I didn't know where else to post this, so I went with this thread:
Even though the famous Carol Reed directed The Third Man, this film since it stars Orson Welles and his fellow actor collaborator Joseph Cotton has the look and feel of a Welles film. After all this 1949 classic is film noir, made in black and white, and has scenes that have the Welles touch. Especially the amazing ferris wheel monologue, my favorite part of the film and one that so many people (myself included) have quoted over the years.
The Third Man is film noir at its finest, perfectly shot and expertly directed, with a finale that I'm so glad was not changed to fit boring Hollywood happy ending conventions. In fact that last act is glorious, a fine example of why the film noir genre is one of my all time favorite sub-genres in film history. After all, life is not like the upbeat movies that you often seen shown on TV. The good guy does not always win, the bad may go unpunished, and love fails in painful fashion.
Holly Martins is a writer of westerns, and he has come to Vienna to find out what has happened to Harry Lime, an old friend of his. Harry was indeed a scoundrel, but he was Holly's pal and Holly suspects murder and deceit. This leads of course to Holly becoming mixed up in events and matters he does not understand, and only too late does he realize the cold hard truth about Harry, life, and the nasty aftermath of World War II. Being awakened to the fact that Harry cares about no one is bad enough, but the authorities trying to convince you to betray an old mate is far worse.
Especially when there is a woman involved: Anna, the lovely girlfriend of Harry's. This inspires an odd love triangle where one man cares for her yet does not receive that care in return, and she cares for a man who does not truly care about anyone, even though she may be his only weakness. Major Calloway attempts to show Holly the evils of Harry, and even then its only through extreme methods that Holly caves and agrees to help him.
Why do I love this movie so much? Perhaps its the famous zither score, which infuses the film with a charm and grace that unfortunately the lesser film noirs possess. Maybe its the amazing acting, as the great cast elevate some of the lesser material and make the movie even more special than it already is. I do know for certain that The Third Man is a magical film, an exercise in near perfection, and I don't know of too many films quite like it. Nor do I think we shall ever see a movie such as The Third Man again, and maybe that's a good thing: brilliance should only come a few times so that it can be properly appreciated.
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Quoting D_Davis 
I don't love the aliens. Yes, a Contact/Mission to Mars-like ending seems more deserved. But the whole sequence with the projected images is brilliant. Little Ethan Hawke's disappointed reaction faces are pure poetry .
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