[The_Return]

The Third Man (1949)

A classic mystery, set in post-war Vienna.

Even though some have the twists are sadly diluted - let's face it, anyone watching this today already knows Harry Lime is still alive right from the start - it still tells an engrossing story with some real surprises and a phenomenal cast.

Not only that, but it's also a great technical achievement. I've rarely seen such brilliant use of light/shadow - to go into detail would be to further spoil things for anyone else that's yet to see it, but the infamous reveal has to be one of the most stunning shots of all time.

I was also pretty impressed with the score. It seems out of place at first - a jaunty, upbeat zither accompanying a dark and foreboding mystery? - but you soon realize that it carries an almost cynical bite to it, and ties in perfectly with some of the themes of the film.

Orson Welles - even though his part is really little more than a cameo - manages to create a wonderfully charismatic villain, and is just one of the many highlights of this spectacular film. In a true testament to his talent, he delivers one of the most famous lines in film history - a line that he came up with himself:

"Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce?

The cuckoo clock."