ups look cleaner. Contrast levels are also better balanced (compare screencapture #6 and screencapture #10 from our review of Criterion's out of print release). Some of the most obvious improvements, however, are with shadow definition, and plenty of the nighttime footage now appears a lot more nuanced (see the very dark close-up in screencapture #3). Grain is well resolved and tighter, but in some areas it could be difficult to see the difference. In fact, there are various segments where the better balanced contrast levels actually make a bigger difference (compare screencapture #13 and screencapture #4 from our review of the Criterion release and screencapture #22 and screencapture #5 from our review of the Criterion release). There is some mild unevenness before, during and after select transitions, but overall image stability is actually improved. Plenty of flicker and sporadic light warping that were present on StudioCanal's previous release are also eliminated. There are no large debris, cuts, torn frames, or damage marks. All in all, I prefer the overall better balanced appearance of StudioCanal's release and I think that at this point it is unquestionably the best one on the market. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Third Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless clean and stable. I tested a few sequences where the music becomes prominent -- for example, the short sequence around the 01:15:35 mark -- but clarity and depth appear virtually identical to those on the lossless track from the Criterion release. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

The Third Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: After the Blu-ray is loaded, you will be asked to choose from three interfaces. If you set the main interface in English, there will be no optional subtitles for the supplemental features listed below. If you choose the French interface, all supplemental features will have imposed French subtitles. And if you choose the German interface, all supplemental features will have imposed German subtitles.

• Trailer - new trailer for the recent 4K restoration of The Third Man. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Audio Commentary - an audio commentary with assistant director Guy Hamilton, Simon Callow and Angela Allen (2nd unit continuity). This is a relaxed, very informative commentary with an abundance of technical information about the production history of The Third Man, the technical and logistical obstacles the cast and crew had to overcome, the film's fascinating story, etc. The same commentary appears on StudioCanal's first Blu-ray release of The Third Man. In English, not subtitled.

• Shadowing the Third Man - a long, very informative documentary film focusing on the production history of The Third Man, the secret of its success, the allure of post-war Vienna, etc. The film contains an abundance of archival footage as well as numerous interviews and excerpts from Graham Greene's novel. It is also included on StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray release. In English, not subtitled. (90 min).

• Interview and zither performance by Cornelia Mayer - a wonderful performance of the Harry Lime theme & Cafe Mozart Waltz by Mrs. Mayer. It is also included on StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray release. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• The Third Man Interactive Tour - a fantastic, very original tour of the old Vienna seen in The Third Man and compared to modern Vienna. With comments and very helpful information by Dr. Brigitte Timmermann and tour guide Gerhard Strassgschwandtner. It is also included on StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray release. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Josefsplatz (4 min).
  2. Third Man Museum (4 min).
  3. Karlsplatz (4 min).
  4. Sacher Hotel (6 min).
  5. Am Hof (6 min).
  6. Maria am Gestade (5 min).
  7. Molkerbastei (4 min).
  8. Stephansdom (3 min).
  9. Hoher Markt (3 min).
  10. Morzinplatz (4 min).
  11. Ruprechtskirche (3 min).
  12. Prater (4 min).
  13. Stadtpark (4 min).
  14. Zentralfriedhof (5 min).

• The Third Man on the Radio - a collection of early 1950s radio announcements for The Third Man as heard on "The Lives of Harry Lime" show. Written and read by Orson Welles. Also included on StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray release. In English, not subtitled. (30 min).

• Guardian NFT Interviews - also included on StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray release.
  
  1. Joseph Cotten - an audio only interview, courtesy of BFI National Archive/Guardian News & Media Ltd, from 1987. This is a very long and very informative interview in which the famous actor who played Holly Martins recalls his work with Carol Reed, and discusses the production history of The Third Man, its success, etc. In English, not subtitled. (48 min).
  
  2. Graham Greene - an audio only interview, courtesy of BFI National Archive/Guardian News & Media Ltd, from 1984. In this interview, the famous writer discusses how the screenplay for The Third Man came to exist. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Joseph Cotten's Alternate Opening Voiceover Narration - it is also included on StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray release. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• The Third Man - A Filmmaker's Influence - in this new featurette, directors Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver), Ben Wheatley (Kill List), John Sayles (Matewan), and Franc Roddam (Quadrophenia), and screenwriter Hossein Amini (Drive) recall their initial reactions to The Third Man, and discuss its unique qualities as well as the type of impact the film had on them and their careers. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Restoring The Third Man - in this new featurette, Paul Collard (Vice President of Film & Digital Services/Deluxe), Marie Fieldman (film specialist), Paul Doogan (Head of Scanning), Tom Barrett (Restoration Supervisor), Tom Wiltshire (Digital Restoration Artist), and Stephen Bearman (Senior Grader) discuss in great detail StudioCanal's new 4K restoration of The Third Man. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Dangerous Edge - Graham Greene Documentary - this documentary film focuses on the life and legacy of Graham Greene. In English, not subtitled. (56 min).

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet. In French.

The Third Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

StudioCanal's new 4K restoration of Carol Reed's classic film The Third Man is fantastic. This French Blu-ray release also has a very impressive selection of supplemental features, some of which are brand new. The release is Region-Free and should be identical to the ones StudioCanal is also releasing in the United Kingdom and Germany (you can see our listings of these releases here and here). If you do not have this film in your collections yet, now is a good time to consider picking up a copy. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (Note: Please be aware that even though the French, German, and British releases have identical content, we have reviewed and tested only the French release and cannot confirm whether the German and British releases are also REGION-FREE).