1949 — The Third Man
After World War II, the narrative of floundering men seeking meaning became a common theme explored in the moody black and white of film noir. The Third Man’s post-war Vienna is a tired and desperate place where criminals and cover-ups are far too common. Pulp writer Hollis answers a call from his old friend Harry Lime who has offered him a job. Upon arriving in Vienna, Hollis receives word that Lime has suddenly died, struck by a car. With an eye for crime, Hollis notices how the facts don’t quite add up. All witnesses to the crime indicate that a third person helped to drag Lime’s body away — the police report only mentions two.
The search for this titular figure is steeped in intrigue and uses the gorgeous black and white cinematography of the 1940s to full effect. The Third Man’s Vienna becomes the hotbed of all things corruption in multiple institutionalized forms.
The film makes it easy to imagine how desperate Europe must have been after the war — even more obvious when taken into account this was a British production, not American. With its central mystery revolving around the black market distribution of medical supplies, such a desperately needed public item shows the immorality of the age after witnessing such senseless horrors of war.
Image Source: IMDb