
The Third Man
1949 · Movie · NR · 105 min · ★ 7.9
In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.
Also known as The 3rd Man
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Details
- Years
- 1949
- Release date
- 1949-08-31
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Max quality
- HD
- TMDB rating
- 7.9/10 (2,106 votes)
Themes
- staged death
- black market
- cemetery
- investigation
- soviet military
- prater
- british army
- austria
- cover-up
- film noir
- black and white
- foot chase
- +9 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography, Black-and-White · 1951
- BAFTA Award — Best British Film · 1950
- Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix · 1949
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography, Black-and-White · 1951 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1951 · nominated
Show all 8 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1951 · nominated
- BAFTA Award — Best Film · 1950 · nominated
- Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · 1949 · nominated
Cast & crew

Joseph Cotten
as Holly Martins

Alida Valli
as Anna Schmidt

Trevor Howard
as Major Calloway

Orson Welles
as Harry Lime

Paul Hörbiger
as Karl the Porter

Ernst Deutsch
as 'Baron' Kurtz

Erich Ponto
as Dr. Winkel

Siegfried Breuer
as Popescu

Hedwig Bleibtreu
as Anna's Landlady

Bernard Lee
as Sergeant Paine
Directed by Carol Reed