The Third Man: The Screenplay

by Graham Greene

The Screenplay to the film "The Third Man," written by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed.

Genres: Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Henry Graham Greene was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century.
Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a reputation early in his lifetime as a major writer, both of serious Catholic novels, and of thrillers (or "entertainments" as he termed them). He was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Through 67 years of writing, which included over 25 novels, he explored the conflicting moral and political issues of the modern world. The Power and the Glory won the 1941 Hawthornden Prize and The Heart of the Matter won the 1948 James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black. Greene was awarded the 1968 Shakespeare Prize and the 1981 Jerusalem Prize. Several of his stories have been filmed, some more than once, and he collaborated with filmmaker Carol Reed on The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).
He converted to Catholicism in 1926 after meeting his future wife, Vivienne Dayrell-Browning. Later in life he took to calling himself a "Catholic agnostic". He died in 1991, aged 86, of leukemia, and was buried in Corseaux cemetery in Switzerland. William Golding called Greene "the ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man's consciousness and anxiety".

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fascinating. i had already read the published "story" of "The Third Man" by Graham Greene, which he says in his preface was never written to be read but as his own best way to write a film script, as a story first. This is the actual film script for the famour film of the same name (starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles), and written collaboratively by Greene and the film's director, Carol Reed (now Sir Carol Reed). Greene wrote extensively about the process of writing the film script and how much he enjoyed doing with Reed. It is the only film script ot Greene's to be published (from the 20+ films made from his novels and short stories). The reason this is so interesting is to see the differences between this script and the previous written story (ultimately published as a book) and then (because there are extensive annotations) to see the differences between the script and what actually appears on the screen in the movies. The most famous bit is the line contributed completely ad hoc apparently by Orson Welles about the Swiss and their one contribution to modern life: "cuckoo clocks." You probably need to be a true Greene afficionado to enjoy this as much as I did (I'm reading everything he ever wrote in chronological order in one year, during this pandemic) - but, if you are interested in film and how it is made, this is illuminating. The film itself won the top award at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival and is considered a classic, of on the most important films to be made during and immediately after WWII. Now I get to watch the actual film. This should be a kick!

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A screenplay without all the rhetorical writing.

We have a fun strait forwarded screenplay with a small introduction by Andrew Sinclair. There is some information on Characters, credits, and casts. As with most screenplay books, the pages are interspersed with pictures from the movie and a smattering of explanatory footnotes.

A little information about the movie for those not sure about purchasing this book:

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) an out-of-work novelist (Westerns) is offered a job in post-war Vienna by his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). When Holly arrives, he finds he is late for Harry's funeral. The authorities are besmirching Harry's memory. Harry's girl (Alida Valli) after hearing of a mysterious third man at Harry's car accident suggested that Harry's death may not have been an accident.

Now it is up to Holly to clear Harry's name. We may be in for a few surprises.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to a play adaptation by LA Theatre Works. The okay version was difficult to follow due to rapidly changing scenes. It would be a better listen after seeing the movie or reading the book.

[Barry Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A screenplay without all the rhetorical writing.

We have a fun straightforward screenplay with a small introduction by Andrew Sinclair. There is some information on Characters, credits, and casts. As with most screenplay books, the pages are interspersed with pictures from the movie and a smattering of explanatory footnotes.

A little information about the movie for those not sure about purchasing this book:

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) an out-of-work novelist (Westerns) is offered a job in post-war Vienna by his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). When Holly arrives, he finds he is late for Harry's funeral. The authorities are besmirching Harry's memory. Harry's girl (Alida Valli) after hearing of a mysterious third man at Harry's car accident suggested that Harry's death may not have been an accident.

Now it is up to Holly to clear Harry's name. We may be in for a few surprises.