The Third Man by Graham Greene

The Third Man Reviews

• 
  Jim Fonseca

  First a coincidence I don’t usually read film scripts or plays but this is the second book in a row I have read not realizing ahead of time that they were in effect film scripts I just finished reviewing Marguerite Duras’ Hiroshima Mon Amour a film script Now Third Man comes along and it turns out that Graham Greene wrote this initially as a film script and re wrote it as a novella after the movie came out In fact in the preface he tells us it “was never intended for publication” and “The film in fact is better than the story” LOL I guess you can say these things when you are an accomplished author and you know that you have an automatic audience that will read your stuffIt's a decent story I guess I’d call it a thriller Cloak and dagger The GR blurb from the book gives a good summary without giving away plot so I will use thatRollo Martins' usual line is the writing of cheap paperback Westerns under the name of Buck Dexter But when his old friend Harry Lime invites him to Vienna he jumps at the chance With exactly five pounds in his pocket he arrives only just in time to make it to his friend's funeral The victim of an apparently banal street accident the late Mr Lime it seems had been the focus of a criminal investigation suspected of nothing less than being the worst racketeer who ever made a dirty living in this city Martins is determined to clear his friend's name and begins an investigation of his ownI liked the way the author alternates use of the main character’s name He calls him Rollo when he says or does something stupid; otherwise he’s Martins It’s Vienna right after WW II so we still have bombed out buildings and streets blocked with rubbleHis good friend from schooldays was struck and killed by an automobile The main character is suspicious so he starts his own investigation The he finds out from police reports and witnesses and from the dead man’s woman friend the suspicious he becomes His suspicion centers on a “third man” at the accident scene who somehow disappeared because only one witness swears he saw him One of the witnesses gets murdered and Martins knows he’s on to something A side story which is kind of a pun for the author is that Buck Dexter the main character’s pen name is scheduled to speak at book clubs in Vienna about “the Christian novel” Greene is having fun with us because as an author he was considered by many to be a “Catholic novelist” although he did not consider himself one Another thread is that Rollo start to fall in love with his friend’s womanA decent story and a uick read Not something memorable by Greene known for serious work I’ll give it a ‘4’ for a thriller and a ‘3’ for its literary value I have not seen the movie but I imagine it could be good because it’s a simple but good plot It's a British film from 1949 starring Joseph Cotten Stills from the movie Top from newstatesmancom; middle from bfiorgukThe author from theguardiancomuk
• 
  Agnieszka

  Rollo Martins incurable ladies’ man and author of trashy novels set on The Wild West accepts an invitation from his best friend Harry Lime and arrives in Vienna just in time to attend his funeral But what’s really happened ? Seemingly accident but testimony from eyewitnesses and Harry’s new friends are to tell the truth not credible So Rollo like a noble sheriff from his own stories decides to solve the mystery Well easier said than done With empty pockets friendless in strange city it seems to be practically unfeasible But as ones say fortune favours fools and Rollo by a happy coincidence mistaken for a known writer gains time accommodation and some money So he goes into townVienna beautiful city vibrant with life full of monuments and green parks resounded with Strauss music No no we don’t get Vienna like that In Greene’s novel Vienna divided up in four occupation zones is a real ghost town leveled to the ground with Great Wheel on Prater overlooking the ruins It is simply a city of undignified ruins which turned that February into great glacier of snow and ice To put it mildly that what Rollo would know about Harry was not too flattered Involved in under the counter trade what’s worse dealing in diluted penicillin ? Harry this charming witty Harry ? A racketeer ? No it can’t be true But if ? The Third Man then is a depressing story enhanced by picture of destroyed city with some unexpectedly amusing moments to mention Rollo’s soiree It’s a story about disillusioned man exposed criminal and broken friendship Poor Rollo Poor all of us when you come to think of it But poor Harry ?
• 
  Ahmad Sharabiani

  535 The Third Man Graham Greene 1904 1991The film takes place in post–World War II Vienna It centres on Holly Martins an American who is given a job in Vienna by his friend Harry Lime but when Holly arrives in Vienna he gets the news that Lime is dead Martins then meets with Lime's acuaintances in an attempt to investigate what he considers a suspicious deathمرد سوم گراهام گرین برگ نی ادبیات؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش هشتم ماه دسامبر سال 1999 میلادیعنوان مرد سوم اثر گراهام گرین؛ مترجم محسن آزرم؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، نشر چشمه، 1390، در 159 ص، شابک 9786002290175؛ موضوع فیلمنامه ها، نویسندگان قرن 20 متهران، انتشارات برگ، 1376، در 114 ص، شابک 9644710231، چاپ دوم 1378، با ترجمه عباس اکبریتهران، نشر نی، 1377، در 216 ص، 8 صفحه تصویر، شابک 9643123839، با ترجمه مجید اسلامیهشدار اگر این فیلمنامه را هنوز نخوانده اید و میخواهید آن را بخوانید از خوانش ادامه این نگاره خودداری کنید پس از پایان جنگ جهانی دوم، هالی مارتینز جوزف کاتن که نویسنده رمان‌های عامه پسند وسترن در آمریکاست، برای دیدار دوست دوران کودکی خویش هری لایم اورسن ولز به شهر وین می‌آید؛ اما درمییابد همانروز، هری در یک تصادف رانندگی کشته شده‌ است؛ در مراسم خاکسپاری لایم، مارتینز با دو افسر انگلیسی به نام‌های گروهبان پین و سرگرد کالووی، که پیگیر پرونده ی فعالیت‌های مشکوک لایم هستند، ملاقات می‌کند پین، از علاقمندان داستان‌های مارتینز است هالی پس از دیدار با آنا آلیدا والی دوست دختر لایم و دیگر دوستان لایم، هالی مارتینز به حادثه ی رانندگی مشکوک می‌شود سرایدار خانه ی لایم به مارتینز می‌گوید، او بلافاصله پس از تصادف درگذشته است و بر خلاف گزارش دوستان لایم، سه نفر، و نه دو نفر، جنازه ی او را با خود برده اند سرایدار کمی پس از دادن اطلاعات به قتل می‌رسد سرگرد کالووی به مارتینز می‌گوید که هری لایم در بازار سیاه دارو دست داشته‌ و باند او پنیسیلین را از بیمارستان‌های ارتش به بیرون قاچاق می‌کردند، آنرا رقیق و دوباره در بازار سیاه آب می‌کردند مارتینز که می‌خواهد شهر وین را ترک کند به ملاقات آنا می‌رود و متوجه می‌شود که او به دلیل داشتن گذرنامه جعلی، قرار است به قسمت تحت کنترل شوروی منتقل شود هنگام خروج از آپارتمان آنا، مارتینز سایه‌ ای را در درگاه می‌بیند، وقتی برای لحظه‌ ای نور روی آن می‌افتد معلوم می‌شود هری لایم است لایم از دست مارتینز فرار می‌کند مارتینز ماجرا را برای افسران انگلیسی بازگو می‌کند، و آن‌ها برای نبش تابوت لایم به گورستان می‌روند، و متوجه می‌شوند فرد دفین شده، کارمند بیمارستان است که برای لایم پنیسیلین قاچاق می‌کرده‌ است روز بعد مارتینز و لایم در چرخ و فلک بزرگ وین ملاقات می‌کنند افسران انگلیسی از هالی مارتینز می‌خواهند که به آن‌ها در دستگیری لایم کمک کند در عوض مارتینز هم از آن‌ها می‌خواهد مانع از انتقال آنا به قسمت تحت کنترل شوروی بشوند آنا اما حاضر نمی‌شود این لطف را قبول کند، در نتیجه مارتینز تصمیم می‌گیرد به پلیس در یافتن لایم یاری نکند، و میخواهد وین را به مقصد آمریکا ترک کند در مسیر فرودگاه، سرگرد کالووی او را به دیدن کودکان دچار مننژیت در یکی از بیمارستان‌های وین می‌برد، که بخاطر استفاده از همان پنیسیلین‌های رقیق شده در حال مرگ هستند مارتینز تصمیم خویش را تغییر و می‌پذیرد تا با پلیس، برای دستگیری لایم همکاری کند مارتینز قرار ملاقاتی با لایم می‌گذارد اما لایم پیش از آنکه پلیس او را دستگیر کند فرار می‌کند و وارد سیستم فاضلاب شهر وین می‌شود تعقیب و گریز پلیس و لایم به کشته شدن گروهبان پین و زخمی شدن لایم می‌انجامد نهایتاً، مارتینز، با هفت تیر گروهبان پین، لایم را می‌کشد در صحنه آخر، مارتینز برای دومین بار در مراسم خاکسپاری جنازه لایم شرکت می‌کند و پس از پایان مراسم منتظر آنا می‌ماند تا با او حرف بزند اما آنا بدون توجه به او از کنارش رد می‌شود ا شربیانی
• 
  David Schaafsma

  Graham Greene to my mind somewhat stuffily separated his narrative books for much of his career into two categories—fiction and “entertainments”—such as this noir novel The Third Man The book was written or at least published after the screenplay he produced for the film by the same name 1949 directed by Carol Reed featuring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles I saw the film decades ago and since I was reading all these mysteries and detective fiction and because I had just reread two of his finest novels The Heart of the Matter and The Power and the Glory I thought I would listen to the novel from a celebrated novelist I admire but the only thing available on my audiobook service was this adaptation for the stage of the screenplay Since two of the actors include Kelsey Grammer and John Mahoney Frasier I jumped and enjoyed I just don’t see the distinction between novels and entertainments; great writing is great writingThe Third Man is a really well written thriller short and taut and efficient about a crime ring that sells penicillin on the black market in Vienna in the aftermath of World War II Novelist Holly Martins is haunted by the news of the death of his friend Harry Lime who had offered him a job Who killed Lime? And why? Or is he possibly still alive? Martins enlists the help of Anna Schmidt Lime’s girlfriend There’s some great dialogue and some happy surprises along the way The focus of the criminal material also not surprisingly for the Catholic Greene involves an ethical concern The children who are victims of Lime's diluted penicillin become brain damaged as a result of meningitisLime at one point confronted makes a brutal and heartless case for arguing in favor of greed over “the dots” human beings the masses the countless poor he observes from a several stories high perspective“You know what the fellow said – in Italy for thirty 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 five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock” Highly recommended though I will add a note about the film later soon to be reviewed Maybe better to see the film then read the screenplay or novel
• 
  Cbj

  In The Third Man Graham Greene uses an interesting narrative techniue It is told in first person – from the point of view of Inspector Calloway while he spies on Rollo Martins a writer of American pulp westerns who has arrived in Vienna at the behest of a man named Harry Lime But Inspector Calloway mostly takes a back seat and narrates how the lecherous but clever Rollo Martins solves the case of Harry Lime’s mysterious death in a car accident Rollo Martins is the main character while Calloway provides context – the post war Vienna with its scenes of devastation under a power sharing agreement between America France Britain and Russia I think Rollo Martin the writer of pulpy American westerns is supposed to represent impending American cultural hegemony after World War 2 The film was released in 1949 and the book in 1950 so if this is what the Greene intended then it was very propheticSome of the characters like the book enthusiast who invites Rollo to a book discussion were inserted just to make the plot complicated Maybe it was intended as comic relief in what is a pretty depressing novel The book is uite critical of American enterprise The Harry Lime character could be symbolic of American capitalism and attitude towards life Or maybe he represents nihilistic post war attitudes that are characteristic of the devastated psyches of those who witnessed the atrocities of war Rollo reminds Harry that he was a Catholic But Harry brushes him away I was struck by a couple of religious references Like the ones in the chapter where Rollo meets DrWinkler who was present at the scene of Harry’s accident Rollo is enad by Winkler’s waiting room which is like an antiue shop filled with crucifixes and reliuaries some of which according to Winkler were made of animal bones If they were genuine what an odd fate it was for a portion of Saint Susanna's knuckle to come to rest in Dr Winkler's waiting room – Rollo wonders to himself I think Greene’s point was that even though DrWinkler’s room helped in putting up this front that he was pious it was all lies and deceit beneath
• 
  Bradley

  Wow I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised that Graham Greene's novella yes the Orson Welles movie was a very well written and tight mysterythrillerI am surprised however at how relevant and interesting it is after all these years It's tight interesting fast paced and often surprising But above all it grabs you It also happens to accomplish a ton in a short time doesn't digress forever in weird inconseuential directions and it kinda shames a lot of the modern thriller models It makes me wonder if I ought to go on a true Noir kick and see just how good they really were or if this just happens to be a truffle among pigs
• 
  Daren

  This is a short Graham Greene book novella if you willIt is a fast moving story it doesn't hang about setting the scene or going into in depth descriptions it just gets on with the mysteryThe way the story is told is interesting The story is told as the recollections of Calloway the English Colonel running the police in the British uarter of Vienna post WWII He explains the story of Rollo Martins a novelist and friend of a British man living in Vienna Harry Lime Martins turns up in Vienna to visit Lime only to find he died when hit by a car only a day before his arrival Calloway basically says to Rollo just as well for him he died we were about to pick him up for his criminal behaviour Rollo is displeased and disbelieving and after taking a swing at Calloway sets off on a crusade to prove his deceased friend innocentTucking into too much plot would reuire the use of spoilers so I will leave it at thatThis is a novella that doesn't take itself too seriously It self mocks the genre and it is pretty funnyI enjoyed a number of bits this one was good The International Patrol turn up to arrest Anna The IP are made up of the duty officer from the Russian British American and French forces who drive about and jointly make decisions in the evenings as a police force There is a lot of comedy in these situations if you are not directly concerned You need a background of Central European terror of a father who belonged to a losing side of house searches and disappearances before the fear outweighs the comedy The Russian you see refused to leave the room while Anna dressed the Englishman refused to remain in the room the American wouldn’t leave a girl unprotected with a Russian soldier and the Frenchman – well I think the Frenchman must have thought it was fun Can’t you imagine the scene? The Russian was just doing his duty and watched the girl all the time without a flicker of sexual interest; the American stood with his back chivalrously turned but aware I am sure of every movement; the Frenchman smoked his cigarette and watched with detached amusement the reflection of the girl dressing in the mirror of the wardrobe; and the Englishman stood in the passage wondering what to do nextFour Stars
• 
  Helen

  A breathless read Set in Vienna at the end of World War II the reader is immediately struck off balance by a turbulent blighted world Gone is the gracious city of old world coffee houses Every street is in ruins the scars of war blanketed by snow Side by side on the same block are lovely old apartment houses and blackened craters Shops flourish at street level the floors above them bombed out of existence To add to the sense of displacement the city is divided into four zones ruled by the Allied victors Russia America France and EnglandInto this confused landscape falls Rollie Martins a writer of westerns and cheap thrillers Invited for a visit by his oldest friend Harry Lime he arrives at his apartment only to discover that his beloved school chum has died in a car accident Immediately discrepancies develop in the story Rollie tearfully vows to reconstruct the events of what really happened to his fallen hero It's obvious that GG didn't write this for publication but as a sketch for a screenplay; though his characterizations are as always razor sharp the finessing of words is not as keenly honed as in say The Heart of the Matter or The End of the Affair Still the plot the setting the dilemmas and the betrayals are all Greene at his absolute best Having seen the movie years ago I knew the story and the ending and I still couldn't put the book down I actually preferred this Harry Lime a reckless amoral schoolboy to Orson Welles' ominous obvious heavyThis is a jaded cynical discomfiting little story No one comes out well God I wish I could write like this
• 
  Bettie

  Rollo Martins' usual line is the writing of cheap paperback Westerns under the name of Buck Dexter But when his old friend Harry Lime invites him to Vienna he jumps at the chance With exactly five pounds in his pocket he arrives only just in time to make it to his friend's funeral The victim of an apparently banal street accident the late Mr Lime it seems had been the focus of a criminal investigation suspected of nothing less than being the worst racketeer who ever made a dirty living in this city Martins is determined to clear his friend's name and begins an investigation of his ownCan't go on without the theme tune
• 
  Algernon (Darth Anyan)

  910 this was a bit too short and I thought the movie format suited the story better I am not implying the novella is not worth checking out Graham Greene is a deft hand at conveying emotion with elegance and an economy of words that hint at a lot of passion behind the stiff upper lip British attitudeVienna in the immediate aftermath of World War II is a desolate place scoured by chill winds with mountains of rubble barely hidden under the snow tensions between the occupying powers and a flourishing black market that attracts the unsavoury elements of the human raceRollo Martins is a convincing characer as the writer of pulp westerns lonely but always on the look out for love drunk angry torn by the struggle between keeping faith with his childhood friend and condemning his crimesHarry Lime even without the famous cuckoo clock uote is a chilling villain a dangerous psychopat without an ounce of empathy for his victims always looking out for number one himselfThe romantic element is another highlight of the novella reminding me of broken dolls trying to piece themselves back together cynics with little faith in the possibility of happy endingsOne memorable scene for me was the Literary soiree with some biting arrows thrown at literary critics and the elitist debate of the merits of Joyce or Galsworthy while Rollins agonizes over his actions that probably led to the death of an innocent manThen there's the ride on the great wheel in Prater and the chase through the sewers that were so effective on film Worked well here too