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 An excellent example of film noir, director Carol Reed and cinematographer Robert Krasker illustrate the living conditions of post-war Vienna with... | An excellent example of film noir, director Carol Reed and cinematographer Robert Krasker illustrate the living conditions of post-war Vienna with plots that weave from subterranean city sewer-scapes to dreamlike carnival escapades. Actually, the films most important scene and pivoting point for our hero, Holly Martins(Cotton), and anti-hero, Harry Lime(Welles), occurs on a ferris wheel. The charm and subltle philosophy of film noir is that engages it's viewer in deep suspense without the abundance of CGI graphics and rapid-fire editing. Here is a film that surely influenced Orson Welles in his directorship of such classics as A Touch of Evil and Citizen Kane. Welles is devilishly arrogant in his portrayal of the mystery man, and Cotton is also well ballanced as the naive hero. Great cinematography at the beginning and ending help shape the deeper levels of the romantic subplot involving our heroine played by Alida Valli. A must see and a great pre-warm-up into the films of Orson Welles, where he was not just the actor, but also the director. |
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