An essay analysing the opening of the third man.

The Opening of The Third Man is very typical of Film Noir. The Opening Credits are in White Bold letters, which stand out against the dark "zither strings" that are playing a song in the background, the notes are flat but the tune is upbeat and sticcato. This song was released after the film which topped the international music charts in 1950. After this opening, the shot moves straight to a shot of a vienna sky line, post war. The mood of the image is dark and depressing, a city which has suffered bombing and sufferage. There are images of trade in the black market or "underground economy" a market that trades without reguard to tax or law. Images of Traiding in the blackmarket in Vienna accompany his voice over which switches and begins talking about the city, he talks about the four corners of the city that are being govenrned by 4 nationalities. The British, The American, The French and The Russian. The many shots of archetecture are gothic and depressed. After this the voice introduces us to Holly Martins, a man who has travelled to Vienna after his friend Harry Lime has offered him a chance to work with him. While he is talking about him we see images of Soldiers and War related images. Martins Appears of a Steam Train in traditional dress. A suit, Hat and Breifcase. According to Standard at the time this was seen as a very appropraite way to dress. It seems that all of his Possessions are in the one breifcase he is carrying, this suggests he doesnt have many possessions. After speaking to a guard in the train station Martins makes his journey to Limes house. It is not yet known how they are friends and where he origionally came from. Aswell we are unaware of who the narator is. Just before Martins gets to the house he walks under a ladder which is traditionally bad luck. The house is beautiful, but very empty, this is apparent from the beginning. After walking up a very large grand, Gothic staircase he is told by a german man that he has just missed limes frineds who were going to his funeral and that Lime was killed by a lorry in front of the house. The Mood of the whole opening scene is very Depressing, Martins is upbeat and jolly and we do not see his reaction to find that the man who he would be living and working with has died days before. Alot of the Film uses harsh lighting and distorted camera angles. All the the Locations are very traditional for post war Vienna, and set the mood of the situation in the film properly. The Opening of The third man does not reveal much of the plot and up to this part in the film, the audience is unaware of what will unfold in the rest of the film. The mood of the film fits in the with mood at the time it was released. The world was still very interested in War, and the impact that it had on the entire world.