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Long before the production began, Drazin tells us, there was already "an atmosphere of mutual suspicion" between the British producer Alexander Korda and his American partner David O Selznick, portrayed here as an archetypal crass movie mogul. In this tense atmosphere, matters were made still worse by problems on set, such as Orson Welles turning up days late for the shoot then refusing to film in the Viennese sewers. Drazin considers that critics are far too kind to Welles ("the greatest ham in the business"), believing that the praise belongs much more to director Carol Reed: "a man whose real genius lay in collaboration".
This revisionist stance proves typical of the author's compelling approach to his subject, as he interviews a number of previously unsung heroes, and provides a wealth of fascinating information about the production. An appropriate balance is generally struck between opinion and fact, although it occasionally strays too far into the former, as when Drazin analyses the influences acting upon writer Graham Greene. This speculation aside, the book provides an informative and lucidly written account, which ends on a high point as Drazin recounts his own visit to Vienna in 1998 and tells us the story behind The Third Man's famous final shot. --John Oates
Book Jacket
Bringing together such strong and disparate personalities as Graham Greene, Carol Reed, Orson Welles, David Selznick and Sir Alexander Korda, the film was an example of a group endeavour that depended as much on chance as design. At times the planning and making seemed more like a battle than a collaboration. And although the circumstances of its making were dramatic and eventful, until now that story has never been fully told. Drawing on both contemporary documents and accounts of the people involved, In Search of The Third Man explores the many myths that over the years have grown around this extraordinary piece of cinema, and seeks to unravel the facts from the fiction.
This is the story not only of a film, but of a pivotal moment in 20th-century history. Capturing with documentary precision the look and feel of a war-torn Vienna, The Third Man mirrored all the uncertainties and confusions of its time and anticipated the mood of the post-war age. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
