How Carol Reed Establishes Genre in 'The Third Man'

'The Third Man' directed by Carol Reed was produced in 1949 based on a novel by Graham Greene, starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli. As the opening credits roll, there is a very distinct diegetic soundtrack of the Zither played by Anton Karas. This soundtrack is now widely associated with this classic noir thriller. 'The Third Man Theme' as it is known as, topped the international music charts in 1950. The zither is most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and southern regions of Germany. Before the film even starts the zither acts as a cultural signifier, which is significant because the film is set in Vienna, Austria.





Once the opening credits pass, there are quick cuts between landmarks of Vienna, which are also act as a cultural signifier, reinforcing the fact that the film is set in Vienna. After the landmarks are passed it cuts to a low angle close of a couple of shifty characters. The close up of the goods shows the watches, obviously being sold illegally possibly on the black market. This could suggest that the society of Vienna is corrupt, and that criminals are roaming free, and crime is not being dealt with. It then cuts to an establishing shot of the shoreline of Vienna. As the establishing shot passes the audience see the fractured ice towards to abandoned and derelict ship. The fractures within the ice could suggest Vienna is a fractured society, which is ironic considering that World War II ended just 4 years before.


The quick cut reveals an Holly Martins (on of the main characters) in a trilby hat and overcoat. The trilby hat is a classic feature of noir thrillers of the 40's and 50's, and had become the dress code of the 1940's period when the classic noir thriller was at it's finest. The shot of Martins walking under the ladder is a very common superstition. This could suggest the Martins is quite unlucky, and that as the film progresses Martins becomes more and more unlucky.

Many films such as Essex Boys show the character going towards the vanishing point, Reed therefore challenges this convention and decides to reverse it. Anna is going away form the vanishing  and could suggest that she has just come out of the danger, or she has come out of a different world, which could show she isn’t actually what Martins thinks she is, she is unknown.