The Third Man appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; due to those dimensions, the image has not been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Though not without concerns, as a whole the picture looked quite good for an older film.
Sharpness was a definite positive, as the movie always appeared nicely crisp and detailed. Very little softness cropped up, and the image displayed fine accuracy and distinction. I noticed a little shimmering at times, but otherwise the presentation lacked significant moiré effects or jagged edges. As for print flaws, they created the greatest concerns during Third. The picture seemed somewhat grainy and also demonstrated a fair number of examples of specks, grit, blotches, and thin vertical lines. Much of the time, the image demonstrated a distracting flickery quality as well. None of these issues became overwhelming, but they did cause some issues.
Black levels usually appeared nicely deep and tight, and shadow detail looked positive as a whole. Contrast also seemed generally solid, though the picture came across as a little too bright at times. Overall, despite the various concerns I noticed, The Third Man usually presented a very positive picture given its age, so it earned a “B-“ in that domain.
The monaural soundtrack of The Third Man seemed decent but ordinary. Speech came across as a little tinny but generally was reasonably natural and distinct. The lines lacked any significant edginess or problems related to intelligibility. Music demonstrated fairly good range and definition, as the score mostly sounded bright and warm for its era. Some effects seemed somewhat harsh, but they usually appeared acceptably concise and accurate, and they even mustered some passable low-end at times; for example, the rumble of a car engine sounded moderately deep. Though erratic, background noise created some concerns. Much of the movie seemed clean, but at times, those elements became much more distracting. Without the latter issues, The Third Man would merit a “B”-level grade for audio, but the noisiness dropped my mark to a “C+”.
How did the picture and audio of this 2007 DVD compare to those of the original 1999 release? I couldn’t discern any differences between the two. I thought the pair offered virtually identical strengths and weaknesses.
However, the situation changes when we look at the supplements. For this 2007 2-DVD Special Edition, we get nearly all the components from the 1999 release along with many new ones. I’ll mark 2007 exclusives with an asterisk. If you fail to see a star, the component already appeared on the old disc.
Starting on DVD One, we find two audio commentaries. The first comes from *filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Tony Gilroy, both of whom sit together for their running, screen-specific track. They look at a mix of production details as their own interpretation of the film and various cinematic insights.
This works pretty well, partially because Soderbergh remains a splendid audio commentator. He and Gilroy interact nicely, as neither man dominates in this balanced chat. Too much of the time they simply tell us how great various elements are, but they add good reflections on the project as they dig into the movie. While this never becomes a great commentary, it provides a good view of the flick from the filmmakers’ point of view.
For the second track, we get notes from *film scholar Dana Polan, who also offers a running, screen-specific discussion. Polan gets into themes, characters and story along with allusions to other works and a few filmmaking details. The latter aspects of the track stay minor, as Polan really intends to interpret the flick for us.
That makes the commentary somewhat informative but also more than a little tedious. The dull parts come from Polan’s repetition of the same points. He prefaces many of his remarks with “again” because he’s telling us the same info he already related. This is a reasonably good look at the deeper side of the flick, but it’s not wholly satisfying.
The Graham Greene Treatment provides a reading of the author’s early draft. Narrated by Richard Clarke, this offers an entertaining version of the story, and it seems especially fun when we hear variations between the text and the final film. In addition, a “Preface” written by Greene in February 1950 gives us a nice summary of different issues.
Orson Welles fan and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich provides a video Introduction to the film. The four-minute and 35-second piece gives us some good notes about the production. Unsurprisingly, Bogdanovich largely focuses on Welles, and he nicely draws us into the movie.
As we shift to DVD Two, we open with a documentary entitled *Shadowing The Third Man. Narrated by actor John Hurt, this 93-minute and 10-second piece includes a mix of modern and archival comments. We hear from producer Alexander Korda, his nephew David Korda, writer Graham Greene, assistant director Guy Hamilton, 2nd unit continuity Angela Allen, producer David O. Selznick’s son Daniel Selznick, film historians Charles Drazin and Brigitte Timmermann, Shepperton Studios’ Malcom Conway, director Carol Reed, director of photography Robert Krasker, assistant director Gino Wimmer, Vienna Director of the British Council Simon Cole, runner Joe Marks, penicillin expert Professor Karl Hermann Spitzy, and actors Orson Welles and Herbert Halbik. “Shadowing” looks at the state of Vienna after WWII and the development of the story and script. We also learn about casting, various collaborations and aspects of some participants, locations, music, some cinematic techniques, and a few other topics.
“Shadowing” takes a long way to make a short journey. Film clips fill much of its running time, and for the rest, we just get random tidbits. At no point does “Shadowing” start to form a coherent look at the film or post-war Vienna. Instead, it flits from one subject to another as it fails to explore any in a satisfying manner. Though some decent information emerges here, the format means it becomes awfully frustrating to wade through all the superfluous elements to get there. This is a slow, disappointing program.
Next we find an Austrian program from 2000. *Who Was The Third Man? goes for 29 minutes, 14 seconds as it gives us notes from Wimmer, Drazin, Halbik, 1948 Cultural Attaché to US Military Marcel Prawy, assistant sound editor Kurt Miksch, musician Anton Karas Vienna Waste Water Management’s Heinz Krejci, retired municipal water worker Alfred Freihaut, and actor Paul Horbiger. “Who” covers essentially the same territory as “Shadowing”, as it looks at the reality of post-war Vienna and various filmmaking issues. However, “Who” examines these subjects in one-third the time and with many fewer pretensions. It becomes substantially more useful, as it offers a concise, engaging view of the different topics.
Another documentary comes via a 1968 BBC program called *Graham Greene: The Hunted Man. This 56-minute and 23-second piece presents remarks from Greene during an audio interview conducted during a journey on the Orient Express. We learn a little about Greene’s childhood but mostly examine his life, career and work. We also hear some thoughts about Greene’s writing from British students.
Though the program occasionally drags, it usually remains quite stimulating. Greene appears open and frank as he delves into a number of intriguing topics. This becomes a solid documentary.
For more audio features, we go to a section that includes two radio programs. The Lives of Harry Lime lasts 28 minutes and 45 minutes. Presented as part of a series that expanded the Lime character, Orson Welles reprises his role, though with a few changes. This Lime is much more heroic, unlike the shady personality of the film. The story itself seems somewhat lame, but it’s still cool to hear.
In addition, we find a 1951 radio show called Lux Radio Theater Presents The Third Man. This 60-minute and 31-second piece includes Joseph Cotten as Martens but brings in other non-film actors for the remaining parts. The piece omits some parts of the film and it seems somewhat badly acted; as Lime, Ted de Corsia seems especially poor. However, it still offers a neat historical novelty.
Under the banner of The Third Man File, we get a few elements. An “illustrated production history” entitled *Insider Information lasts eight minutes, 47 seconds. This provides a mix of images accompanied by narration from voice-over actor Robb Webb. As we see photos, ads and other archival materials, we get a basic overview of the production. Through all the other elements, we already know a lot of the information, but I like the stills, and we find a nice little synopsis of the main issues.
After this we get a comparison of the US vs. UK Version of Third Man. The text mentions changes between the two cuts, and it also offers US and UK openings; the former lasts 83 seconds, whereas the latter goes for 94 seconds. Original US Trailer lasts two minutes, 24 seconds. It seems notable just because it’s so laughable; with lines like “he’ll have you in a dither with his zither”, it’s not a very good representation of the movie.
If the untranslated scenes in The Third Man bothered you, *”Kind to Foreigners” allows you to see them with English subtitles. This collection runs for five minutes, 24 seconds. I prefer the way it appears in the movie – it works better if we share Martins’ confusion – but it’s fun to learn the meaning of the dialogue.
“File” ends with the film’s *Original UK Press Book. This covers 28 screens as we see the various promotional opportunities associated with the movie. Though some of the images are too small to allow us to read the print, we still get a good feel for the methods used to tout the flick.
Within the confines of From the Archives, three elements appear. Anton Karas at London’s Empress Club lasts two minutes, 56 seconds, as we watch the composer play the movie’s theme. In the Underworld of Vienna gives us one minute, 49 seconds of newsreel shots that feature the “canal patrols”. Neither of these seem especially compelling, but they provide some moderately interesting historical material.
Finally, *The Third Man’s Vienna provides a collection of photos that show the city in the period depicted in the film. It comes with text to give us captions for the images as well as historical background. We find a lot of interesting shots here, and the text adds insight.
As with all Criterion products, this one comes with a Booklet. This 32-page piece features an appraisal of the film from film author Luc Sante, production notes from Charles Drazin, and thoughts about Graham Greene’s script from novelist Philip Kerr. Criterion make great booklets, and this is another winner.
Does this set omit anything from the 1999 Third Man DVD? Yup, but not much. We lose a “restoration demo” and the movie’s 50th anniversary trailer. Neither comes as a loss.
When old folks say “they don’t make ‘em like they used to”, they could refer to The Third Man. However, I’m not sure they ever made ‘em like this. Ahead of its time at the time of its creation, the movie still seems very innovative and inventive; it barely shows its age and remains fresh and wickedly delightful. The DVD does demonstrate some age-related problems, but both picture and sound seem more than acceptable for their vintage, and the package adds a positive set of extras. A great movie represented well on DVD, The Third Man earns a strong recommendation.
Without question, The Third Man belongs in your collection – if it’s not already there. For those who fail to possess a DVD of the flick, run out and grab this release right now. If you have the old Criterion edition, I can still recommend 2007 two-disc version if you enjoy supplements. I don’t think the new DVD improves on the old one’s pictures or sound, but it adds many new extras that make it a really great set.
To rate this film visit the original review of THE THIRD MAN