The Third Man - Orson Welles' Great Cuckoo Clock Speech against Democracy, Peace & Brotherly Love

[twanton]

Lees: De slag om de Blauwbrug, pagina 16.

[pretzelpimp]

I think the fact that Switzerland didn't create the cuckoo clock just makes this quote better, it just shows that Lime is a manipulative bastard who's fucking with Holly

[boatofcoins]

order out of chaos.

[zeeshawn15]

LOLOLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL­OLOLOLOL!

[catspaws5]

That's why I love Florence and Rome Italy... the Medici's and Borgia"s RULED!!! Harry Lime knew his history. He was as heartless and manipulating as those long ago families of the Renaissance. Only, they gave back to those cities they ruled with beautiful works of art commisioned by them as pennance to the Holy Roman Church for their sins. Harry Lime is just a manipulating bastard.. End Of Story..

[LEOPARDTWO]

...and what did the 2008 vote produce? Barack Obama....

[biljanadmandic]

TRUTH!!!!



[cobrien1977]

entertaining and funny quote -- even if it is B.S.

[BentivoglioIII]

So true

[CastizoLibertarian]

Everything he said was true, so why take it out?

[1darkwingotaku]

One of my favorite movies, in a nutshell.

[GiantEnemyCrab63]

not so much against democracy as it says that beauty is forged through troubles i.e. the pheonix

just a thought

[ayebraine]

the title itself is ridiculous. to take it as a primitive assault on democracy or peace (whatever you choose them to mean) is silly

[DarthNuke]

Just saw this movie today. The only thing I was disappointed in was the lack Welles, whom I thought was more prevalent in the movie. Still even with his short amount of screen time he steals the movie. This scene,plus the parts on the Wheel, were the only scenes where his character had any chance to speak about his motivations, and it was more than enough.

[HenryConway007]

I’ve watched two clips of this scene, and both clips have the exact same audio problems. What’s up with that?

[tim60s321]

He is not in any way criticising the Swiss-merely noting in a mildly ironic way how Italy flowered during the bloody reign of the Borgias while Switzerland had little to show after many years of peace and prosperity

[JudgeJulieLit]

@tim60s321 Orson Welles is perhaps saying that under tyranny and oppression, the passions rise, for example to make great art. Whereas in a uniformly prosperous democratic polity like Switzerland where most folks are fed and satisfied, are no great passions, no great hunger, no grandes crix de coeur to make great art -- just lots of contented time to tinker mechanically. Btw, Germanic mechanical inventiveness as in Swiss clocks has dazzled and led the world for centuries.

[piewoman4]

@JudgeJulieLit Beautifully articulated, and a great note at the end re: mechanical inventiveness. It's an eternal war of extremes that every generation endures and must learn to manage and balance. I wish every high school or college kid could ponder this one quote for a long time before stepping into the adult world of work and politics.

[furusanx]

@surrogatodicaffe yeah, shouting at a man that died more then twenty years ago, always makes you look sensible.

[HoneyNVinegar]

They originally wanted to take this out, but Welles insisted on keeping it in. God, he rocked.

[quietinstrumentals]

MAAHAAAAH THE SWISS

[OnionBurgey]

Love the speech, but the irony is that the Swiss didn't invent the cuckoo clock.

[YinYangFighter]

@OnionBurgey you right it was germany,bavarian . in the schwarzwald (black wood)

and it doesnt matter swiss is in peace or in war, swiss is an tiny land with no matter in size and in important things for everyone. so war is never good ! for a better future make sence to do an war ? no ! . is the future better after a war ? no !

the time makes the future ,not the war.

[kuren444]

@OnionBurgey. Right, but Welles say "produce" not "invent".

[iainr222]

So the cold blooded criminal Harry Lime utters these famous oh so cynical words and several contributors here consider Orson Welles is attacking their country ! Are people really THAT naive !

[oliviaisgod]

god his voice is amazing.its like its got an amplifier or something in his mouth.

[chaipasquoi]

...and Hollywood has access to any kind of historical research, archieves, can travel around the world, and what did that produce? Ignorance!

[SquantoThePenguin]

@chaipasquoi Attack the character, not Hollywood. Hollywood has produced films in which characters think blacks are inferior. Does that make Hollywood racist? certainly not

[Gunganbuster]

The lord said let their be light. Chuck Norris made him say plaese. But Orson Wells made Chuck Norris.

[theETOkid1]

could you get any more bad ass??? I don't think so. It's been scientifically proven :P

[BentivoglioIII]

Oh He was sooooo right!!!!!

[WSenator1]

@BentivoglioIII - 'fraid so. 'fraid so.

[BentivoglioIII]

@WSenator1 he was definitly right

[su0malainen1]

Owned

[Hawkeye752]

Agreed...one of the best lines ever spoken...Orson Welles was a cinematic wunderkind before anyone else.

[Internationale7]

@Schadenfraude24 But Orson improvised this speech himself.

[FanOfAll]

you cut it off too soon. it needs 'so long Holly' at the end

[Schadenfreude24]

It's a -character-...and watching the movie one learns that his character, Harry Lime, is an awful person. Just because Harry Lime says these lines, let's not assume Orson Welles felt the same way, please.

[surrogatodicaffe]

So........

Max Frisch, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Blaise Cendrars, Paul Klee, Bruno Ganz, Alberto Giacometti, Ursula Andress........ They all worked in cuckoo clock factories I suppose!

Mr Welles, it is very easy to make fun of small and politically weak nations, just because they're small they're stupid...

Try to avoid the cliches next time, my dear AMERICAN MOTHERFUCKER

[HH30991]

@surrogatodicaffe its a movie. an excellent, and fantastic movie. do you know what the best thing about movies are? They're fictional. Get over yourself, and look at one of the greatest movie performances ever--he improvised the whole thing. From someone who has studied European history, that is obviously not correct, but you miss the point, and for that I'm sorry you cant enjoy this gem of a movie. I think you ought to stop being so ignorant. My advice is to live a little!

[Lionsgrrr]

The Swiss produce mediocrity. Passionate Italians produce...

little Italians! :-P

[BentivoglioIII]

@Lionsgrrr

Povero coglione americano

[essertpitay]

All the Swiss have done is to produce the cuckoo clock and nabb all the nazi gold...

[surrogatodicaffe]

LEARN TRUE HISTORY, ASSHOLE!

[essertpitay]

What ?!?...you guys (I presume you are Swiss) have given back the nazi gold ?!?...

The swiss have always thrived on the ills of this world behind their so-called neutrality...

[aryaditya80]

The Swiss produced Roger Federer :) . Seriously this crap is misrepresentation and ignorance. The Swiss produced the Bernoullis (8 of them top notch mathematicians), Euler who must rank in the top 5 of all the mathematicians and a bunch of other prominent scientists and mathematicians whose names ignorant morons like Orson welles will not even be aware of. I will take any one of them over Michaelangelo and DaVinci.

[BentivoglioIII]

@aryaditya80

In verità quello che accaduto in Italia nel tredicesimo, quattordicesimo e quindicesimo secolo ha creato la civiltà moderna, bernoulli,euler e compagnia non sono nulla di fronte a Fibonacci e , ne cito uno per non citarne 100.

Come tutti gli svizzeri sei solo un contadino ignorante

[BillDFC]

The Swiss now have all the money.

[PlayIt4MeAgainSam]

The Swiss have the Banks!  ...not the money that's in them.

[surrogatodicaffe]

Two thumbs down....... interesting........ so, now people don't like to hear the TRUTH anymore?

[martynhanson]

awesome Orson you will never be forgotten!

[Shnufkin]

...and Rousseau

[evealicelucienne]

So true!

[dsbnh]

It is hilarious to watch people get upset over a quote that will never die. I just imagine a lifetime of cringing at that quote every time you hear it. Take yourself less seriously.

[DetectiveDeckard]

Orson Welles is the shit!

[Peetar]

The scene on the ferris wheel right before this was one of the most suspenseful moments in film I've ever watched.

[Prod1Kh]

@Peetar Don't think they'd look for bullet holes after you fell that far...

[tlibber]

Fact: Orson Welles came up with this little mini-monologue on his own. It wasn't in Graham Greene's script and director Sir Carol Reed didn't plan on it, but Orson (who was only "acting" in this film) suggested it. And now you have film history. Thanks for posting!

[reaperspell]

Orson Welles = Genius

[surrogatodicaffe]

IGNORANT, NOT GENIUS!!!

What would you think if I said that all people in your country are stupid????????? Would you think I'm a genius?

[greyfox37]

@surrogatodicaffe Perception is truth

[tsak99]

simply wonderful