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The Third Man

Released in 1949 and starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton, The Third Man' has been voted a British movie masterpiece many times by film critics over the years. The film is a cautionary tale about love, friendship, betrayal and corruption, and all set against the darkly atmospheric backdrop of post war Vienna. Orson Welles plays Harry Lime, a charismatic but murderous racketeer who, having faked his own death to escape justice, has taken refuge in the sewers beneath Vienna.

Joseph Cotton plays his best friend, Holly Martins, who discovers Harry still alive. Martins soon comes to learn of his friend's racketeering and finally trades him in to the police when it comes to light that Lime was responsible for the manufacture and sale of polluted penicillin; penicillin which resulted in the death of many children. Despite this, inexplicably, the character of Harry Lime has built up a large cult following over the years: The ultimate anti-hero. The English author, Graham Greene, began work on the film's script whilst staying at the hotel Sacher.

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