AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 58

Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films.

Holly Martins: Have you ever seen any of your victims?
Harry Lime: You know, I never feel comfortable on these sort of things. Victims? Don't be melodramatic. Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money, or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax - the only way you can save money nowadays.

The Third Man (1949)
Original List Position: 57
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, and Trevor Howard
Director: Carol Reed
About: This is an interesting film. It hews close to its actual list position on my list, which is rare in this exercise. When the new list was issued in 2007, this is one of the films that fell off the list. It's a classic Noir mystery. While it features Welles, and his name was likely a draw, he only appears in a few scenes. He's the mysterious Harry Lime, which is the focus of the film, but this is mostly about Cotton as his friend Holly Martins. It's a good film with a decent mystery and production. Not the best of the Welles films, or the best Welles film on this list, but a solid watch nonetheless.