The Third Man (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
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Movie Reviews of The Third Man (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
Movie Review: The Third Man
Summary: 5 Stars
The pq and the aq are just brilliant.Once again Criterion has cleaned and polished a classic movie.Keep up the great work Criterion.Movie Review: Orson Welles, Vienna & a Cool Zither Score
Summary: 4 Stars
It's heartening to see that more and more classic films are being released in the Blu-ray format, which offers a crisp, sharp, High Definition picture and greater clarity of sound. The latest is "The Third Man," the 1949 film about post-World War II intrigue set in a Vienna divided into French, American, British, and Russian zones, each containing its share of suspicious characters.
Alcoholic pulp Western author Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) has come to Vienna at the invitation of his friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), who has offered him a job, but Holly arrives just as Lime is being buried. The film is based on the question, "Who killed Harry Lime?" We hear contrasting opinions of Lime. A British officer, Calloway (Trevor Howard), states unequivocally that Lime was a black market profiteer and deserves to be dead. Lime's girlfriend (Alida Valli) tells Holly that Lime is not the man Calloway has described and sets out to clear his name.
"The Third Man" was made by a team who experienced firsthand the war-torn devastation of Europe. Director Carol Reed worked for the British Army's wartime documentary unit and writer Graham Greene not only wrote about spies but sometimes was one. Reed filmed entirely on location in a Vienna still strewn with rubble and bomb craters four years after the war ended.
One of the film's most memorable features is its all-zither score by the Austrian Anton Karas. In fact, "The Third Man Theme" became one of the biggest hits of 1950. The music is certainly unique in the annals of film scoring and gives the film both an upbeat feel and an old world quality. In addition, the movie features a beautifully staged chase sequence that leads to the city's sewer system. The photography by Robert Krasker in this sequence is especially impressive, as long shots with bright light sources just out of sight throw elongated, distorted shadows, a characteristic of film noir.
The Blu-ray edition contains a restored high-definition digital transfer; a video introduction by writer-director Peter Bogdanovich; two audio commentaries; a 90-minute documentary on the making of the film; "Graham Greene: The Hunted Man," a 1968 episode of the BBC's "Omnibus" series; a 1951 episode of the radio series "The Lives of Harry Lime" written and performed by Orson Welles; archival footage of postwar Vienna; and a booklet featuring an essay on the movie and its impact.
Movie Review: blu ray - criterion style
Summary: 4 Stars
I have seen some other blu ray editions of older black and white movies and they are all pretty good. This one is also pretty good, however the print as pointed out before is grainy. In fact I would say that hd does bring out the grain in any movie that were shot that way. This movie was cleaned up though from it's damaged shape that existed before, and is the same print that you'd get on the standard edition , this one is clearer than the standard edition and if it were still in print I would still say that you are better off with this blu ray edition than the standard dvd one. However, I would not spend 58.00 to get this one because people are selling it as a rare item now. It's not worth the extra money over a standard version because of this. It was worth it at 20.00 or so used over a standard priced dvd; however now that it's out of print I would say hold off unless you must have this as a blu ray edition in your collection. The film itself is one of the cinemas most influential movies and is a true classic. That being said avoid the blu ray version unless it comes back into print because the clarity is better but the grain of this movie really comes out on this version. I didn't mind it because I didn't pay some seller a overprice on it. I have read that other criterion blu rays are less grainy so it's this print that was shot that way probably. However if you can get a cheaper copy of this one on blu ray then grab it. This edition has the same bonus features including the alterante opening, several radio shows featuring Orson Welles and the Harry Lime character. And other features, It also gives a good impression of how shattered austria was after the world war but at least Austria had the soviets leave it and the whole country was allowed to become a democratic nation. The underrated Joseph Cotton also shines in this movie and it's one of his best performances. This movie is a masterpiece well worth owning in your collection but you can't expect the type of blu ray clarity that a modern movie has. However I do agree that grain should be removed from older movies if possible. But it is a better looking print than any that have been around for a long time.Movie Review: The Third Man - Blu-ray Info
Summary: 4 Stars
Version: U.S.A / Criterion / Region A
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
MPEG-4 AVC / BD-50 / AACS / High Profile 4.1
Running time: 1:45:13
Movie size: 27,23 GB
Disc size: 43,30 GB
Total bit rate: 34.51 Mbps
Average video bit rate: 30.48 Mbps
Subtitles: English SDH
Number of chapters: 23
LPCM Audio English 768 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps
#Video introduction by writer-director
#Two audio commentaries
#Shadowing "The Third Man" - Making of (2005 - 90 mins)
#Abridged recording of Graham Greene's treatment
#Graham Greene: The Hunted Man, 1968 episode of the BBC's Omnibus series
#Who Was the Third Man? - Austrian documentary(2000 - 30 mins)
#The Third Man on the radio: the 1951 "A Ticket to Tangiers"
#Production history / behind-the-scenes photos, original UK press book
#U.S. trailer
#Actor Joseph Cotten's alternate opening voice-over narration for the U.S. version
#Archival footage of postwar Vienna
#A look at the untranslated foreign dialogue in the film
#Liner notes booklet
Movie Review: Movie great, transfer stinks
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a huge Orson Welles fan and couldn't wait to see this movie. Since it was coming out on blu-ray I thought I would add it to my collection. The movie was terrific, great story and performances. The problem is that it looks like crap! They put a filter over it that causes a constant thick grain that is very annoying. I got used to it but it should not have been this bad. I know it's an old film and such but come on! look at all the old films that tranfer beautifully! I bet the DVD version is cleaner. 3 stars based on picture quality. Recommend movie but be ready for a visual disappointment.