THE THIRD MAN theme - Anton Karas (Edit-with-ending)

The Third Man (1949) is a classic thriller directed by Carol Reed. Developed by Graham Greene from an idea jotted down on the flap of an envelope, this virtually flawless thriller is one of the best British films of all time. Set in postwar occupied Vienna, the plot is a corker, littered with memorable moments and played to perfection by an unforgettable cast that's led with distinction by Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten. A master of place, angle and shade, director Carol Reed (helped by his Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Krasker) fashions a city in which menace lurks around every corner, while Anton Karas's jaunty zither music uniquely echoes the wit and drama of this dark yet daringly playful picture.
The musical score was composed by Anton Karas and played by him on the zither. Before the production came to Vienna, Karas was an unknown wine bar performer. According to a November 1949 Time magazine article:

"The picture demanded music appropriate to post-World War II Vienna, but director Reed had made up his mind to avoid schmalzy, heavily orchestrated waltzes. In Vienna one night Reed listened to a wine-garden zitherist named Anton Karas, [and] was fascinated by the jangling melancholy of his music."

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Film-noir
• zither
• post-second-world-war
• Vienna
• Harry-Lime
• forged-passport
• penicillin
• ferris-wheel
• Joseph-Cotten
• Alida-Valli
• Orson-Welles
• Trevor-Howard
• Bernard-Lee
• Paul-Hörbiger
• Ernst-Deutsch
• Siegfried-Breuer

[DaftNotStupid]

Beautifully done

[Soundtrackcollector]

Thanks John. I'm glad you appreciate both the music and the vid.

[samarroon]

WOW , gotta hand it to ya here. what a visionary and expertly representative visual and audio feast you've created. Hats off to you !!! and THANKS!

[Soundtrackcollector]

thank you for your positive comment.

[useakiss]

Fantastic editing. That was better than most trailers films get by their own production teams. What a great tribute!

[Soundtrackcollector]

many thanks ....glad you enjoyed it.

[michaeljayklein]

Beautiful work and a wonderful dedication to not only one of the world's finest motion pictures, but that timeless and wonderful music by Mr. Anton Karas. Greatly enjoyed!

[excav8tor1010]

Excellent. As a kid I remember this tune being used by the local Ice Cream van. Memories of hot summers and very cold ice cream.

[lopside0]

Orson Welles was irritated when nightclub bands played The Third Man's zither music whenever he turned up. I could imagine being vaguely annoyed if this became my theme song :).

[Bcutter]

Someone is whistling this song in some horror movie I think, does anyone have a clue which movie that is?

[thenneedd]

That is nice. A trailer deluxe!

[dahsuerk]

A great movie and love the music.

[crazyurmel2]

Sehr schön geschnitten, toll :-)

[MrLombreeze]

Super Edition!!!. Thank you!. Best movie ever made!

[sskenth]

sssshhhh its a secret..... =)

[limbojim222]

I heard this a million times as a child. My parents gave me the 45 when they got tired of it, and I wore it out. Hadn't heard it in years. Wonderful music.

[sfukridge]

I have watched this film 100 times as it is my all-time favourite, so I feel qualified to say that your short clip is a truly superb summary of the film. Well done.