What is your favorite movie?

The best movie ever made. I’ve seen it at least fifty times and I never get tired of watching it. Commercialism and disrespect for the past has distorted your list of the greatest movies. Newer doesn’t always mean better.

This classic has it all: great acting, great direction, great screenplay, memorable music track, great photography. I could go on. The film also evokes a time period of postwar Vienna that is by itself wothy of watching over and over again. I never tire of this film with its subtle, yet memorable humor and that incredibly memorable ending. How this film is left off of any top 50 let alone 100 is beyond me.

THE THIRD MAN is a classic noir, perfect cinematography, and puzzling
mystery. The smaller characters are very interesting, what is their history? Also, what about BEING THERE? That is the one role Peter Sellars deserved an Oscar for. Also THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, is completely underrated… and lastly is FARGO even mentioned in the top
100? Yet immense clunkers such as BEN HUR win again & again. Still for my money, in elegance, mystery, screen play, and sheer beauty of the black & white film THE THIRD MAN is my all time favorite. You should look at it again, for the first time.
Grace-the Movie Maven

The Third Man cut? Are you kidding me? 10 that SADLY got tossed!
52. From Here to Eternity (1953)!!
57. The Third Man (1949)!!!!!!!!!!!!
59. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)!!!!!
64. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)!!!
67. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)!!!!
68. An American in Paris (1951)!!!!
73. Wuthering Heights (1939)!!!!!!!
84. Fargo (1996)!!!!!!!!!!!
91. My Fair Lady (1964)!!!!
92. A Place in the Sun (1951)!!!!

How could this film not make the list? Tight suspenseful story line, filled with ironies, surprises, even humor. Nothing is what it seems to be, and the odd-angled filming emphasizes this theme. Shot mostly on location, rare for its day. Star doesn’t even appear until film is half over. One-of-a-kind extended chase scene. The zither music is truly unique, perfectly entwined with the visuals, and unforgettable. Superb secondary roles, all fully realized by unknown actors. Plus a true beauty as the love interest. And most important, the greatest fade-out scene ever filmed, understated, and with the music gently & perfectly timed to it, just breathtaking. If you don’t get goose bumps when you see the fadeout, see your physician—you’re not fully alive.

THE MOVIE IS THE PERFECT COMBINATION OF STORY, ACTING, ATMOSPHERE, MUSIC, CAMERA WORK AND CINEMATOGRAPHY. tHTE FILM WAS SO RELEVANT AT THE TIME AND CAN EVEN BE SEEN AS RELEVANT NOW, (THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF FOR PROFIT BY INDIVIDUALS AND COUNTRIES). ACTING IS SUBTLE WITH OVERLAPPING DIALOGUE (UNUSUAL FOR THAT ERA). FILM NOIRISH, PERFECT BLACK AND WHITE, TILTED ANGLES, PERFECT SPEECHES, AND THAT ZITHER MUSIC. i CAN GO ON AND ON, BUT THE FILM HOLD UP TO MANY SCREENINGS. THE PERFECT FILM

This perfect film has EVERYTHING going for it. It is a Film Noir loaded with mystery, suspense, romance, morality questions and fantastic black and white visuals. It actually gets better, if you can improve on perfection, with each viewing. The Orson Welles chase scenes (in the Vienna sewers) are absolutely incredible. The zither music soundtrack strikes just the right mood. It is criminal to eliminate this bona fide classic from the AFI list. Ray Badgley, Santa Rosa, CA

Easily one of the greatest of the Film Noir genre and the best performance of Joseph Cotten’s career. Orson Wells also had a sensational performance. The directing and writing was brilliant and some of the best lighting ever. This should definitely be considered.

it is hard to believe that this groundbreaking, spellbounding and beautiful movie is not in the top 100. it is like having a top 100 without The Adventures of Robin Hood - wait, it isnt in the list either. but Nashville is?? i can only assume that the voters have not seen the older films. The Third Man has an extremely well-written and worthy story, unique and stunning b/w photography, music that stays with you forever and which may be a model for film scores, and a performance by welles that may be one of the best of all time. shameful to leave this remarkable film off the list.

Now really; how can this movie not be on the top 100, or for that matter, the top 10? This is one of the great examples of film-nor of all time. The musical score is classic. The cinematography is superb; it won the Oscar for best Black and White for 1949. The acting and story is on a par with Citizen Kane. Heck, the main character does not even show up until the third act. If any of you have not seen this movie; that is a shame.

The part that Mr. Wells did on the Ferris Wheel about the Borgia’s and the Swiss is monumental! The B&W photography and “shadows in the night” are unmatched. Was everybody under 35 who voted this year?

Did I miss something? Is this great movie, a masterpiece of atmosphere and shadow, not on the latest 100 greatest list?

Surely an oversight on my part, it must be on there. Some of these “NEW” movies are not even movies but rather expensive trash art akin to purple flock neon flourescent portraits of some of our great artists (no fault theirs their likeness sells in any form) with little or no connection between frames.

Now I’ve probably done it and insulted some artists and devotees of the fuzzy paint school ….

This classic has great acting, memorable characters, great cinematography, and a haunting musical score. With Orsen Wells, Joseph Cotton, and Trevor Howard this movie must be on any top XXX list. Why it didn’t make the AFI Top 100 when movies such as The Sixth Sense and Do the Right Thing did is anybody’s guess.

I’d also like to include Fail Safe, The Thirty-nine Steps, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Once Upon a Time in the West on my “What happened to” list.

The omission of this truly great film from the top 100 list says some very unflattering things about AFI and its voters! The Third Man captures the look and feel of early postwar Vienna, and all Europe, better than any ever filmed. I was there, so can say this with some confidence. The subtle acting of the principals (Welles’ insoucient Harry Lime is great), and the casting and acting of the unknown supporting cast is brilliant. The chase scene through the sewers of Vienna is far, far more tense and exciting than any present day Hollywood wreck-em and blow-em-up car chase. And finally, the fade out scene still gives me chills every time I see it.

I acknowledge that Citizen Kane is without a doubt the greatest movie ever main, but my personal favorite has long been The Third Man. The story, the acting, and especially the cinimatography are outstanding. The use of light & dark, curves and spirals support the story’s theme that nothing is ever quite what it seems. The only straight lines in the film come at the very end, when the puzzle inside the enigma is finally resolved. I was devastated to learn the it was no longer on the list. Let’s hope another decade creates a new audience and brings it back.

Wait a minute. You’re telling me The Third Man is not one of the greatest 100 movies ever made. How am I supposed to take this list seriously?

A wonderful depiction of post WW-2 Vienna amongst the ruins and ravages of war. It captures the feel of a post-wartime place at a time of despair better than any other. The B/W film is masterfully done and the shadows create an aura of uncertainty and anticipation. The corruption shown is realistic and the entrance of Orson Welles as the corrupt Harry Lime captures the entire movie’s attention along with the haunting zither music of Anton Karras. The performances of Jospeh Cotton, as an American author, and Alida Valli, a refugee of sorts, are outstanding in the film. I watch it every time it comes on TV.

When a discussion of the best films arises, I make a standing offer: rent “The Third Man”, and if you don’t think it’s terrific (merely “good” is not enough), I’ll pay you 10 times the price of he rental. About 15 people have taken me up on the offer over the years, and I haven’t had to pay out once. Great screenplay [by Graham Greene]; unusual story with many twists, surprises, and a final irony; terrific cast, not just Welles & Cotton, but unknown Europeans as well; Alida Valli at her most poignant & beautiful; superb music perfectly intertwined with the story; truly distinctive lighting & camera work; superb use of post-war Vienna location shots; and the most sublimely perfect fade-out scene ever filmed —I still get chills watching that scene, & I’ve seen this movie 70+ times. Kane is a grander film with bigger ambitions, but this one is tighter, better disciplined, and that fade-out…..

One of the most beautifully realized film noir classics of all time. From the script to the jaunty Oscar-winning cinematography. Director Carol Reed used Vienna to the fullest extent in capturing the atmosphere of the early Cold War era. Joseph Cotten anchors the film with his wonderful performance as Holly Martins. Trevor Howard is delightfully droll as Calloway. Valli is provocatively gorgeous as the lover of the late Harry Lime (a character neither the audience nor Holly fully understands). One of the most perfect cinematic experiences that doesn’t pale with repeated viewings. And how many films do you know that were scored entirely on the zither? I was sad to see the film not make the tenth anniversary list over less deserving titles.

If you see a good print of this movie, the photo of the trees at the cemetery is stunning photography.

Great story, great acting, interesting at all times, fantastic photography. Joseph Cotton as always is superb.

It just doesn’t get any better.

The Third Man, direct by Carol Reed and staring Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles, and Alida Valli is the greatest film of all time in my opinion. The Third Man is perfect in every way, from the story, the acting, the score, and the cinematography (some of the memorable scenes ever put on film). I can watch this film over and over again, and every time I watch it, I walk away loving the movie even more. An absolute masterpiece!
By: Andre Watkins

This is a great thriller.

This is a great thriller, and it has one of the most memorable characters in movie history with Orson Welles as Harry Lime.
By: Adam Teitelbaum

Corruption in post-war Vienna

Captures the feel of a place at a certain date in time better than any other film. Brilliant photography from unusual but illuminating angles, outstanding performances — including the greatest entrance of an actor on film — and a supurb, literate screenplay. And that zither music!
By: Bill Straub

Beautiful in all repects

A movie that seems to get better with age.

I love everything about this film, but the subtle acting, wonderful cinematography and heartfelt story are the key elements. Carol Reed’s masterpiece and Joseph Cotton’s best role.
By: Anthony Wheeler

Spectacular story, acting, cinematography, and score

The best foreign film and the best film of all time.
By: Christian Lops