Film Noir and The Third Man

The term film noir refers to a dark natured thriller style film genre during the post World War Two period. It literally translates from the French language as “black film” referring to its notably bleak ambience reflecting the mood of the age. This period was filled with a sense of post war depression causing directors such as Carol Reed to create films like “The Third Man.” The conventions of a film noir movie are very similar to that of a modern day thriller. For example, the technology used in the films (be it for practical purposes or simply as a props) were state of the art as directors of this genre wished to demonstrate the glorious inventions floating about in the “modern” world. Furthermore the suspense filled plots and mysterious dramas are also seen in both periods of thriller, as well as the style of character used. The characters of a thriller or film noir movie are easily spotted as they tend to follow a pattern of behaviour and mood. The hero is often very outspoken and desperate to help those “helpless” damsels in distress who in stark contrast to this often turn out to be extremely ambiguous or double crossing people referred to as the femme fatal. Moreover the antagonist often has Byronic traits about their nature and subsequently captivates the “damsel” in a more intense way than the protagonist, at least until the hero overcomes the antagonist in the momentous final battle commonly seen in film noir and thriller films.

When you look at the Third Man you can instantly see that this film is a very stereotypical film noir film. Almost every aspect of “The Third Man” follows the rules of this genre from the technology to the characters. The character Anna however detracts slightly from the stereotype. Although she remains ambiguous for a large part of the film she is however not dark enough to be called “femme fatal.” Her character shows no evil intentions and her dark, eerie nature is a result of her love for Harry Lime. On the other hand there are parts which suggest her being in Vienna is illegal but nothing comes of this suspicion.

On the subject of technology the new drug “penicillin” is a key aspect of the film. Because of the exceedingly high popularity of this drug after what it did for the world during world war two the use of it sparks the idea that this film is very up to date and innovative. Furthermore it also uses technology such as slide projectors which is a further implication of this idea. Both holly martins and Harry Lime fit their roles as, protagonist and antagonist to the letter enhancing the stereotypical nature of this film.

Harry’s ambiguous death and underground movements reflect the popular criminal activity and gangster ideas used in the film noir period. He is the perfect anti hero, believing in a corrupt world where no one is significant and killing without remorse. Furthermore his betrayal of his best friend shows his relentless nature and by faking his own death we can see the cleverness of his actions.

Martins’ desire to aid the “helpless” Anna and watch over her despite her attraction to Harry Lime shows his heroic personality. He willingly helps people with no regard for himself. This trait is common in the film noir genre.

Everything about “The Third Man” is designed to cause suspense and mystery, which unfolds over the course of the film. Modern thrillers as well as film noir titles key goal is to create this atmosphere of ambiguity and tension.