Iconic British Cinema: ‘The Third Man’ (1949)
The Perfect Film
“The devil is not as black as he is painted.”
― Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy
I have once again the great BBC to thank for my early education in some of the greatest iconic films in movie history. Back in the 80s, the BBC would show films on television that were tied to a theme, author, or oeuvre of a particular Director presented by another known Director.
So you had an expert witness divulging his testimony upon each film shown. It was an absolute joy to hear the comments of this chosen Director and then watch the film and/or double bill that was presented over one evening or subsequent weekends. This laid the foundation for my early appreciation and knowledge of masterpieces from each genre and decade.
The film was always first for me and then I might read the book after to gauge the adaptation of the film. Yet in this case, there is no classic work by a famous author that the film screenplay is adapted from.
However, the screenplay was written by none other than that master of moral ineluctability Graham Greene. My favourite novel by Greene is Brighton Rock. When it was adapted for film featured one of the great screen performances of human ‘evil’ by a young actor who would also become a very famous British Director. I have…
