When I saw that you reacted to The Third Man, I almost jumped out of my chair. Perfect film in nearly every way, from the cynical humor of the opening narration, to Orson Welles' iconic entrance, to the closing shot. I always recommend this to people who aren't used to Black and White films.

The Third Man...the movie that taught me to appreciate the WAY a movie was made. Still in my top ten all-time.

Living in Vienna, there’s a cinema which always has a showing of The Third Man, and there are a number of cool tours which show off many of the film’s key locations… great flick!!

"In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock." That line was written by Welles himself (there's still some debate over how much he contributed to the script). What a luxury, to cast such a great actor and to also get to bounce ideas off of one of the finest directorial minds in cinema history. If you feel like more Welles I highly recommend his last Hollywood film and one of the last film noirs, Touch of Evil (1958). I wouldn't be surprised if you've seen the beginning of the film, as it starts with one of the most famous long takes in cinema history. I absolutely adore Citizen Kane, but Touch of Evil is more accessible to modern audiences (the plot is sadly, still relevant) and on a technical level, in some respects, might be the better film.

YES! Orson Welles said, when asked why he took the role, he said, because it’s a star part, and the way you know is because the other characters talk about Lime for the whole movie before he finally appears. The Harry Lime theme is also iconic. Yeah, I *love* old film dialogue, particularly film noir. The snappiness of their comebacks lends a great air of wit to their intelligence. Also, this film being made in 1948 and filmed on location in Vienna was so contemporary to the setting of post-war Europe. You really get to see the reality of the devastation from the war in the environment, and the feel of people attempting to slowly reconstruct society under those circumstances..

Adore this film!! Casablanca (and many others) might get the spotlight, but nothing can equal the writing, acting, directing, and raw passion of this masterpiece. Thank you so much for reaching to this!!

An absolute classic. Glad to see you're not limiting yourself to just "newer" films. There are many great films before 1970.

There's moments where the cinematography just absolutely pops.

Thanks for reacting to one of my favorite movies. To me, this film is about a man having his illusions about himself, the world, and his place in it shattered one by one. The final pane in the window is broken in the final shot when Anna walks by him without even turning her head to acknowledge him. The story is also an allegory about the situation the U.S. was in after World War II. In a way, it was saying that simple black-and-white morality doesn't work in the post-war world, and that Holly (and the U.S. by analogy) would have to grow up to deal with the realities of the time. Did you notice that Holly walks under a ladder at the beginning of the movie as he first approaches Harry's apartment building? It's supposed to be bad luck to walk under a ladder. It's a nice bit of foreshadowing. The bit with the tilted camera shots is called "Dutch angle." It was pioneered by German expressionist directors as a way of making the audience feel a bit uneasy. It really works in The Third Man. The music was all by Anton Karas, a zither player whom director Carol Reed discovered performing in a Vienna cafe. Reed offered Karas the job of writing and performing the film score. It worked out well for everyone. The Third Man Theme became an international hit record, and Karas' score gives the movie a sort of whistling-in-the-dark feel. That final shot took a lot of guts by Carol Reed. It's 45 seconds of nothing but someone walking toward the camera while someone else stands off to the side. That's a long, unbroken shot where very little happens, even by the standards of the time. The length of the shot builds tension, and makes it all the more devastating when Anna walks right past Holly without even glancing at him. BTW, Harry didn't decide to show himself to Holly. He had been tailing Holly, and it was only because that old woman turned on a light that Holly saw who it was. And I agree, it's a great reveal, one of the most memorable in any movie. Orson Welles was on screen for only about five minutes of The Third Man, but his character dominated the movie. He had such an impact in such a short amount of time. Welles wrote the cuckoo clock speech himself. Such a great bit of cynical self-justification. Thanks again!

Continuity, as I understand, was also sometimes credited as Script Supervisor because they didn't otherwise have a name for it. The job is to make sure that between takes, overnight on the same set, etc. that each take has people and objects where they are supposed to be in the condition they are supposed to be in. In film goofs you will often see references to things like: "This character starts out with a half-eaten sandwich, then it's a full sandwich, then it's a cookie..." A cigarette that keeps jumping back and forth between being only a little smoked to being entirely smoked and back again. A table where a glass is first in the middle, then jumps to the edge, then is in the middle again but now it's empty. All these are things that a Continuity supervisor is supposed to be watching. When time passes WITHIN the movie itself people and things need to maintain the correct condition and position so that the viewer isn't distracted by the illogical change. The script supervisor then would have copy of the script and take copious notes on the appearances of everything and the actions that had thus far been filmed. I THINK the reason you might not see it credited anymore is because of (surprise) technology. We have digital cameras to make records of actors appearances and set conditions, and films themselves are now shot digitally (maybe simultaneously with film, if film is actually being used) so that each take can be _immediately_ examined for those kinds of issues by the director, the DP, producers, etc. And in the process of editing, when such mistakes are still discovered, they can be _digitally_ removed or altered.

My all time favorite mystery movie. What a weird, strange, hypnotic soundtrack. The most unique in anything mystery or film noir I've ever heard. What a weird setting for a mystery movie. Post WWII Vienna? Seriously? What weird looking, canted camera angles and compositions. These were my main thoughts the first time I saw the film, and they are all a part of it's brilliance. This film was also my first introduction to the great Orson Wells, whom I had never seen on screen before. That moment when his face is first shown in the light and he looks and smiles at Holly before running away, I just immediately thought "oh my God this guy just screams movies and filmmaking like no other". He looked so warm and charming and inviting and there was this slightly devilish gleam in his eyes. It felt like you could just walk right up to him in a crowd of people and instantly become good friends. Nobody in movies has ever made such an impression on me in just one moment the way he did. I could tell I was looking at a genius. His cuckoo clock monologue blew me away too. Add Joseph Cotton gorgeous Black and White cinematography, wonderful editing, European architecture, sewer chase sequence, and there's not much more you could ask from a film like this.

My all-time favorite movie quote “You know what the fellow said - in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace - and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”

Orson Welles and the Oscar-winning cinematography get a lot of the attention in this, but I want to praise Joseph Cotten and the zither soundtrack from Anton Karas as well. Another classic Carol Reed film I love almost as much is Odd Man Out, it’s worth the watch if you like the Third Man.

A forgotten classic I absolutely love is Night of the Hunter. Features everything you mentioned as fantastic features of these old films.

Thank you for reacting to an old b/w classic. This is one of my favorite movies. I first seen this with 12/13 years old in the early 1970's with my mother on TV. Just keep it up with some old films from the 1920s/30s/40s.

I love seeing reactions to older movies, and this is certainly one of the best I think another amazing movie that would make for a good video is Night of the Hunter (1955) It's in my opinion one of the prettiest black&white movies ever made. And if you're a fan of Spike Lee (especially his film Do the Right Thing) you might recognize a certain piece of imagery. :)

It’s the film itself that captures Harry Lyme. Orson spends the first 2/3 of the movie as the “Subject” and therefore has the unique power to disappear between the edits. In the last act Welles becomes the “Object” of the film, which means the camera follows him wherever he goes. He can no longer escape between the cutaways. Technically a British Noir (which feature post-war settings) and is only slightly different than the American style. Mostly in theme.

Right on James. More classic film. It's weird; the older I get, the more I appreciate these films. Beautiful simplicity does marvels in storytelling. You have to check out Strangers On A Train.

Joseph Cotton is so good. And probably under appreciated nowadays. I hope you have Gaslight (1944) on your watch list. Great performances from Cotton and Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. You’ll really, really love the story.

The cinematography, scene and shot selection in 'The Third Man' is some of the best on film. To see the Vienna streets and buildings and sewers like that is amazing. I wish they made more films on location today because of stuff like this. All those CGI backgrounds may look photorealistic in modern films, but it's not the same as shooting an exterior of an aged cityscape (or even a modern city). Great film. Outstanding visuals.

YES! You're watching one of the best films ever made, and one of the best British films ever made. It often ranks as number one on lists of the best British films, ahead of Brief Encounter. Have you seen that one yet? It's David Lean's directorial debut. Quite a remarkable movie. I love everything about The Third Man: Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, the stunning photography, the incredible score, and that marvelous chase scene at the end. Ironically, the actor playing Major Calloway, Trevor Howard, is the male lead of Brief Encounter. Homeboy sure knew how to pick his film roles!

James, my favorite thing about old films is what you hit on. The lighting, expression, and script is all they had to Wow you with. Damn I miss that. Peace.

An absolute masterpiece. Carol Reed made three of them in a row. The other two, Odd Man Out and The Fallen Idol, are certainly well worth watching.

Fantastic movie, great choice. Have you ever watched 'Night of the hunter' on here? If not then I'd highly recommend it, another B&W classic.

If you want to see a film from the same era with almost no dialogue, which is also one of the all-time greats for its stunning camera work and visuals, see "The Bicycle Thief" (1948) - one of the early films from the Italian neo-realist school.

No joke, I watched this for the first time just yesterday for my Film Noir class. What incredible timing, James.

Incredible film, in so many ways. And the zither brings its own character to opine on the proceedings through the soundtrack. Beautiful!

Thanks for being willing to watch the older movies. The more I watch the more I enjoy them. This one is special to me because my mother's brother was stationed in Berlin after the war. He fell in love with a German girl who hated Americans because they killed her father and brother. She slept with him but refused to marry him and he kept volunteering to stay in Berlin long after most American troops had left. He told my mother if she wanted to know what it was like for him in Berlin she should watch this movie.

Justifiably rated as one of the greatest British films ever made, up there with Lawrence of Arabia and A Matter of Life and Death. Well-nigh faultless.

Some of the shots in this movie were absolutely incredible! For instance: 14:22, 14:41, 22:15 and 22:29. Amazing camera work and lighting!

This is one of my top five all time favorite films! Its so brilliant! The dialogue, the setting, the lighting, the score 😍😍😍. I never get sick of rewatching this movie. Edit: another great film that I highly recommend with the actor who play Major Calloway is Brief Encounter. It’s a beautiful film from director David Lean, but it’s on a much smaller scale than his most famous films. Edit 2: if you want to watch a really old film with amazing cinematography and camera work, go way back to the silent era and watch Wings (1927). It’s about WWI fighter pilots. You won’t regret it.

Orson’s shit eating grin is so damn infectious

Fantastic film! Right before the pandemic, I was lucky enough to attend a special screening with the actual script supervisor in attendance followed by a brief Q&A. She even signed my Blu-Ray.

Oh I'm excited for this one. One of my favourite films and the Ferris wheel scene is an absolute masterclass is filmmaking and acting

ANOTHER gem off da list, James, nice one! That zither deserves its own three-picture deal. So good.

The Third Man is one of my most favorite black and white films. Every scene in the Third Man is a masterpiece of photography, whether it is a character's face or the streets of Vienna filmed after WWII. I enjoyed your review very much.

Thank you for reacting to classic movies, IMO classic movies are incredibly fascinating to watch because, back then, every movie can be considered a chapter in a history textbook. It shows us so much of the time that it came from. Another classic film that I would recommend is Sunset Boulevard or any film directed by Billy Wilder (he is my favorite director from classic films)

I always enjoy you watching older movies, there are so many great stories out there.

Ecstatic to see these reactions to older classics. Really enjoyed this one. Your Patrons might be interested in having you react to Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943), which also stars Joseph Cotten who was in The Third Man as Martins. The film is one of my favourites. Edit: Some other suggestions are The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965), and The Conversation (1974).

I love the score in this movie. Almost convinces you that it’s a lighter story than it is.

Whoah!!!!!! Yes!!! What a surprise!!!!!! I haven't watched this reaction yet and I'm super pumped! I know you've seen "Citizen Kane" so you "get" the stunt casting of Orson Welles as Harry Lime. Great, great movie, great choice, whomever voted for this or sponsored it or suggested it. That theme music is the greatest. The new Peter Jackson documentary about The Beatles has a scene of them loosely jamming on the "Third Man Theme". Ha!

Just diving in to say, continuity was a post that should shooting of a scene go overtime and over night, that the next day the make up, costume, lighting etc matched the rushes from the previous day... iirc Only 4mins in, so back to enjoying your reaction, keep up the good work James. All the best from Scotland bonny lad 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😉👍😸🖖🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

i had to move to vienna, to learn about this masterpiece! there is a tour to go down the sewers, where the chase was shot. it's still on my bucket list once its available again (thanks covid)!

This was a huge hit and they even revived Lime for a radio show. Orson's best acting outside of his own films.

I am SO absolutely thrilled you watched this, one of my favorite films!! Orson Welles was a genius, we know, but his portrayal and dialogue are menacing yet humorous. Same as in The Stranger with the amazing Loretta Young and Edward G. Robinson. Oh, and the shot you were trying to recall was through a floral arrangement inside the apartment, out the window, to Harry on the street....night scene. Fantastic! Want more great camera work, watch Rope.

I feel sad for people who don't think old movies are worth their time. Some of the old classics still hold up so well, even against the best films of today.

This is a true must see classic that really sets the high bar for the whole noir genre. The script and dialogue is top notch throughout, and the cinematography and the play of light and shadow is master class level. I am surprised you didn't show the fingers - it's such an iconic image from the history of film making. Orson Wells does not appear until the third act, but in a film full of great acting performances he totally steals the show. Very glad you reviewed this one!

_Nice._ Love _The Third Man._ An essential film that gets better with every viewing. Greene's dialogue, Reed's Coen Bros-esque tone, Karas' zither score - genius. Fun fact: the famous Prater, Vienna ferris wheel where Harry Lime & Holly Martin speak is the same ferris wheel where Jesse & Celine first kiss in _Before Sunrise._ If you dig _The Third Man,_ more classics to know: _The Prisoner_ (1968 - psychedelic, political, psychological, & allegorical 17 episode UK spy series. One of the best TV shows Britain ever produced - big influence on Ridley Scott & Christopher Nolan, both of whom almost directed film adaptations) _The Long Goodbye_ (1973 - Robert Altman's modern Philip Marlowe noir is a spiritual remake of _The Third Man,_ ending with an homage to Reed's closing shot) For more classic British cinema, check out the films of Powell/Pressberger (a big influence on Scorsese, Powell was married to Marty's editor Thelma Schoonmaker & would advise the director in the early days): _The Red Shoes_ (1948) _Black Narcissus_ (1947) _The Quiller Memorandum_ (1965 - quirky UK spy thriller set in 1960s Berlin. _The Third Man_ meets 007) _"M"_ (1931 - Fritz Lang's iconic German "shadows & cobblestone" serial killer thriller with _The Maltese Falcon's_ Peter Lorre - a big influence on _The Third Man_ )

“Leave death to the professionals” so calmly delivered, so chilling

I read an article on this film in Sight and Sound once, where they described Vienna in 1949 as either the cheapest or most expensive set in film history, as that's the way Vienna still looked after being bombed in WW2.

Touch of Evil is a great Welles film. He looks unrecognizable in it. The director's cut has one of the greatest opening continuing shots in cinema history. Welles had many of his films taken over by the studios. Sad. Great auteur.

I've loved this movie since I saw it in a film theory class like 15 years ago. I even own the Criterion edition so I love seeing this in my KZfaq Sub box today. The zither and soundtrack is iconic.

I loved this movie since I was young but as I got older I took in the fact that it was a post WWII movie shot incredibly close to the end of that war. This movie also has one of the greatest character reveals in cinema history. Historically, politically, artistically and dramatically, this is an excellent movie. I'm anticipating your reaction to it and look forward in hearing your commentary and analysis of the scenes and the movie as a whole.

Your selections have been 🔥 lately James. The film is certainly known for its cinematography. There are so many great films in the noir genre, and Joseph Cotten stars in several.

RESPECT for talking about this movie!

Great reaction, as always. You may have already seen it, but I love Joseph Cotten in Shadow of a Doubt (1943). If you haven’t seen it…. Please, please!

This was honestly such an awesome surprise! Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Revisiting Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Friday/Saturday! (been like 6-8 years so this should be good.) Enjoy the day!

Nice choice! Harry Lime’s reveal shot in the shadowy doorway is cinematic perfection.

Ah man this is like my favorite movie. It's so stylish and hauntingly beautiful.

Great to see that you got to the true classics . Filmmaking and storytelling in its rawest and most beautiful form ....Its not easy to create magic from nothing . Hope to see you review Angels With Dirty Faces .

I'm so glad that you liked The Third Man so much. I had been putting off seeing it until this year (my intentions were good, I had the DVD and two Blu-Rays for many, many years) and once I saw it I was blown away by it. Which was why I was one of your Patreon fans suggesting it. I definitely hadn't realised what the film covered, the post-war partitioned Vienna (US, British, Russian, and French) and a very interesting hunt to find the third man involved in Harry Lime's death.So anyway, I'm now glad that James and I have finally seen the film, with some of Awesome Welles' best acting.

The Patreon crew Know their stuff. Damn good choice, irrespective of the trends of the time. They just seem to pick damn good cinema every time. Love you guys.

I love this movie, one of my all time favourites. The speech he gives on the ferris wheel is just incredible.

I love the climactic chase sequence in this film, such great cinematography.

Third Man Hype! This was an unexpected pick. This is a gem of film noir pulp/ classic mystery and the music is just so perfect for the film.

Thanks so much for this reaction! For me, Carol Reed is one of the unsung Great Movie Directors. I mean, I know he has a reputation among film buffs, but he seldom seems to turn up on lists of all-time directors, and I think he belongs there. He doesn't really have an identifiable style or look -- but he always seemed to get the best out of his actors, craftspeople, locations, script, and make it all work seamlessly together. Besides this one, I admire Night Train to Munich, Odd Man Out, The Fallen Idol, Outcast of the Islands, and Oliver!

This is a good one, Joseph Cotten is one of my favorite old Hollywood actors.

Love these classic mystery thrillers, so glad you reacted to this

He was a realist in those bad time... Took what he could when he could. Hurting some helping others.... Great film great script and actors

Love the variety of films reacted to here , ( with the abundance of Disney/Marvel reactions ) . Keep up the great reactions bro deffo in my top 3 KZfaqrs.

One of my all-time top five movies. Please continue to toss in the occasional classic movie reaction/review. Young filmmakers can learn so much from these movies.

I love this movie. I used to borrow it from the library all the time when I was a kid.

Also, if you visit Vienna, there are still Third Man tours conducted that will take you through the sewer tunnels seen in the film.

Nice. The greatest film of all time, and somehow the first time I've ever seen it being reacted to.

Boy that is such an awesome movie. My parents showed it to me when I was around 10 and it aired on TV.

I forgot if Roger Ebert called this his favorite movie or a perfect movie. Yeah, it's well-respected among film aficionados and considered one of the best by many. Like top top tier. I really like Joseph Cotten. I try to recommend PORTRAIT OF JENNIE to people. He stars with Jennifer Jones. It's not a reaction type movie but check it out some time. It's a different kind of love story.

OMG, f*ck yes. Reactions to actually old films like this are so rare. I don't think I've seen a pre 50s movie being reacted to before. This is an absolute gem of a movie, that not many people seem to remember. Thanks for this dud. Appreciate the oldies ^-^

SUCH an underrated movie! Orson Welles doesn't even show up until the third act and he completely steals the show. And that ending!

One of my all time favorites

In case no one else has mentioned it, the continuity person (also known as script supervisor) is on set to make sure that things like costume, props, makeup, etc, are consistent from shot to shot and scene to scene, and in alignment with the requirements of the story.

The maltese falcon, the seventh seal, seven samurai, Ben-Hur, casablanca and anything from Alfred Hitchcock I strongly recommend.

Quietly hoping that at some point you react to Lawrence of Arabia. Love the content😄

The British sergeant who was a fan of the writer is played by Bernard Lee who went to portray M in the bulk of the first fifteen James Bond films

Interesting to hear your surprise about movies that are 30, 40, 50 years old having substance (my word). Everything plot wise, camera angles, script, etc had already been done by the time film had reached the sound era in the late 1920s. The only differences between then and now are the more sophisticated special effects and storytelling.

One of *THE* best noir films, ever. Outstanding film. One of my favorite moments is right at the end, when the main character is waiting for the girl. He's obviously been really interested in her throughout the entire film, but she knows he helped nab Lime, and she just cuts him dead and just keeps walking without even acknowledging his existence.

"The Third Man" is ridiculously entertaining. What a great, fun, energetic mystery and thriller!

IMO Orson Welles' entrance here is one of the great character-entrance in cinema. Plus - killer last shot.

A great film. The time just flies by and it fells like 30 minutes or something. Always the sign of a good watchable film.

Certified classic. Content as great as ever

I love this film! So glad it made the channel!

My all-time favourite British movie, followed kinda closely by Lawrence of Arabia. Even the music, damn! If i ever see the latter on the big screen, I may move that up

Continuity is still a real position, the modern day equivalent is usually called a Script Supervisor. Keeping continuity falls under that title, like making sure an actor picks up something with the same hand in different takes, and keeping scene axis and eye-lines . It's a pretty under appreciated role but when there are continuity errors the audience almost always pics up on them and it can subconsciously muck with the their suspension of disbelief.

Great reaction and review, James. You're right: That movie is Cool, Dope and Sick. It's still my number-one favorite film of all time. Glad you enjoyed it, Dude.

Thx for keeping these old films alive. They are great set pieces of an old Americana. Great film.

I liked your insightful review of this, James. As you appreciated Alida Valli so much too, I'd also recommend her in 'Eyes Without a Face' ('Les Yeux Sans Visage') as well - that is, if you've got a strong stomach!!

Maybe the greatest entrance in a movie ever at 14:42. The suprise, but also Orson Welles's acting, that look on his face almost like a kid caught pulling a silly prank.

This movie proves light and shadow are always the best special effects.

I went up in that Ferris wheel, years before I watched the movie or read the book of 'The Third Man'. So all I took from it was the spectacular views in all directions. Beautiful city.

That ferris wheel monologue is one of my favorites in cinema.

15:07 - those displayed shadows were done with a person running in place, if you look at them specifically, you can see the person isn't actually moving, but it was done in order to indicate that Harry was ahead of him, but just out of sight. It was a pretty ingenious piece of practical cinematographical necessity.