Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, black-market opportunist Harry Limeāand thus begins this legendary tale of love, deception, and murder. Thanks to brilliant performances by Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles; Anton Karas's evocative zither score; Graham Greeneās razor-sharp dialogue; and Robert Kraskerās dramatic use of light and shadow,Ā The Third Man, directed by the inimitable Carol Reed, only grows in stature as the years pass.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed mono soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Video introduction by writer-director Peter Bogdanovich
- Two audio commentaries: one by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Tony Gilroy, and one by film scholar Dana Polan
- Shadowing "The Third Man"Ā (2005), a ninety-minute feature documentary on the making of the film
- Abridged recording of Graham Greeneās treatment, read by actor Richard Clarke
- "Graham Greene: The Hunted Man," an hour-long, 1968 episode of the BBC'sĀ OmnibusĀ series, featuring a rare interview with the novelist
- Who Was the Third Man?Ā (2000), a thirty-minute Austrian documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew
- The Third ManĀ on the radio: the 1951 āA Ticket to Tangiersā episode of The Lives of Harry Lime series, written and performed by Orson Welles; and the 1951 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation ofĀ The Third Man
- Illustrated production history with rare behind-the-scenes photos, original UK press book, and U.S. trailer
- Actor Joseph Cottenās 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
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by Lucy Sante (DVD and Blu-ray), Charles Drazin (DVD only) and Philip Kerr (DVD only)
New cover by Lucien S. Y. Yang
