Carol Reed's 'The Third Man'

Below is a link to Carol Reed's "The Third Man". The scene below is the famous scene in which Harry Lime is being chased through the sewers of Vienna by Holly Martins and various authorities. The reason harry Lime is being chased is because of his crime. This being the watering down of penicillin and then selling it to hospitals in the knowledge it is not strong enough to cure the disease and injury it is required for.

This analysis is starting from 1:58 through the video posted above as this is when Harry Lime first enters the sewers. At 1:58 there is a mid shot of Lime running through the sewers. This shot is used again at 2:05 to try to give the impression to the audience that the authorities are hot on Lime's tail. At 2:02 there is a low angle, medium shot of the authorities first entering the sewer. The reason for the low angle shot is to show that the authorities have the power. At 2:06 also notice the shadow which connotes to mystery and illusion on the wall below the bridge in the top half of the frame. This shadow is seen clearer in 2:10. At 2:13 there is a long shot tilted slightly to the right. The reason this is used is to make this sewer seem like a nightmare. It is shot to almost represent a labyrinth.

At 2:16 there is a fantastic example of a vanishing point. This makes Lime stand out and make him look inconspicuous which is exactly what the character of Lime does not want.

At 2:23 Lime disappears into the darkness. It could be argued that this could represent how Lime has lived his life; constantly running, living in darkness, hiding in the shadows and fighting the losing battle of evading the authorities yet has been succeeding for so long.

At 2:24 there is a low angle shot of an authoritative figure. The low angle shot implies that although Lime thinks he has escaped the authorities clutches they are the ones still in control and with all the power.

At 2:41 Holly Martins wades out through all of the foul, tainted water to try to see where Lime is. Looking closely at the bottom left hand quarter of the screen you can see sewer rats scampering around. The rats really add to the whole mise-en-scene. The reason why Carol Reed (producer) has shot this scene in this way is so the audience can almost smell the foul stench of the dense sewer air. It allows the mise-en-scene to come alive.

The shot used in 2:47 is a low angle, long shot. This shot allows the audience to realise slim Lime's chances are. The city of Vienna looks menacing due to the looming building in the background. The building also looks very medieval. Underneath Vienna there are many numbers of authorities hunting him down like a wild animal. Carol Reed almost de-humanises Lime to the point where he is just simply a 'target' to the authorities.

A fine example of the use of diegetic sound is shown at 3:01 when the guards are bolting down the steps into the dark sewer. The sounds heard are the harsh clanging of footsteps from the guards on the metal steps. In the background there is also the noise of sirens. The whole situation is escalating to a climax. This is used to create suspense and keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

The second brilliant example of a vanishing point used in this sewer scene occurs at 3:09.
At 3:12 there are long shadows casted onto the walls behind the man with the fog light. The reason why these are used is to subliminally imply to the audience that this is a place of mystery, suspense and nightmare.
The long shot at 3:14 uses the same vanishing point as 2:16 thus familiarising it with the audience. Looking closely it is noticed the figure of Harry Lime down the right hand side fading slowly into the distance. This could represent his distance from his morales. Saying this he could be related to 'Ordell Robbie' (played by Samuel L. Jackson) in Quentin Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown'. In Jackie Brown long shots are used to represent Ordells distance from reality and respect for other human beings.

The head and shoulders shot of Lime at 3:16 is a simple shot designed to show the expression of sheer panic and confusion on his face. This is mirrored at 3:18 showing the expression of Holly Martins and a stern faced officer. Both look very calm and collected, even determined.

At 3:23 the main thriller convention of long shadows, a very slight tilt shot and Lime silhouetted against the lighter background is very effective and makes watching the shot much more invigorating as an audience.

3:28 utilises silhouettes, vanishing points, diegetic sound, slightly low angle shots. This whole sequence has been filmed to create a stunning pace to match the fast rolling action .
The purpose of the close up of Harry Lime's face used at 3:35 is to show the nightmare which he is experiencing. The secondary reason is to display to the audience the grime and humidity you would experience down in the dank, humid and disgustingly unsanitary sewers.

Cutting to above ground at 3:36 sees more infantry joining the hunt for Lime underground. The cutting from Lime to above ground allows the audience to see how the situation is piling up and how his chances of escape are quickly vanishing.

It could be argued that the tilt shot at 3:40 shows how low Harry Lime is in the eyes of the police and in society. This shot cuts to yet more police and authorities entering the sewer. Escape seems near impossible for Lime at this point due to the clever editing and the quick cutting from him, to the police, to him and then back to the police etc. This point also backed up by the medium close up of Lime panting heavily with a desperate look in his eyes at 3:46

From this point until 4:55 contains head-and-shoulder shots (medium close ups) of the authorities. The reason Reed has included this is to show the concentration and determination they need to feel in order to catch this criminal. This also helps to build suspense with the audience and keep the tension constant. Another device which helps to add this suspense is the silence which falls over these tense few minutes. The only sound is the diegetic sound of the sewage water raging past.

At 4:56 is a fantastic example of chiaroscuro lighting at its best. This shot is meant to symbolise the moment in which Harry Lime is finally captured because up until this point he has been avoiding the police. The silence is broken by the shouting and fast movement through the sewer in chase of Lime. The audiences interest is held by the sequence of fast/quick editing.

In terms of who is in power the low angle shot of police officers at 5:14 confirms that they have the power and it is only a matter of time before Lime is captured.

Showing how desperate the authorities are to apprehend Lime they para-sail down the wall of flowing sewage at 5:42. Some falling over. This makes most people cringe and shows the audience how much of an unappealing place it is and how horrible it would be to fall over etc.

The shot used at 5:55 is used to show two things:
a) That Harry Lime is getting closer and closer to the authorities and is only avoiding them by near misses.
b) To show Lime's expression of desperation, panic and sheer horror.

At 6:11 Lime is running up circular stairs. However the vertical stair rails are shadowed onto the wall behind him. It could be argued that these represent jail cell bars. This is the same method used as in Terry Windsors 'Essex Boys' when Billy is driving the car. In this clip the strobe lights in the ceiling of the tunnel are reflecting on the windscreen of the car representing jail cell bars and foreshadowing coming events. This is the same method used to hint at what is coming.

The high angle long shot at 6:23 is to show the disorientation which Lime will be feeling at this moment. From 6:23 until 6:46 there are several tilt angle shots of different doorways together with many echoing voices of the authorities. This is used to portray to the audience how similar this sewer is to a labyrinth like maze.

At 6:49 we see Holly Martins for the first time since earlier on in the sequence.
A low angle tilt shot at 7:10 just as Sgt, Paine is shot. The tilt is used to emphasise the horror Lime has just committed. He is officially now wanted for murder. Silence follows and the gunshot rings out loudly. This is used to stun the audience yet allowing them to take in what has just happened.

At 7:22 Lime is shot. For him this is the beginning of the end of the line.
At 7:32 the high angle shot of Lime is used to show that he is now vulnerable and powerless.

Cutting to a shot of Holly Martins at 8:03 taking the gun out of Sgt. Paines' hand shows that he shall commit the deed that Paine died trying to do with that gun...to kill Harry Lime.

At 8:07 comes a close up of Lime's face. This is used to show the audience his state of mind and how desperate he is to reach the surface. He appears to be so close to freedom and yet the audience knows he is so far from it due to the bullet in his side etc.

One may notice that when Lime reaches the grill at the top of the stairs he has gruelling-ly crawled up he does not make any attempt to shift the grill. He simply moves his fingers through the grill as if he has found peace on the other side of it and it is refreshing to feel the cold fresh air pass by his fingers instead of the hot, stagnant air assaulting his nostrils and lungs down in the sewer. The reason this is used is to show how Lime seems to have given up. He slumps down the stairs. It could be argued that this is foreshadowing what is about to happen to him.

At 8:55 there is the non-diegetic introduction music. This was used in the introduction as a sound bridge (a method of using non-diegetic music to help the film have fluidity and pace in-between the changing of scenes.)

When 9:03 arrives, Lime is nodding his head at Holly Martins encouraging Martins to shoot him. At this point Lime would rather accept death than to spend a life sentence in jail.

There is the non-diegetic sound of a gun shot as a low angle tilt of Major Calloway is seen and a long shot down the tunnel where Lime lies dead at the end. Through the steam we see an ominous figure who is silhouetted. This is done to make him enigmatic to the audience.

From 1:37 in the video posted above is a fantastic long shot. This is the end shot within 'The Third Man'. This clip is absolutely full of visual clues and hints. The most obvious one is that everything within the mise-en-scene points towards Anna e.g. the treeline, the direction Holly is looking in, the cart he is leaning against, the road she is walking down.

The long shot continues until the end of the clip. At 2:18 Anna simply ignores Holly like he isn't even there. However actions speak louder than words and Anna refuses to even acknowledge him because he is the person who shot her other half.

Over the top of this whole scene are the slow and romantic chords being played on a 'zither' which is a many stringed instrument most recognised in stereotypical Hawaiian music