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I felt compelled, me friends, to talk about Orson Welles for a minute or three here. You're gonna hear a lot about him in the next couple of weeks, thanks to HBO. The famed cable channel proves brave enough to air a movie called RKO 281, the story of Welles' fight against William Randolph Hearst, the grandiose zillionaire publisher, who attempted to block the release of Citizen Kane. I'm not going to debate the issue one way or the other, because it's futile to deny that Kane is based, or at least closely imitating, the life of Hearst, down to the minute detail. My only concern is that Hearst tried to deny the world one of, if not the, best movies ever produced in American history. Them's fighting words in my book, no matter how much time has passed. But, along with this stir from Time-Warner Land, if you're lucky enough to live somewhere that sports a decent "art house" movie theatre, keep your eyes peeled. The Third Man has been restored, and is currently in limited release. And, folks, if you've never seen this movie, you've missed a treat bigger than Thanksgiving dessert. The Third Man takes place in post-WWII Vienna. The city has been divided into five zones, each controlled by the Allied powers, and it has become a haven of corruption and black marketeering. A hack American novelist, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) has been called to Vienna by an old and dear friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), whom he hasn't seen in years. He quickly learns that Harry was killed -- hit by a car. But something seems to be awry, because nobody has the same story as to how the accident happened. In fact, the title character, the "third man" is one of the biggest discrepancies in all the eyewitness accounts. So, Holly decides to dig for the truth. As you might've guessed, Ol' Buddy Harry was collar-deep in all the shady goings-on in Vienna, and Holly finds himself drawn into this sinister underworld. He falls for Harry's lover, Anna (Alida Valli), which only takes him deeper into the mire. All the while, a certain Major Calloway (Trevor Howard) is following Holly at a discreet distance, to see if the novelist's amateur detective work stumbles onto some truth, and unearths the full story on Holly's dead friend (...uh...did I say "dead?"...maybe so, maybe not.) I could sit here forever, telling you what is so perfect about this movie, but I almost would rather you see it for yourself. The director, Carol Reed, makes such impeccable use of the beauty of black and white, this film could easily be a textbook on monochrome cinematography. Shadows and darkness are used as characters and setpieces. The script, by Graham Greene, is as twisty as a West Virginia back road, and well, let's just say the ending is one for the legends. But what really resonates here is the spirit of Orson Welles. His character, Harry Lime, is only onscreen for about ten minutes of the film, but in actuality, his presence dominates every frame. Welles' genius was in film direction, to be sure, but his power and strength as an actor is often forgotten. It only takes a brief appearance in The Third Man to remind us of Welles' phenomenal acting craft and innate star quality. And don't let the "newly restored" tag scare you -- producer David O. Selznick cut 11 minutes from the print before its American release. It was not a slaughter, nothing like what happened with The Magnificent Ambersons or Touch of Evil. It was a slight trimming to tidy up some running time. Remember, this was 1949. Theatre owners had to squeeze newsreels, shorts, and other things into the screenings to keep audiences coming back. But, for a change, Selznick did not destroy the continuity or the story itself. Instead of finally learning some great secret, the restored 11 minutes just give you extra time to enjoy what you're seeing. Reed has re-recorded the opening narration in his own voice (Cotten did it in the original), and the timeworn voice of Reed makes a nice addition. The aging of the narrator's voice adds some history to the film's 50-year anniversary. It now sounds like the story is being told by one who remembers it from long ago, instead of last week. The Third Man is probably not sitting on the shelves of your average video rental ranch. In fact, unless your Blockbuster manager has a unique sense of film history, it's not going to be there at all. I'd imagine it's available on video, and I am even more sure this restoration will be released on video soon. Rent it, if you're curious. If you are a true film fanatic, you'll buy it, and keep it in a place of honor on your video shelf. Either way, once you see The Third Man, you will be an admirer of Welles the actor, Reed the director, and Greene the writer. Even Joseph Cotten's performance will stick with you. And, if you're a betting person, I would be glad to wager that the "theme music," -- some you've heard before but never realized where it came from -- will be one of your whistling choices from now on. Hunt down The Third Man, and see for yourself why this classic deserves all the praise it gets.
Get "reel" soon,
See past Alternative Medicine columns: A Christmas Story | To Kill A Mockingbird | I Wanna Hold Your Hand | Kingpin | Joe Versus the Volcano | The Commitments | Indian Summer | The Big Lebowski | Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Empire Records | That Thing You Do! | The Ten Commandments | The Third Man | Waiting for Guffman
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