"The Third Man," One Of The Great Films

"The Third Man" is a British produced, although with assistance from American David O. Selznick, black and white suspense film set in Vienna after the end of World War Two. It is often seen on lists of the greatest films ever. The movie's music, played only on a zither, remained a popular song in the 1950s and 1960s. Most of the film was shot on location right in Vienna, with the rubble and devastation of the war still all around. The city was a hot spot for corruption, as people trying to survive the aftermath of the war would wheel and deal to get the necessities of life, or more. Vienna, like Berlin, was divided into occupation zones by the Allies, along with joint control by the victorious powers of the central city. Also like Berlin, Vienna became a center of espionage during the increasing tensions between "the Western Allies" and the Soviet Union.

The story centers around an American writer, Holly Martins, played by Joseph Cotten, who goes to Vienna to see his friend, Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles, only to learn that Lime had been hit and killed by a vehicle not long before Martins' arrival. British military authorities tell Martins that Lime is a ruthless con man involved in the theft of scare penicillin, having the antibiotic diluted and then sold on the black market. The dilution of the drug made it ineffective to treat many ailments, costing literally life and limb for many a person, including children. Martins only knows Harry Lime as a friend and he seeks to refute the charges against Lime by conducting his own investigation, along with help from Lime's girlfriend, Anna, played by Alida Valli, to whom Martins takes a liking. One witness tells Martins that there was "a third man" at the scene of Lime's death, something denied by other witnesses. It is tough to write much more about this film without giving away some of its twists and turns for those who have not seen the movie, so I will leave it here, except to say there are scenes which include the Wiener Riesenrad (Vienna Ferris Wheel) and, believe it or not, the Vienna sewer system. That last is a clue to the story. I think you will likely agree with many of the lists which include this film as one of the greatest ever. Oh... and after watching it, try getting the theme song out of your mind! If you've seen the movie before, it is well worth seeing again ... and again. The film won the Academy Award for Best Black and White Cinematography, and it was nominated for Best Director (Carol Reed) and Best Film Editing.

The photo is from the DVD from Korea (don't panic, it is in English. If you only speak Algonquin .... PANIC!!!)

WORD HISTORY:
At-This common word goes back to Indo European "ad," which meant "near, to, at." This gave Old Germanic "at," with the same meanings. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "æt," which meant "to, toward, at." This later became "at," and it has remained such for many centuries. The other Germanic languages have: German once had "az," with the "z" pronounced "ts," but the word died out. Low German Saxon has "at," which means "when, as," but I'm not really sure if this is the same word in heritage, or if it is just another word that developed that spelling. Dutch also lacks a modern version, as does West Frisian, but the much diminished North Frisian dialect of Frisian has "et," meaning "at." Danish has "at," which means "to," Icelandic has "að," which means "to," and Swedish and Norwegian both have "åt," meaning "to, towards, of."