Introduction
The Third Man is a 1949 film directed by British director Carol Reed. The film was well-received by critics and became one of the classics of the film-noir genre. According to the British Film Institute survey of the best British film of the twentieth century, The Third Man was voted as a winner. The events of the film take place in the post-war environment of Vienna, which, similarly to Berlin, was then divided into two parts by the Allies of the USSR, the United States, France, and Great Britain. The city is devastated by the black market economy and crime. The main protagonist Holly Martins, a pulp-fiction writer from the United States, was invited by his childhood friend Harry Lime. Martins finds out that his friend was hit by a car and died and visits his funeral, where he is carefully observed as two officers of British Police tell Martins that Lime was a black-market racketeer. Martin does not believe them and wants to investigate Lime’s death separately from the police. As there are more subjects to the plot, this essay will focus and analyze mise-en-scenes, which represent the narrative of complex and changing relationships between the main hero Holly Martins and the British Police representatives, namely sergeant Paine and his superior, Major Calloway.
The Relationships between Holly Martins and the British Police
The interactions between Holly Martins and the British Police, mainly presented by Major Calloway, are one of the most influential narratives in the film. They are dynamic and constantly changing as the circumstances around the case of Harry Lime change and characters face various obstacles and change their decisions. Therefore, understanding the scenes where Holly Martins and Major Calloway interacts is instrumental to understanding the narrative of the film.
The Scene of the Meeting
When Martin finds out about the death of his childhood friend, he visits his funeral, where Major Calloway notices him and offers a ride to the city and then a drink at a restaurant. The scene at the restaurant gives a start to the relationships between the main hero and the British Police. The scene starts with a wide shot, which shows two men, Calloway and Martins, sitting behind the table as Martins tells a story of how he met Harry Lime. Major Calloway poured drinks as he initiated the meeting. The camera switches to over-the-shoulder angles to show the face of a speaker. Martins tends to look drunker than the officer as he leans on his hand and stagger in a manner a drunk person does. As characters talk about Lime, the conflict starts to arise as the camera switches to more close-up angles with each phrase of an escalating conflict. Calloway’s face shows disgust with Calloway’s actions, while Martin expresses contempt for the police in general and the unjust accusations of his dear friend. The scene ends with Martin standing up to confront Calloway, but he is pulled back by Sergeant Paine, that knocks him down and leads him to the hotel.
The Second Meeting
After Holly Martins is chased by two men hired by Popescu, he flees to the police department, where he finds Major Calloway. The interior of Mr. Calloway’s office includes pillars, which Martins decides to lean on while talking to Calloway about two men who chased him and the case of Harry Lime. Major Calloway walks around the office and then sits behind his desk in the middle of the room as he begins to reveal details about the case of Lime. The two men remain polite to each other despite the conflict which arose the last time they met. The dialogue continues as Martins sits down also, showing that he wants to stay on the same level as a Calloway. Hence, it is safe to conclude that Martins and Calloway are open to helping each other.
Nevertheless, Calloway emphasizes that he asked Martins to leave the town and he asks him to stay away from the case now. Major Calloway tells a story of Lime’s crime in a precise manner, he squeezes a pointer stick in his hands as he mentions the victims of watered penicillin. Martin remains unconvinced and asks for evidence, which is presented with a projector. The scene ends with two men relaxing and talking after it seems like hours of evidence presentation and explanations went by. Holly Martins leaves the office with information, while Calloway still suggests he leave the town.
The third scene reviewed in this paper is when Holly Martins again visits Major Calloway’s office, but now he has the intention of leaving Vienna. The dialogue happens near the door as Martins enters when Calloway and Sergeant Paine head to leave the office. Both policemen were walking fast and it was evident that they wanted to get to their destination as soon as possible. However, their body language of Martins shows looseness as his gestures are wide. Yet, he was humbled as he showed the ripped-apart passport of Anna Schmidt. From this moment, his phrases are short as he says that he quits the case. In addition, Martins is turned sideways to the camera, which creates an impression of avoidance.
Major Calloway, on the contrary, remains composed and expresses confidence in his success catching Harry Lime. Moreover, the police officer is polite and professional as he offers Martins to deliver him to an airport. This trait is one of the distinct ones for the character of Major Calloway. Regardless of the circumstances and attitudes towards him, he acts like a gentleman and a public servant who is willing to help any law-obedient person. Throughout all the mise-en-scene, Martins is restless and walks back and forth in front of Calloway while admitting that he has nothing to do with solving the case.
How do Cinematographic Choices affect the Perception of the Narrative?
“The Third Man” is one of the finest examples of the film-noir style. It is shot in black and white and contains dark yet often humorous dialogues, a tragic love line, and several chase scenes. It is important to note how remarkable the Vienne and its architecture are presented in both interior and exterior scenes. The post-war city can be seen in the chase scenes especially. Hence, in this part, the cinematographic choices in three chase scenes of the movie will be analyzed.
The first chase scene happened when Popescu hired two men to catch Holly Martins. In this scene, the camera operator catches several remarkable perspective shots, such as the one with a spiraling upwards staircase. The music in the scene is not as tense as it is usually in the chase scenes – on the contrary, it even resembles comedic motifs. The comedic element of the scene is reinforced when Martins hides in a room with a cockatoo parrot that bites his finger. From the window of a room with numerous artworks, paintings, and a cockatoo, Martins jumps out on the ruins of a building. As he flees, he passes long tunnels, staircases, and streets, which are completely abandoned by people. This contrast of gorgeous empty streets and ruins represents the anxiety and uncertainty of a post-war Vienna.
The second chase scene of the movie is Martins chasing Harry Lime. This scene includes a wide shot of a square with the sewer in the middle. As Martins loses track of Lime, he runs around the sewer on an empty square. It evokes feelings of confusion, loneliness, and helplessness, as there are no witnesses and nobody to help. This scene is important to the narrative as it represents how helpless and lost Martins felt in a foreign city. Yet, Major Calloway manages to narrow down the search to the sewer and from there, the case of Lime begins to unravel.
The final chase scene happens inside the sewer tunnels as police and Holly Martins chase Harry Lime. The scene is intensified with more frequent cuts as the police arrive at full force. The lighting in the scene contributes to the chaotic nature of the chase in a labyrinth-like sewer. In some scenes, for example, when Lime climbs the ladder to escape, a camera uses the Dutch angle and is rotated to the vertical lines of the shot. It disorients the viewer and represents the state of Harry Lime, who is scared and wounded.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “The Third Man” is considered one of the best examples of the film-noir style. Its narrative translates ideas of friendship, partnership, loyalty, crime, and justice in an immersive and entertaining way. As such, the ideas of partnership and loyalty can be seen in scenes where Major Calloway and Holly Martins interact. Although Martins is an American writer of westerns, who despises police, Calloway manages to remain a classical British gentleman who is not occupied by his emotions and acts politely and professionally. This attitude and qualities help him to solve the case.
The Third Man encompasses both funny and dramatic scenes. Moreover, the post-war city of Vienna plays a significant role in representing the spirit of the time and circumstances in the movie. There are many architectural details shown in both exterior and interior scenes. The film also uses a Dutch angle technique to emphasize the disorientation and confusion that the characters are experiencing.