Review: Third Man Criterion
03-18-00, 07:34 PM
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Not much of a review, as much as a comment....I was expecting a lot more from this movie. 
The disc itself was of Criterion standards, no complaint there (an insightful interview with Peter Bogdanovich (sp?) helped explain why the movie is touted so highly). My beef is with the movie itself. Hmmm, "disappointed" comes to mind....also "been there, done that".
The story seemed to be a standard Noir genre, trying real hard to be a mystery, when all it was, was the viewer didn't have enough information. (I define a mystery when the info is there, I just can't put the pieces together). It started off with promise, then quickly became a game of hide the information. And the "chase" at the end drug on too long.
The acting by Cotten and Howard is great, though I felt Welles and the actress that played his girlfriend were overrated.
Anyone want to buy this DVD..cheap???
The disc itself was of Criterion standards, no complaint there (an insightful interview with Peter Bogdanovich (sp?) helped explain why the movie is touted so highly). My beef is with the movie itself. Hmmm, "disappointed" comes to mind....also "been there, done that".
The story seemed to be a standard Noir genre, trying real hard to be a mystery, when all it was, was the viewer didn't have enough information. (I define a mystery when the info is there, I just can't put the pieces together). It started off with promise, then quickly became a game of hide the information. And the "chase" at the end drug on too long.
The acting by Cotten and Howard is great, though I felt Welles and the actress that played his girlfriend were overrated.
Anyone want to buy this DVD..cheap???
03-18-00, 10:58 PM
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quote:<HR>Anyone want to buy this DVD..cheap??? <HR>
Beno, email me at [email protected], perhaps we can work out a sale or a trade.
Thanks,
Kevin
03-19-00, 02:38 PM
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What??
This is my most treasured DVD! Before you place any 'predictable' or 'run of the mill' tags on it, don't forget that this probably predates most movies you've seen.
Oh well, each to their own I s'pose...
This is my most treasured DVD! Before you place any 'predictable' or 'run of the mill' tags on it, don't forget that this probably predates most movies you've seen.
Oh well, each to their own I s'pose...
03-24-00, 01:50 AM
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I would gladly trade or buy anyone's Third Man CE, if interested here is my trade post: http://talk.dvdtalk.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/006583.html
03-24-00, 09:33 AM
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Beno, although, The Third Man is NOT on my top ten film list of all time, I also think that it is a film that you can learn from. I agree with jligon's suggestion, that if you have time, try to see the film again before forming a conclusion. Here are some elements in The Third Man that are still quite revolutionary, even by modern cinema standards:
-Use of oblique and sharp camera angles to create imbalance (reflecting the plot) and to symbolize the characters' deception.
-Use of incongruous music as a thematic foil.
-Atypical "Hollywood" ending, which reflects post-war European cynicism. Also the chase scene is another example of the film's unconventional narrative. As with the ending, most audiences expect the the director to "cut to the chase", but Carol Reed allows real-time action to occur.
-Elements of Expressionist movement in the use of light and shadows, which precedes the "film noir" label.
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Strictly Film School
[This message has been edited by redshift (edited March 24, 2000).]
-Use of oblique and sharp camera angles to create imbalance (reflecting the plot) and to symbolize the characters' deception.
-Use of incongruous music as a thematic foil.
-Atypical "Hollywood" ending, which reflects post-war European cynicism. Also the chase scene is another example of the film's unconventional narrative. As with the ending, most audiences expect the the director to "cut to the chase", but Carol Reed allows real-time action to occur.
-Elements of Expressionist movement in the use of light and shadows, which precedes the "film noir" label.
------------------
Strictly Film School
[This message has been edited by redshift (edited March 24, 2000).]
03-25-00, 02:07 PM
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I second jligon's suggestion to watch it a second time before making your final judgement. The first time I watched it, I frankly didn't get it. The second time, however, it seemed like a completely different movie, and I loved it.
03-25-00, 06:26 PM
#9
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Just a note.
You can watch the Third Man in its entirety on bigstar.com's broadband section. 300k Realvideo stream which isn't too bad, although I'd prefer 700k MediaPlay.
You can watch the Third Man in its entirety on bigstar.com's broadband section. 300k Realvideo stream which isn't too bad, although I'd prefer 700k MediaPlay.
05-25-00, 12:55 PM
#10
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yet another highly touted Criterion that i found to be slow & boring.
i was pretty excited when Welles showed up but then it just kept going down hill from there. the praised tunnel sequence was lackluster as was the ferris wheel sequence.
i actually did find myself humming that obnoxious theme when the movie was over though. thought it was cool to see Bernard Lee in an early role.
it's a nice special edition for fans of the movie. some really cool radio shows & other stuff. i would suggest rental first.
i was pretty excited when Welles showed up but then it just kept going down hill from there. the praised tunnel sequence was lackluster as was the ferris wheel sequence.
i actually did find myself humming that obnoxious theme when the movie was over though. thought it was cool to see Bernard Lee in an early role.
it's a nice special edition for fans of the movie. some really cool radio shows & other stuff. i would suggest rental first.
05-25-00, 02:12 PM
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Brian, any interest in selling your 'Third Man'?
Gil
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Gil
quote:<HR>Originally posted by brianluvdvd:
yet another highly touted Criterion that i found to be slow & boring.
i was pretty excited when Welles showed up but then it just kept going down hill from there. the praised tunnel sequence was lackluster as was the ferris wheel sequence.
i actually did find myself humming that obnoxious theme when the movie was over though. thought it was cool to see Bernard Lee in an early role.
it's a nice special edition for fans of the movie. some really cool radio shows & other stuff. i would suggest rental first.<HR>
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05-26-00, 03:59 AM
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I loved this movie, but I usualy levitate towards film noir. To be fair to this film, there is a reason why you feel this film is a repeat of things you have seen before. This film inspired many writers and directors and many of the ideas were used in later movies. This was definitely Reed's masterpiece of filmmaking.
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Aaron
My DVD Collection
My Rather Small Laserdisc Collection
