The Third Man

The Third Man is by far the most influential thriller of all time. The entire film has influenced generations of directors, the conventions used throughout really set 'The Third Man' out from the crowd. Within the opening credits of the third man the title sequence is played over "The Harry Lime Theme, the music is tune is very jumpy and played on a string instrument, this instantly links to the idea that the character is pulling strings in order to get what he wants and also the idea that he strings people along so that they believe what he wants them to believe. The shot never moves from the strings of the instrument, this instantly creates the enigma of who is playing the instrument, presumably, Harry Lime is pulling the strings.
The film is set in post war Vienna, this is an interesting aspect to the thriller because it links the deviance of the war with the people who now lived in a ruined world. In the photo on the right you can see that the ice has cracked, showing the splintered society that remained. Another signifier to the war is the boat and corpse that float in the water. The idea that they are both left floating among the metaphorical broken city is very effective on the audience because it shows that the director was trying to show that society had been hardened by the war and consequently the city had lost some of its humanity.
The final generic convention used is the smoke and fog covering the background. The idea that the city is becoming more industrialised links to the idea that Vienna was a place where the war could be put in the past and people could easily slip through the radar due to everybody escaping their pasts.

The iconic costumes do not change with "The Third Man", we see generic conventions such as trilby hats and overcoats. The trilby hat is also utilised in 'Once upon a time in America' as well as many other thrillers, this is due to the fact that it effectively shadows the face and gives off the impression of power and wealth. In 'Essex Boys' we see the deviant character dressed in flashy clothes which clearly state his arrogance. But in 'The Third Man' we see the characters as being sly and sophisticated whilst still upholding the deviant atmosphere they deserve.
Harry Lime, who is the enigma for the majority of the film is seen donned in a trilby hat at his first appearance. we instantly link this to his deviant intensions. In this shot we see that harry is hiding in shadows, this gives the idea that Harry either doesn't want to be seen or that he shouldn't be seen. He also casts a heavy shadow up against the wall, this hints at the possibility of him having a second personality.
The shot shows Harry looking up slightly and from his wrinkled forehead we see that he is very cautious about being seen in public, it also has a hint of sorrow as if his appearance from the shadows was merely a cry for help aimed at an old friend. The Tilted Trilby hat adds effect to this shot because it creates the idea that Harry is different from most criminals within the city. The shot is also on a slight tilt, this makes the audience feel uneasy about Harrys appearance because until that moment he was supposedly dead.
The tilt could also represent the idea that he is on the edge and that his actions have caused him to become a social outcast. We see later that Harry has been using the sewers in order to travel across the city.

This shot is particularly effective because it shows Holly Martins first visit to Harry's apartment, as he walks down the street he walks under a lander, which is commonly known to be an omen of bad luck. This could mean that Holly is going to have some bad luck with what the man he is pursuing. The shot is low angle and it shows Holly to be looking up at the building beside him, this shows that he is taken in by the large city and that it has an over powering effect on him. This also shows that he is to preoccupied with the city to notice any danger, for instance the ladder, this links to later on in the film where his actions have led him to situations beyond his control.