The story was okay to good, but the visuals made the film.
Joseph Cotton and Orson Wells.
American Film Institute Ranking: #66/100 Academy Awards: Nominated for three winning best cinematography. My Rating:
A whodunit wrapped around a historical time piece, “A Third Man” is another entry into the catalogue of film noir. It relies on tension created by relationships rather than overt violence. This doesn’t always keep the pace up, but the shots within the film are so intricate that it adds an artistic crust that makes up for the lack of action.
The cinematography, the art direction, and the chopped storyline of thousands of other movies owe their derivation to this original piece.
Orson Welles as the protagonist Charles Foster Kane.
American Film Institute Ranking: #1/100 Academy Awards: Received nine nominations, but only winning for Best Writing (Original Screenplay). My Rating:
So the best movie of all-time, eh?
A movie with that distinction has rightfully been sliced and diced from a million different angles, and with having such an interesting figure in the middle of it all (Orson Welles) there is plenty of of wood to stoke the fire when discussing this piece of significant Americana.
First and foremost, the movie is very enjoyable. From the get go you realize this isn’t run-of-the-mill, early Hollywood; the movie opens up with an electric use of film angles and art direction, creating amazing intrigue with nothing more than ingenious camera work. This is followed with an inverted story, jumping back and forth between present and past in a way Quinten Tarantino would approve. Then, the fascinating main engine that keeps everything runningL the search for what “Rosebud” means.
What materializes is a move that has a little bit of everything: an intriguing story, well-written characters, a period piece of 1940s America, and a commentary on life, capitalism, power and fulfillment.
