Film in Context: The Third Man

Critics and movie-buffs  alike have consistently placed The Third Man (1948-49), produced by Alexander Korda, directed by Carol Reed and scripted by Graham Greene, among the ten most important movies in cinematic history. An absolute classic of the thriller genre, it is certainly considered one of the few undisputed masterpieces of British cinema. Thus it won the Grand Prix in Cannes in 1949 and the British Film of the Year Award for 1949, and it was recently even voted the best British movie of the century. Almost everyone agrees that The Third Man transcends its nominal classification as an entertaining thriller, embracing – as it does – serious themes in a complex interweaving of moral, religious and political issues and at the same time capturing the tension, mistrust and fear that characterised the emerging post-Second World War era in Europe.