The Third Man Page #2

Synopsis: An out of work pulp fiction novelist, Holly Martins, arrives in a post war Vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has led to a flourishing black market. He arrives at the invitation of an ex-school friend, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job, only to discover that Lime has recently died in a peculiar traffic accident. From talking to Lime's friends and associates Martins soon notices that some of the stories are inconsistent, and determines to discover what really happened to Harry Lime.
Director(s): Carol Reed
Production: Rialto Pictures
  Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.2
Rotten Tomatoes:
99%
NOT RATED
Year:
1949
93 min
Website
4,373 Views


Austrians aren't allowed

in your hotel.

- Couldn't we meet at the Mozart Cafe ?

- Where ?

- Just around the corner.

- How will l know you ?

l'll carry a copy of one of your books.

Harry gave it to me.

Be there in a moment.

Wait a minute.

lf l do this lecture business,

you'll put me up here a while ?

- Certainly.

- lt's a deal.

- Did you ever read

The Lone Rider of Santa Fe ?

- No, not that one.

lt's a story about a man

who hunted down a sheriff who

was victimizing his best friend.

- Seems exciting.

- lt is.

l'm gunning just the same way

for your Major Callaghan.

Sounds anti-British, sir.

- Baron Kurtz ?

- Mr. Martins ?

Delighted to meet you.

Come, let's sit down here.

[ Speaking German ]

- What would you like ? Tea ? Coffee ?

- Coffee.

[ Speaking German ]

lt's wonderful how

you keep the tension.

- Tension ?

- Suspense.

- You really liked it ?

- At the end of every chapter

you are left guessing.

So, you were

a friend of Harry's ?

l think his best.

Except you, of course.

The police have a crazy notion that he

was mixed up in some sort of a racket.

Everyone in Vienna is. We all sell

cigarettes and that kind of thing.

l tell you, l've done things that would

have seemed unthinkable before the war.

Once when l was hard up,

l sold some tires on the black market.

l wonder what my father

would have said.

l'm afraid the police

meant more than that.

They get rather absurd

ideas sometimes.

He's somewhere now

he won't mind about that.

Even so, l'm not going to leave

it at this. Would you help me ?

l wish l could. But,

you know, l am an Austrian.

l have to be

careful with the police.

l'm afraid

l can't help you.

Except with advice,

of course.

Advice.

We came out of his place

like this...

and were walking this way.

A friend of his called to him

from over there.

Harry went across, and

from up there came the truck.

lt was just about here.

- Here ?

- Yes.

His friend and l

picked him up,

carried him across over here.

- [ Car Horn Honks ]

- lt was a terrible thing. Terrible.

We laid him down

just about here.

And this is where he died.

Even at the end,

his thoughts were of you.

What did he say ?

l can't remember

the exact words, Holly.

l may call you Holly, mayn't l ?

He always called you that to us.

He was anxious l should

look after you when you arrived,

to see that you got safely home,

tickets, you know, and all that.

But he said he died

instantaneously.

Well, he died before

the ambulance could reach us.

Well, there was only you and

this friend of his. Uh, who was he ?

A Romanian. Mr. Popescu.

- l'd like to talk to him.

- H-He has left Vienna.

[ Dog Whimpering ]

- Uh, excuse me.

- Yes ?

- Did you know Mr. Lime well ?

- Mr. Lime ? Yes.

- You remember me. U-Upstairs.

- Yes, l remember you.

Who used to visit Mr. Lime ?

Visit ? Eh--

[ Speaking German ]

- What did he say ?

- He says he doesn't know everybody.

[ Woman Speaking German ]

[ German ]

Excuse me.

Who was at the funeral

besides you ?

Only his doctor, Dr. Winkel.

Wasn't there a girl there ?

Some girl of the Josefstadt Theater.

You know what Harry was.

You oughtn't to speak to her.

lt would only cause her pain.

Not necessarily.

She'd probably want to help.

What's the good

of another postmortem ?

Suppose you dig up something

discreditable to Harry ?

- Would you give me your address ?

- l live in the Russian sector.

But you'll find me at

the Casanova Club every night.

One has to work the best way

one can, you know.

- What's the name of this girl ?

- l don't know.

l don't think l ever heard it.

You did mention the theater.

Josefstadt.

But l still think

it won't do Harry any good.

You'd do better

to think of yourself.

[ Chuckles ]

l'll be all right.

Of course.

l'm so glad l've met you.

A master of suspense !

Such a good cover, l think.

- Number 8, please.

- Mr. Calloway's compliments.

- Here's the ticket

for the plane tomorrow.

- Tell the major l won't need it.

Oh, porter, order me a ticket tonight

for the Josefstadt Theater.

- Ah, Mr. Martins !

- Good evening, Mr. Crabbin.

He said l was to drive you

to the airfield or the bus,

whichever you prefer.

Didn't you hear Mr. Crabbin offer me

the hospitality of the H.Q.B.M.T. ?

[ Speaking German ]

l was a friend of Harry Lime.

- [ Laughter, Chattering ]

- Afterwards.

[ Speaking German ]

[ Audience Laughing ]

Uh, Miss Schmidt ?

Oh, come in.

- Thank you.

- Sit down.

- l enjoyed the play very much.

- Danke. Guten Nacht.

- Guten Nacht.

- You were-- You were awfully good.

- Do you understand German ?

- No, l-- Excuse me.

l could follow it fine.

- Oh, yes.

- Perhaps Harry told you about me.

My name is Holly Martins.

-No, he never told me about his friends.

-Oh.

- Would you like some tea ?

Someone threw me this packet last week.

- Thank you.

Sometimes the British do instead of

flowers, you know, on the first night.

That was a bouquet from an American.

Would you rather have whiskey ?

- Oh, tea's fine.

- Good. l wanted to sell it.

- Oh, there is some tea left.

- Had you known him some time ?

- Yes.

- l wanted to talk to you--

No, thank you.

l wanted to talk to you about him.

There's nothing really to talk about,

is there ? Nothing.

Well, l saw you

at the funeral.

l'm so sorry.

l didn't notice much.

You were in love with him,

weren't you ?

l don't know. How can you know

a thing like that afterwards ?

l don't know anything anymore,

except l want to be dead too.

Some more tea ?

No, no tea.

Would you like a cigarette ?

Oh, American.

Thank you. l like them.

l was talking to another friend

of Harry's, a Baron Kurtz.

- Do you know him ?

- No.

- He's got a little dog.

- Oh, yes, yes.

Don't understand what Harry saw

in a fellow like that.

That was the man who brought me

some money when Harry died.

He said Harry had been

anxious at the last moment.

Hmm. He said

he remembered me too.

Seems to show

he wasn't in much pain.

Dr. Winkel told me that.

Dr. Winkel ?

Who's he ?

A doctor Harry used to go to.

He was passing just after it happened.

- His own doctor ?

- Yes.

Well, were you

at the inquest ?

Yes. They said it wasn't

the driver's fault.

Harry had often said what

a careful driver he was.

- He was Harry's driver ?

- Mm-hmm.

Well, uh,

l don't get it.

All of them there !

Uh, Kurtz, this Romanian, uh, Popescu,

his own driver

knocking him over,

his own doctor

just passing by.

No strangers there at all.

l know. l've wondered

about it a hundred times,

if it really was an accident.

What difference does it make ?

He's dead, isn't he ?

- But if it wasn't an--

- [ Woman ] Frau Schmidt !

[ Speaking German ]

l must hurry. They don't like

us to use the lights.

- The porter saw it happen.

- Then why worry ?

Look, do you know

that porter ?

Yes.

[ Speaking German ]

- What's he saying ?

- He says it happened right down there.

Happened, yes.

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Graham Greene

Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991), better known by his pen name Graham Greene, was an English novelist regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted, in 1966 and 1967, for the Nobel Prize for Literature. Through 67 years of writings, which included over 25 novels, he explored the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world, often through a Catholic perspective. Although Greene objected strongly to being described as a Roman Catholic novelist, rather than as a novelist who happened to be Catholic, Catholic religious themes are at the root of much of his writing, especially the four major Catholic novels: Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter, and The End of the Affair; which are regarded as "the gold standard" of the Catholic novel. Several works, such as The Confidential Agent, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana, The Human Factor, and his screenplay for The Third Man, also show Greene's avid interest in the workings and intrigues of international politics and espionage. Greene was born in Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire into a large, influential family that included the owners of the Greene King Brewery. He boarded at Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire, where his father taught and became headmaster. Unhappy at the school, he attempted suicide several times. He went up to Balliol College, Oxford, to study history, where, while an undergraduate, he published his first work in 1925—a poorly received volume of poetry, Babbling April. After graduating, Greene worked first as a private tutor and then as a journalist – first on the Nottingham Journal and then as a sub-editor on The Times. He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivien Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He published his first novel, The Man Within, in 1929; its favourable reception enabled him to work full-time as a novelist. He supplemented his novelist's income with freelance journalism, and book and film reviews. His 1937 film review of Wee Willie Winkie (for the British journal Night and Day), commented on the sexuality of the nine-year-old star, Shirley Temple. This provoked Twentieth Century Fox to sue, prompting Greene to live in Mexico until after the trial was over. While in Mexico, Greene developed the ideas for The Power and the Glory. Greene originally divided his fiction into two genres (which he described as "entertainments" and "novels"): thrillers—often with notable philosophic edges—such as The Ministry of Fear; and literary works—on which he thought his literary reputation would rest—such as The Power and the Glory. Greene had a history of depression, which had a profound effect on his writing and personal life. In a letter to his wife, Vivien, he told her that he had "a character profoundly antagonistic to ordinary domestic life," and that "unfortunately, the disease is also one's material." William Golding described Greene as "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety." He died in 1991, at age 86, of leukaemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery. more…

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