Cine: El tercer hombre

David     
Year 10º

English

27/7/12

THE THIRD MEN

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Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, students and teachers, and welcome to The Sydney Film Festival. A novelty will be that I’m not going to talk about Psycho, I have changed the movie and I’m going to talk about The Third Man, it’s a 1949 British Film, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard. It is particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances and unique musical store. Novelist Graham Greene wrote the screenplay. It is often ranked among the greatest films of all time. I’m David Hernández and I’m going to explain you why The Third man is a classic film. First of all, what does the movie talk about?

In the post Second World War, the unemployed pulp fiction writer Holly Martins arrives in Vienna to meet with his old friend from school, Harry Lime, who has offered him a job. On the arrival, he learns that Harry has just died, hit by a truck in front of his building. After the incident he goes to his friends funeral. Holly Martins sees a beautiful woman, Anna Schmidt, and a friend of Harry. He soon learns that Anna was Harry's lover. Maj. Calloway, who is commanding the investigation, offers a ticket to Holly so that he can return home, but while waiting for the trip, he talks to two friends of Harry that tell him, that they had been the first to help his friend. However, the bellman of Harry's building tells him that there was a mysterious third man that helped Harry and Holly Martins. He becomes intrigued with the inconsistency and decides to investigate further. Soon he discloses that Harry Lime was the leader of a gang that robbed penicillin from the military hospital to adulterate and resell it, and has caused the death and anomalies in many children. He continues to investigate and he has a great surprise when he finds out who the third man is.

About the author, Henry Graham Greene was born on October 2, 1904 and died on April 3, 1991. He was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world. Greene was notable for his ability to combine serious literary acclaim with widespread popularity. Several works such as The Confidential Agent, The Third Man, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana and The Human Factor also show an avid interest in the workings of international politics and espionage.The director of this movie was Carol Reed, who directed the film adaptation of Graham Greene several novels.

Then, I'll talk about two very famous scenes, which are considered classic scenes.You are probably wondering what is a classic movie?

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Well, it depends. Some would say that a "classic film" is any movie made during the days that the Hollywood studio system was in place. In those pre-1970's days, most actors and actresses were under exclusive contracts to a single studio. If they worked for another studio at all, it was usually because of a trade, or some other arrangement, between the studio bosses.

Now, let's focus on the scenes, the first is when Harry Lime is in the main hall of the building in the evening, playing in the background the soundtrack. Until then, everyone thought he was dead. This a scene that is plays with the shadow, the shoes are only lit by streetlights, and his face is not illuminated but in shadows.The other famous scene is the chase through the sewers, the sewers of Vienna.

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These are the most famous scenes of the movie, and if the film was in colour it would of lost some of its charm as a classic film, since, as Psycho, contrast plays a lot with light and shadows. And in this film, Daybreak, the nocturnal scenes have artificial light, coming from street lamps so the light comes from above. And last but not least is the music, which is essential in many scenes of the film and is Muscia Anton Karas.

I believe that The Third Man is a classic movie because this type of film never gets old. Thanks for listening.

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Hoy doy la bienvenida en este blog a un nuevo colaborador que se ha hecho mucho de rogar, uno de mis sobrinos, David, con casi 16 años, que así le gusta decirlo a él.

Nos presenta el trabajo que ha hecho en el colegio estos días en la otra punta del globo terráqueo, mientras aquí los demás estábamos tocándonos las narices, cada uno las suyas y el gobierno las de todos.

Había que analizar Psicósis, pero él, más chulo que un ocho, decidió hacer el trabajo sobre El tercer hombre.

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Bienvenido, enhorabuena y gracias.

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