The Third Man
(1949)
Director - Carol Reed
Release date - 3 September 1949
Genre - Thriller, Mystery
Production companies - London Film Productions, British Lion Film Corporation.
The film starts with the music and the voice over begins, this brings in and engages the audience.
Next, a high angle shot of some goods in a case can be seen being sold in the black market. The case is a very important signifier of the thriller genre. You immediatly go from the history of Vienna, showing various statues to what is going on now. You then see a close up of hands and arms with loads of watches placed on them, they don't have to show a
lot for the audience to know what is going on. A shot of a body in the river shows the audience that Vienna is a dangerous place, they only have to show five or six shots to confirm this to the audience. The city is divided into four nationalities so not everybody understands each other, this suggests fragmentaton.
We see a shot of the character walking under a ladder, this suggests that the film is filled with bad luck and thrills. The use of shadow and non-ambiant lighting creates a spooky atmosphere, it is asthough Holly is being watched or followed. Next, when Holly meets the German caretaker, Holly is seen at a slightly tilted high angle shot, it makes him (Holly) look insignificant because he is a stranger to the guy and he does n
ot speak the caretaker's language, also at this point his shadow is bigger than him which also adds to his insignificance. They did not add subtitles to the film, this is so the audience gets a feel of how Holly is feeling, like a foreigner.
A close up of two guys dressed in 'camp' fashion suggests devious impression. When Anna is introduced, she carries a very blank face, the audience cannot read what she is thinking. The tilted shot of Holly having a drink with another man adds interest for the viewer, it also suggets disorientation, like he doesn't fit in in Vienna, also this could signify the effect the drink is having on him. Another tilted shot which shows Holly in the door way signifys that Anna isn't quite right, there is suspision. In the film Anna smokes alot because in 40's films this was considered glamourous and sifisticated, these factors add to her unreadable character.
The shot of the alley shows silouttes, noir lighting and wet streets these all add to the thriller genre. The slightly low angle shot of everybody in the room is almost like a point of view shot from the little boy and how he is witnessing what is going on. This also tells the audience that the little boy is taking everything on board, may play an important part in the film and isn't all that 'cute'.
The continuous use of close ups is very important in the film, it is so that the audience can try and work out exactly what everyone is thinking, who is bad or is good. The long angle shot of Anna standing in the street shows the bottom half of her body in shadow, this could suggest that she has an alter ego, she has a good and a bad side? She is standing at the side of the shot to add interest. The long angle shot of just Anna's face suggests that she feels superior to everyone else and she knows what is going on.
When the child is running, down the alleyway we see his shadow before we see him, his shadow is alot bigger than him, could this mean he is also superior, bigger than everyone else, or perhaps evil?
We see a cat in the doorway, this could symbolise Harry Lime, playfull but unpredictable. The feet which we can then see either side of the cat, adds tension to the audience because they do not know yet who the feet belong to. When we next see Harry Lime for the first time, he is hiding in the shadows almost like he represents Holly's shadow. The lighting focuses just on his face like he is something out of a dream. The music complements what he is doing, it e
nables us to understand what he is smiling about. The chiaroscuro lighting in the arch where Harry is heading to symbolising freedom, 'the light at the the end of the tunnel' its like he has been following Holly. The sewers show a chlostrophobic space, this is a big thriller signifier, it adds tension and spookyness to the clip. When Harry puts his hands through the grate, its almost like he is trying to get free from jail, he's trapped and he is trying to get free. Almost like a rat coming up from the sewers.
Director - Carol Reed
Release date - 3 September 1949
Genre - Thriller, Mystery
Production companies - London Film Productions, British Lion Film Corporation.
The film starts with the music and the voice over begins, this brings in and engages the audience.
Next, a high angle shot of some goods in a case can be seen being sold in the black market. The case is a very important signifier of the thriller genre. You immediatly go from the history of Vienna, showing various statues to what is going on now. You then see a close up of hands and arms with loads of watches placed on them, they don't have to show a
lot for the audience to know what is going on. A shot of a body in the river shows the audience that Vienna is a dangerous place, they only have to show five or six shots to confirm this to the audience. The city is divided into four nationalities so not everybody understands each other, this suggests fragmentaton.We see a shot of the character walking under a ladder, this suggests that the film is filled with bad luck and thrills. The use of shadow and non-ambiant lighting creates a spooky atmosphere, it is asthough Holly is being watched or followed. Next, when Holly meets the German caretaker, Holly is seen at a slightly tilted high angle shot, it makes him (Holly) look insignificant because he is a stranger to the guy and he does n
ot speak the caretaker's language, also at this point his shadow is bigger than him which also adds to his insignificance. They did not add subtitles to the film, this is so the audience gets a feel of how Holly is feeling, like a foreigner.A close up of two guys dressed in 'camp' fashion suggests devious impression. When Anna is introduced, she carries a very blank face, the audience cannot read what she is thinking. The tilted shot of Holly having a drink with another man adds interest for the viewer, it also suggets disorientation, like he doesn't fit in in Vienna, also this could signify the effect the drink is having on him. Another tilted shot which shows Holly in the door way signifys that Anna isn't quite right, there is suspision. In the film Anna smokes alot because in 40's films this was considered glamourous and sifisticated, these factors add to her unreadable character.
The shot of the alley shows silouttes, noir lighting and wet streets these all add to the thriller genre. The slightly low angle shot of everybody in the room is almost like a point of view shot from the little boy and how he is witnessing what is going on. This also tells the audience that the little boy is taking everything on board, may play an important part in the film and isn't all that 'cute'.
The continuous use of close ups is very important in the film, it is so that the audience can try and work out exactly what everyone is thinking, who is bad or is good. The long angle shot of Anna standing in the street shows the bottom half of her body in shadow, this could suggest that she has an alter ego, she has a good and a bad side? She is standing at the side of the shot to add interest. The long angle shot of just Anna's face suggests that she feels superior to everyone else and she knows what is going on.
When the child is running, down the alleyway we see his shadow before we see him, his shadow is alot bigger than him, could this mean he is also superior, bigger than everyone else, or perhaps evil?
We see a cat in the doorway, this could symbolise Harry Lime, playfull but unpredictable. The feet which we can then see either side of the cat, adds tension to the audience because they do not know yet who the feet belong to. When we next see Harry Lime for the first time, he is hiding in the shadows almost like he represents Holly's shadow. The lighting focuses just on his face like he is something out of a dream. The music complements what he is doing, it e
nables us to understand what he is smiling about. The chiaroscuro lighting in the arch where Harry is heading to symbolising freedom, 'the light at the the end of the tunnel' its like he has been following Holly. The sewers show a chlostrophobic space, this is a big thriller signifier, it adds tension and spookyness to the clip. When Harry puts his hands through the grate, its almost like he is trying to get free from jail, he's trapped and he is trying to get free. Almost like a rat coming up from the sewers. 
The Third Man:
ReplyDeleteImportant revisions:
spelling, noir - not nior!!!
....he is a stranger to the guy, don't use slang like guy!!! Explain who the character is..for example "when Holly meets the German caretaker...."
.....German guy, he is seen at a slightly tilted high angle shot, it makes him look insignificant because he is a stranger to the guy, he does not speak his language, also at this point his.......
This quote from your analysis is extremely confusing because I don't know which character you suggest is insignificant. Therefore avoid personal pronouns, use proper nouns like character's names.
3rd paragraph is all jumbled up. You are not putting your analysis in context, you need to explain which mise-en-scene you are referencing otherwise you create confusion.
..deametric lighting??? Do you mean chiaroscuro lighting?
You have identified and explained quite effective some generic conventions utilised in this film but because you have not referenced specific locations nor placed action you are discussing in context much of your analysis becomes confusing.
Think about : where? when? how?
....explained quite effective... My typing error, I mean quite effectively. In order to raise grade you must explain the location where the action takes place.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless the final section of your analysis of the mise-en-scene in the sewer suggests a more confident grasp of the purpose of film language.