This essay will discuss how Carol Reed in the direction of the film The Third Man, uses plot and narrative devices, camera work, sets, costumes, lighting and acting, among others; in order to convey a sense of danger and confusion, making the audience feel that things are not as they outwardly seem to be.
Reed uses a plot device to create this sense which is based on passing from transcendental themes to trivial ones, for example passing from the topic of death to wanting a cup of tea in just a second or giving the audience misleading clues through dialogue or diegetic thing, making us beliefs something that might or not be true. Reed utilizes as well some narrative devices to produce this feeling in the audience, the ones he uses are facts such as the fact that Anna only plays comedies, because her life is and eternal tragedy, but even more, the mixture of dramatic with funny moments or situation at the same time, making us use what Nietzsche called the art of mistrust.
In the same way, sound is very important to create this mood. Reed uses a soundtrack in his film which is totally opposite to the plot of the film, and even more to the moments of crucial significance, creating an unbalance in the film. Its is important to note too, that Reed uses sound perspective in dramatic moments so that the audience won’t see, but hear what is happening, charging the scene with more suspense and making it as dramatic as the spectator wants it to be, since it is actually taking place in its mind.
To create even further this sensation, the image quality is very soft and it contrasts with the camera work that Reed uses. Reed uses an unbalanced framing combined with low camera angles that make feel that the image is going to spill over a side. Two basic camera movements are used in the film, those are tilting and panning in a slow pace and the shots or takes are very short, very quick, is cut after cut creating a dizzy suspense. The use of close ups is important, since they work as a window to the mind of the characters that make us doubtful with their acting, since their feelings are emphasized. And finally, a shallow depth of field with short focal length causes a feeling of claustrophobia and anxiety, bringing all the pieces of camera work together to achieve this sense.
The film is set in Vienna after World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War, but what is more important is that Reed at first uses settings that have more space and air, but as the story takes place and complicates; Reed increases the use of dark settings and closes the spaces, giving the movie this sense of the unknown. Later, after the case is solved, the settings become larger again giving Harry a lot of space to run away and the audience the feeling that the end is near.
To keep the mood, Reed chooses to pick for his costumes generally dark clothing, especially in dark grey tones, and also the cloths is for cold climate, long coats. The grey colors are intermediate, not here not there, someplace in the middle, unbalanced, and even more important, the clothing is for cold weather and generally in the mind cold is related to death and the concept of death is uncertain by itself, plus the fact that the coats are long gives us the impression that the people wearing it are hiding something, the more cloth and the longer the more we wouldn’t know what really is beneath it.
As for the lighting, is some way Reed kind of makes a satire out of Film Noir, with people constantly coming in and out the shadows or complete darkness. Nevertheless, this type of lighting is very functional for the mood of the film, is based on strong contrasts between light and shadow depending on what is happening, certainly the lighting resembles a mixture between Film Noir and German Expressionism. The types used are a low key lighting and a focused lighting with the foreground focused and the background unfocused so that the audience won’t see what is happening in the back; giving a sense of doubt, danger and confusion.
Finally, in the acting there is a disconnection between what is being said and the attitudes at the time, this in order to reinforce the feeling of confusion; and the attitudes of the characters are suspicious and deceiving, one can see their faces but not their real intentions. The audience senses a confusion and danger from the characters since they, the audience, is forced to try to read between the lines and to see behind the facades, because everything is not what it seems.
To fit all the pieces of the film puzzle together in order to create a sense of danger and confusion and make the audiences feel that things are not as they outwardly seem to be. Is important to note that Holly Matins’ innocence, and the innocence of USA with which he is identified, are poorly suited to deal with the shady, ambiguous, and uncertain world of post World War II in Europe. And this is because Holly has not felt the apocalypse of war in its own skin, he might know about it, but he has been in safe soil ever since, he is a very relaxed person that writes westerns, and since he has not had tough times he is not as insightful as Europeans were at that time; because death, pain and war bring out the best and worst of mankind. He is just ignorant of the real situation. On the other hand, Europeans at that time had just came out of a period of wars that can be traced down up to the Roman Empire of even more into the past. This is a continent that trough a huge amount of time had been shady, ambiguous and uncertain both with its people and its geography. Europeans at this point and even today have a legacy of conquer and war, which made them what they are, but that Holly could even begin to imagine since he didn’t experienced it in live flesh, and even today it remains at to some point in the same way, because USA does not fight his wars on its soil. That is why Holly is poorly suited to deal with these and a bunch of other things in the European society. According to all the previous facts the author of this paper tries to prove that Carol Reed in the direction of the film The Third Man, uses plot and narrative devices, camera work, sets, costumes, lighting and acting, among others; in order to convey a sense of danger and confusion, making the audience feel that things are not as they outwardly seem.
Reed uses a plot device to create this sense which is based on passing from transcendental themes to trivial ones, for example passing from the topic of death to wanting a cup of tea in just a second or giving the audience misleading clues through dialogue or diegetic thing, making us beliefs something that might or not be true. Reed utilizes as well some narrative devices to produce this feeling in the audience, the ones he uses are facts such as the fact that Anna only plays comedies, because her life is and eternal tragedy, but even more, the mixture of dramatic with funny moments or situation at the same time, making us use what Nietzsche called the art of mistrust.
In the same way, sound is very important to create this mood. Reed uses a soundtrack in his film which is totally opposite to the plot of the film, and even more to the moments of crucial significance, creating an unbalance in the film. Its is important to note too, that Reed uses sound perspective in dramatic moments so that the audience won’t see, but hear what is happening, charging the scene with more suspense and making it as dramatic as the spectator wants it to be, since it is actually taking place in its mind.
To create even further this sensation, the image quality is very soft and it contrasts with the camera work that Reed uses. Reed uses an unbalanced framing combined with low camera angles that make feel that the image is going to spill over a side. Two basic camera movements are used in the film, those are tilting and panning in a slow pace and the shots or takes are very short, very quick, is cut after cut creating a dizzy suspense. The use of close ups is important, since they work as a window to the mind of the characters that make us doubtful with their acting, since their feelings are emphasized. And finally, a shallow depth of field with short focal length causes a feeling of claustrophobia and anxiety, bringing all the pieces of camera work together to achieve this sense.
The film is set in Vienna after World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War, but what is more important is that Reed at first uses settings that have more space and air, but as the story takes place and complicates; Reed increases the use of dark settings and closes the spaces, giving the movie this sense of the unknown. Later, after the case is solved, the settings become larger again giving Harry a lot of space to run away and the audience the feeling that the end is near.
To keep the mood, Reed chooses to pick for his costumes generally dark clothing, especially in dark grey tones, and also the cloths is for cold climate, long coats. The grey colors are intermediate, not here not there, someplace in the middle, unbalanced, and even more important, the clothing is for cold weather and generally in the mind cold is related to death and the concept of death is uncertain by itself, plus the fact that the coats are long gives us the impression that the people wearing it are hiding something, the more cloth and the longer the more we wouldn’t know what really is beneath it.
As for the lighting, is some way Reed kind of makes a satire out of Film Noir, with people constantly coming in and out the shadows or complete darkness. Nevertheless, this type of lighting is very functional for the mood of the film, is based on strong contrasts between light and shadow depending on what is happening, certainly the lighting resembles a mixture between Film Noir and German Expressionism. The types used are a low key lighting and a focused lighting with the foreground focused and the background unfocused so that the audience won’t see what is happening in the back; giving a sense of doubt, danger and confusion.
Finally, in the acting there is a disconnection between what is being said and the attitudes at the time, this in order to reinforce the feeling of confusion; and the attitudes of the characters are suspicious and deceiving, one can see their faces but not their real intentions. The audience senses a confusion and danger from the characters since they, the audience, is forced to try to read between the lines and to see behind the facades, because everything is not what it seems.
To fit all the pieces of the film puzzle together in order to create a sense of danger and confusion and make the audiences feel that things are not as they outwardly seem to be. Is important to note that Holly Matins’ innocence, and the innocence of USA with which he is identified, are poorly suited to deal with the shady, ambiguous, and uncertain world of post World War II in Europe. And this is because Holly has not felt the apocalypse of war in its own skin, he might know about it, but he has been in safe soil ever since, he is a very relaxed person that writes westerns, and since he has not had tough times he is not as insightful as Europeans were at that time; because death, pain and war bring out the best and worst of mankind. He is just ignorant of the real situation. On the other hand, Europeans at that time had just came out of a period of wars that can be traced down up to the Roman Empire of even more into the past. This is a continent that trough a huge amount of time had been shady, ambiguous and uncertain both with its people and its geography. Europeans at this point and even today have a legacy of conquer and war, which made them what they are, but that Holly could even begin to imagine since he didn’t experienced it in live flesh, and even today it remains at to some point in the same way, because USA does not fight his wars on its soil. That is why Holly is poorly suited to deal with these and a bunch of other things in the European society. According to all the previous facts the author of this paper tries to prove that Carol Reed in the direction of the film The Third Man, uses plot and narrative devices, camera work, sets, costumes, lighting and acting, among others; in order to convey a sense of danger and confusion, making the audience feel that things are not as they outwardly seem.
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