Art & Hue75 years of The Third Man
British film noir “The Third Man”
Considered by some to be the greatest film of all time, the atmospheric zither music from “The Third Man” is instantly evocative of shadowy criminality at the birth of the Cold War.
The Grand Gala World Premiere was held at the Ritz Cinema in Hastings, East Sussex, on the 1st of September 1949 before the London opening on the 2nd at the Plaza Cinema, and then going on general release nationwide from the 4th.
Starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Trevor Howard & Valli, the distributors British Lion were experimenting at the time with the idea of premiering films outside of London, and Hastings was the first location chosen.
Although it’s classed as a British film, as it was written by Graham Greene, directed by Carol Reed, and produced by London Films, the cast of American & European actors filmed in Austria by an Australian cinematographer make the film a collaboration of international talent.
Produced by legendary filmmakers Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick, this noir thriller in post-War Vienna sees Joseph Cotten’s character Holly Martin trying to uncover what happened to his friend Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles.
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the classic film, Studiocanal will be releasing a 4K UHD Anniversary edition this Autumn with special features to be announced soon.
The restored film will also be back in cinemas on the 6th of September to experience the masterpiece on the big screen – check your local cinema listings for screenings.
Discover the Brit Noir pop art collection by Art & Hue which includes classic British film noir titles, including “The Third Man“.
Read about more classic films celebrating their anniversaries this year here.
Art & Hue’s pop art print of “The Third Man” is available in 3 sizes, with or without text, and 28 colour options.
