I got to thinking this morning that this movie has much the feel of a Billy Wilder film: the crisper-than-real-life dialogue and black-and-white cinematography, and the brutal cynicism of the story, which outdoes even Ace in the Hole.
I sort of felt the same way the first time I saw The Third Man -- that Carol Reed had out-Hitchcocked Alfred Hitchcock.
That may be true, but didn't Carol Reed get A LOT of help from Orson Welles?
There is no "off" position on the genius switch.
I know that this is years too late, but for the benefit of anyone else who sees this: NO NO NO. Besides playing Harry Lime, Orson Welles' only other contribution to The Third Man was the Cuckoo Clock speech.
shareWilder could certainly be cyncical, but, he always had more outright funny lines. Here, the humor is mainly just bitter. Wilder would have brought more forthright laugh lines to the piece.
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