And so we come to my favorite movie of all time. It wasn't a hard choice as it's been my favorite since I saw it in 1950, I think it was. It is The Third Man, with Orson Wells and Joseph Cotton. I saw it at school during a brief attempt to hold a movie night once a month. It was played on a rickety projector but it didn't matter. The film is so great it can withstand just about anything. I note that it also seems to be one of Roger Ebert's favorites. I don't think he's ever posted a list though. The Third Man is shot in post-war Vienna and the haunting zither music by Anton Karas was so popular it was a huge hit record for a long time. A lot of the music is Johann Strauss, but it has a bleak sound that compliments the black and white atmosphere of a broken and bomb-damaged, war-weary Europe. Orson Wells' entrance into the film is one of the most famous of all times. Impossible to replicate. The gradual unfolding of the plot is never upset by actually knowing it beforehand. The characters are all full and each has a quality that even the really minor ones develop. The director, Carol Reed was in constant conflict with the producer, David O. Selznick, but won out and the result is without doubt a masterpiece. If you have never seen it you should.
Here's a very short trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEAxoytNLTY&feature=related
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