Author: Lin Xiaoye
The Third Man (September 3, 1949)
"The Third Man" has been hailed as "a masterpiece that can make it to any list"!
The film follows the early German "Expressionist" film style, with distinct themes and unique techniques, and the depiction of the destruction of human civilization in World War II is vast and subtle, with unique artistic charm and unforgettable. Ranked first in the "100 Best British Films" by Empire magazine!
Today, the editor will talk to you about the front and back of this classic film, interesting anecdotes, and peripheral tidbits, and say something you don't know.
I.. The director of "Roman Holiday" sent a gift after seeing the film
"The Third Man" makes extensive use of oblique compositions to create a thrilling, tense atmosphere.
This kind of composition is technically called "Dutch Corner", or "Dutch Tilt", and generally refers to tilting the camera slightly to one side to increase the tension of the shot, which has been sought after by many later directors.
Mission: Impossible (May 22, 1996)
In September 1949, after the release of "The Third Man," director Carol Reed received a package from his friend William Wyler, who would later be the director of "Roman Holiday."
Carol Reed (December 30, 1906 – April 25, 1976)
Carol Reed opened the package and saw that it contained a camera balancer, along with a note with a book
Carol Reed smiled, knowing that this was a different compliment from her friend.
II.. Do you know who this running shadow is?
The film runs for 1 hour and 6 minutes, and the soul of the film, Harry Lem, finally appears, with an evil smile on his face.
It is said that Orson Welles gave one of the most stunning appearances in the history of cinema.
When Hawley saw his friend, he ran in surprise, but was blocked by a speeding car, and when the car was far away, Harry fled as well, leaving only a shadow on the wall of the street and the sound of messy footsteps.
This shadow is the film's assistant director, Guy Hamilton, who made a film that is very familiar to Chinese audiences in his middle age - "Sins in the Sun"!
Guy Hamilton (September 16, 1922 – April 20, 2016)
Guy Hamilton also has a label on him, that is, he is a famous director of the 007 series, who has directed "007's Golden Finger", "007's Diamond", "007's Golden Gun", "007's You Live and Die" and so on.
If you listen to Guy Hamilton look back at his professional history, you will come to the conclusion that this Frenchman who mixes in Hollywood is simply a small worker.
For example, he served as an assistant director in "The African Queen" starring Humphrey Bogart, but his main achievement was the construction of the pier in the film; Then there's "The Third Man", where Orson Welles runs through the streets of Vienna at night and so on.
So, where did Orson Welles himself go? Do you want the assistant director to run for him?
III: Orson Welles only acted for a week, but he got a sky-high salary
Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985)
"The Third Man" producer David Brown David O. Selznick didn't want to hire Orson Welles at first, feeling like he was box office poison. David's ideal candidate at the time was Gary Grant.
In fact, this is indeed the case, although Orson Welles's "Citizen Kane" and "The Great Ambason" are all masterpieces in the annals of history, they lost a lot at the box office, so much so that Orson Welles was fired by Raiden Pictures.
But David S. O. Selznick was despised by the entire crew, after all, the crew was British, and they looked down on the producers. I feel that this person is superficial - David, it's the end of filming "Butterfly Dream" and "Gone with the Wind" like "The Domineering President Falls in Love with Me" or something.
大卫· David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902 – June 22, 1965)
It was also true that the great David, the richest and most powerful producer in Hollywood, even tried to change the title of "The Third Man" to "Vienna Nights", and was laughed off by his British counterparts.
All of this has created a situation where David W. O. Selznick agreed, and the choreographers opposed it; Where David S. If O. Selznick is against it, the choreographers will support it!
For example, appointing Orson Welles to play Harry Lem!
Orson Welles is in a state of flux at this time, and he is unlucky, not only has a bad career, but he has just divorced Rita Hayworth, a Hollywood beauty who is peerless. Although Rita Hayworth ran away with the rich Saudi prince, the alimony for the divorce is still paid on a monthly basis, and the monthly payment for the mansion is two moods. In addition, there is a two-year-old daughter, Rebecca Wells, to raise.
However, Orson Welles did not fall down, stretched out his big hand, and offered the crew a salary of $100,000! And it's only been a week, and he's only been in the film for five minutes.
At that time, Hollywood A-list star Vivien Leigh was only paid $100,000 when she starred in "A Streetcar Named Desire".
$100,000 in 1949 is about $1.312 million or 9.48 million yuan today!
Orson Welles later regretted it. O. Selznick gave him a choice between a fixed salary and a film share, and Orson Welles chose the former. After the film was released, it was a huge hit in the UK and high at the box office, which made it a foolish decision to get a fixed salary.
Orson Welles only acted for seven days, and he didn't like to stay in the crew for one more day.
Eighty-five percent of the scenes were done in London, and the remaining 15 percent in Vienna. Even so, most of the footage in the sewers is done by doubles.
Orson Welles tweeted that the smell inside was so bad that he would get sick. Despite director Carol Reed's painstaking persuasion that the smell in Vienna's sewers was mainly disinfectant, Orson Welles ruthlessly rejected it. The crew had no choice but to build a sewer spiral staircase scene in the London studio.
Most of the Vienna sewer scenes we saw were also done by assistant director Guy Hamilton!
However, Orson Welles made a suggestion to the director before leaving, and that was that Harry Lem put his hand out of the sewer fence before he died, and his fingers spasmed into the dark night sky. The director felt that this idea was really brilliant and gladly adopted it.
In other words, the real value creation of the cultural industry must not be physical labor.
When Orson Welles left the set, director Carol Reed did the shot for him, yes! The fingers are directed.
Most fans believe that Orson Welles single-handedly propped up the classic, and his performance, the lines he wrote for Harry Lem, almost reshaped the entire film. In particular, Orson Welles contributed the "cuckoo clock" line, which is still amazing. The four screenwriters on the cast line, Orson Welles, deserve to be number one!
This widely circulated claim was later denied by director Carol Reed, who said that most of the lines on the Ferris wheel were written by Orson Welles, but the "cuckoo clock" section was written by the director himself, but it was not original by the director himself, it came from Walter Pater, a literary theorist in the Victorian period of England.
沃尔特·佩特 Walter Pater（1839－1894）
IV. Holly Martins' earliest candidate was not Joseph Cotton
Regarding the actor writer Holly Martins, the earliest candidate for the London studio was James Stewart.
James Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997)
But the idea was met with help by American co-producer David J. O. Selznick's objection.
David recommended Joseph Cotton without thinking about it, because he was a star with a long-term contract under his family.
It is said that Joseph Cotton was an employee and friend of the Orson Welles Mercury Troupe in his early years, and when Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth married on September 7, 1943, Joseph Cotton was still the best man.
It's a pity that because Orson Welles lost ground in Hollywood, the Mercury theater company fell apart, and the desperate Joseph Cotton had to vote for David Cotton. O. Selznick's disciple changed his course and specialized in romance films.
In 1948, Joseph and the proprietress Jennifer Jones filmed "Portrait of Jenny", which failed at the box office, and almost caused the company to close down. But Joseph Cotton won Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival.
went around and around, because the two of "The Third Man" reunited after a long absence.
Joseph Cotton was probably Orson Welles's closest friend in his life, and they often joked with each other unscrupulously, as Joseph Cotton once said,
Although Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles turned against each other several times in their lives, they were extremely good friends until Orson Welles' death on October 10, 1985.
V. The real legend in "The Third Man" is this porter
The real suspense of "The Third Man" is the porter actor.
Karl the porter: Paul Hörbiger (29 April 1894 – 5 March 1981)
In the film, the porter Carl was overzealous and nosy because he didn't listen to his wife's advice, and provided first-hand information to Holly Martins many times, and was finally killed by the gang.
Back then, when the film was released in Austria, when Karl appeared, most of the audience exclaimed-
In their impression, this old actor has been dead for many years.
So, what's going on here?
The porter Karl was played by Paul Hörbiger, who was arrested by Hitler during World War II for helping many Jews flee Vienna, and in 1945, according to some media reports, he was executed.
But Paul's luck was that he was in prison near the end of World War II, and the Nazis were too busy to take care of themselves, and the prison was in disarray, and Paul was able to escape.
His family ran around to rescue him, scattering their wealth.
It is said that in the end, his sister-in-law, the famous Viennese actress Paula Weatherly, intervened and secretly negotiated with a Nazi officer to successfully rescue him. What kind of price the actress paid behind this can be imagined.
Speaking of which, there is also a small episode, when the crew was refused to rent this gorgeous building to the landlord.
Assistant director Guy Hamilton was almost worn out, desperately trying to convince, and he said to the landlord:
The landlord didn't feel it at all, and shook his head like a wave, and finally Guy Hamilton added:
Unexpectedly, the landlord was overjoyed, agreed on the spot, and specially told the assistant director not to rent someone else's house.
VI: The luthier made a fortune because of this film, but he was jealous of his own people
When director Carol Reed was looking around Vienna for a location to shoot in a bar and nightclub, he often heard a name - Anton Karas, and it can be said that Vienna is full of legends about this man.
So the director improvised and wanted to find Anton Kalas to score the film.
Anton Karas (July 7, 1906 – January 9, 1985)
Anton Callas is strictly a traditional craftsman, just like our Ah Bing, because he can't read music. But Anton Callas played the piano well, especially the traditional zither.
"Zither" also means guitar in ancient Greek. This instrument was widely popular in Tyrol, Austria and Bavaria during the Middle Ages.
In September 1949, "The Third Man" was well received after its release in the UK, and the touching BGM in the film was warmly sought after by British audiences!
The London production company struck while the iron was hot and released a music album called "The Third Man". The luthier Anton Callas also became popular with half the sky and made a fortune!
His name traveled all over Europe in a very short period of time, when "The Third Man" had not yet been released in the United States.
UK-based producer David A. O. Selznick was very perceptive, he immediately sent a telegram to his American assistant, roughly writing more than two hundred words, and it must be said that he was rich and capricious. The content of this telegram is roughly
It turns out that David M. O. Selznick's decision was the right one.
Anton Callas opened a nightclub in Vienna with a handsome royalty called "The Third Man".
But the majority of the Viennese population reacted lukewarmly, most of them were still struggling to make ends meet, and were so hostile to Anton Kallas's overnight riches that many people even called him "Mr. Cinderella".
Anton Callas couldn't control the public's mouths and couldn't afford to hide, and later he opened a fine inn in the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel, which was visited by tourists of the rank of the Duke and Lady of Windsor, such as the Duke and the Lady of Windsor.
In the evenings, customers would gather and ask him to play the "Third Man" theme song again.
VII: Do you recognize the colonel's assistant, who the actor is?
In Vienna, Holly Martins stumbles upon a fan, Sergeant Paine, Major Carloway's assistant.
Paine professed to like Hawley's novels, and named several books in one breath, "You can start reading any page." "Looks like a die-hard fan!
The appearance of this little fan comforted Hawley's heart to some extent.
In the sewer scene at the end of the film, Harry mercilessly shoots Sergeant Paine, and Hawley is devastated.
Paine's death became a trigger, and Hawley shot Harry in a fit of rage.
SO, the kind-hearted Holly actually killed his childhood friend without hesitation, and the logic is completely self-consistent.
Paine may not have many appearances and limited lines, but the actor Bernard Lee is a heavyweight. I don't know if you can see it, what classic business cards has he played?
To name one alone, Bernard Lee is the actor of the first "M" in the 007 series.
1962 "Dr. 007" MI6's "M" (played by Bernard Lee)
After watching 007 for so many years, we seem to have become accustomed to the fact that the "M", the director of the British MI6 Special Intelligence Service, is a woman and an old woman. People seem to forget that the original "M" was an old man, and he was played by Bernard Lee.
Bernard Lee was born on January 10, 1908 in a British acting family, and performed on stage at the age of 6, and in his more than 70 years of acting career, his most representative role is "M". He starred in all of Sean Connery's 007 series, followed by George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and retired after the eleventh part of "007: Space City".
007: Space City Moonraker (released on June 29, 1979)
Bernard Lee's personal life was very unfortunate, and on January 30, 1972, his home in London caught fire, and his beloved wife Radice was killed. One night, another group of thieves broke into the dilapidated house and looted most of his property.
During that time, Bernard Lee was very depressed, drunk every night, and hung out at the party. One night, Bernard Lee was sitting in a bar drinking when he suddenly found Richard Burton sitting next to him, and he spat out his bitterness at Burton with the strength of the wine.
Burton was sympathetic to his plight and wrote him a check for $6,000 on the spot.
Bernard Lee picked himself up from then on, took the check to pay off all his debts, remarried and continued to work hard until his death on January 16, 1981, at the age of 73.
Bernard Lee has a famous grandson, Jonny Lee Miller, the actor in the movie "Trainspotting".
The grandson married a daughter-in-law named Angelina Jolie in 1996.
In other words, Julie was Bernard Lee's granddaughter-in-law.
VIII: In fact, there is an "M" hidden in "The Third Man"
During Hawley's visit to the tavern, he doesn't know that the tavern owner is Harry's accomplice, and he has a heart-to-heart conversation with the owner, which leads to the porter's death.
The sinister tavern owner knocked on Hawley's side, saying that a beautiful girl like Anna should be careful to live in Vienna,
It's a pity that Hawley of Mu Ne didn't hear the off-strings of this remark.
The actor is named Robert Brown, who also played a role in "007: Space City", namely Defense Secretary Freke Gray.
In "Space City", due to James Bond's unfavorable behavior, the minister fired Bond in person, and "M" had to plead with him bitterly.
In 1981, after the death of the first "M" actor, Bernard Lee, Robert Brown succeeded him in the role of "M", which caused some confusion among the audience.
Robert Brown passed away on November 11, 2003, and in the following 007 series, M's office wall will be photographed as a tribute to this veteran actor.
IX: The landlady and the actress are also from an unusual background
Hedwig Bleibtreu (23 December 1868 – 24 January 1958)
The landlady has been on the field for a short time, but she has left a deep impression.
She was the embodiment of Vienna at that time, she was once beautiful and rich, but now she became nervous, chattering, so sloppy.
This actress is Hedwig Bleibtreu, an Austrian veteran actor, just like our old actor of "Beijing Renyi", with a solid foundation and profound cultural heritage, but not known to the world.
Hedwig Breitrow was a popular stage actress at the famous Vienna Castle Theater and is known for playing tragic figures. She also has a well-known female colleague named Rosa Albach-Retty.
Rosa later had a granddaughter named Romy Schneider.
Hedwig Breitrow did not outlive her colleague Rosa Albach Reti, who died of illness in Vienna on January 24, 1958, nine years after the release of The Third Man, at the age of 90.
And Romy Schneider's grandmother, Rosa Albach Reti, lived until 1980 at the age of 106.
X.. The role of Anna in the film was once highly praised by Pike
Alida Valli (May 31, 1921 – April 22, 2006)
In the film, when Hawley emotionally recalls his friend Harry, "He was naughty", "He was smart", "At school he always had a way to avoid exams, such as having a fever before exams" and so on. But the audience can easily conclude that Harry Lem is an opportunist!
但安娜对哈里的评价却别有洞见——"He never grew up,the world grew up around him,that’s all."
This is a line that makes every audience's heart pound, it's not that I don't understand, the world is changing fast, and at the same time, I am envious that Harry Lime has such a confidante.
Anna is played by Alida Valli, who was born in Italy on May 31, 1921. It's not hard to see why she appeared in Sophia Loren's husband's film Cassandra Bridge many years later.
"Alida" originally means "free-flying bird", and the name very vividly sums up Alida Valli's life.
During World War II, Alida Valli refused to cooperate with Mussolini and refuse to become a Nazi propaganda machine, she first went into hiding, and then crossed the ocean to Hollywood, where she developed well.
In Hollywood, the beautiful Alida Valli soon attracted the attention of the famous producer David Brown. O. Selznick's attention and soon signed with her. At that time, David S. O. Selznick wanted to use her to replace Ingrid Bergman, who was already not very obedient.
For example, in 1947, when David was preparing to film "The Paradine Case", Bergman, who had already filmed "Dr. Edward" and "Beauty Trick", refused to cooperate with director Hitchcock again because he was afraid that the acting path would be solidified! At this time, Alida Valli was on top and played the leading role.
《凄艳断肠花》The Paradine Case（上映于1947年）
After the film was released, co-star Parker once commented on Alida Valli -
This is probably the producer David J. O. Selznick used Alida Wally to star in "The Third Man" for sake.
Pike has a good eye, and Alida Valli is indeed the obvious choice for Anna. When the tenderness in her heart turned into a crystal tear on her cheeks, the audience around the world was heartbroken for her......
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