Roger Ebert once named “the most dramatic entrance in the history of the cinema”
Roger Ebert wasn’t the easiest film critic to impress. Infusing his articles with an accessible sense of humour, the journalist often used his wit to the detriment of certain filmmakers, whose movies were torn apart in Ebert’s reviews. That’s just the nature of the game, of course, and Ebert was one of the most successful critics in Hollywood until his passing in 2013.
The critic never tried to suck up to anyone – if a performance, a piece of editing, the direction or the soundtrack was not up to standard, he wouldn’t shy away from pointing it out. That’s what made him such a legendary figure in the industry. He was honest, approaching cinema without any trace of snobbery, reviewing everything from obscure arthouse releases to the newest blockbuster.
Of course, Ebert liked a lot of films alongside the ones he despised, and he once composed a list of the “10 greatest films of all time,” citing some of his all-time favourites. Ebert wrote about the movies he enjoyed most with such refreshing enthusiasm, making readers eager to watch everything on his list, even if certain releases had never appealed to them before.
One of his favourites was The Third Man by Carol Reed, also known for directing films like Odd Man Out, The Fallen Idol and Oliver!. Released in 1949, the movie starred Citizen Kane filmmaker Orson Welles alongside Joseph Cotten and Alida Valli. For Ebert, the masterpiece was “on the altar of my love for the cinema.”
The movie follows Cotten’s Holly Martins as he travels to Vienna in the years following the Second World War. After setting out to meet an old friend, Welles’ Harry Lime, Holly soon discovers that he has been killed, and, with the help of Harry’s girlfriend, Anna, the pair try to uncover exactly what has happened.
Ebert believes that The Third Man contains “the most dramatic entrance in the history of the cinema,” courtesy of Welles, which is “done to the music of a single zither.” His entrance is a shocking moment because, until that point, he is presumed dead. Yet, “when the cat rubs against a shoe in a doorway,” a dramatic light shines on Welles, illuminating his face in the darkness of night. It’s an iconic scene and just one of many reasons why Ebert loved the film so much.
Further discussing his love of the movie, he wrote, “It was so sad, so beautiful, so romantic, that it became at once a part of my own memories – as if it had happened to me.” The writer also gushed about the look of The Third Man. “Apart from the story, look at the visuals! The tense conversation on the giant Ferris wheel. The giant, looming shadows at night. The carnivorous faces of people seen in the bombed-out streets of postwar Vienna, where the movie was shot on location. The chase through the sewers.”
The Third Man became the most popular British film of the year when it was released. It subsequently won ‘Best Cinematography – Black and White’ at the Academy Awards, also receiving nominations for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Film Editing’.