The Third Man Quote

Carl Remick carlremick at hotmail.com
Tue Mar 19 17:59:21 PST 2002



>From: joanna bujes <joanna.bujes at ebay.sun.com>
>
>At 09:31 PM 03/18/2002 -0500, Sergio wrote:
>
>> Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder,
>>and
>>bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the
>>Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years
>>of
>>democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.
>>
>> Harry Lyme
>
>This signature bugs me.

Point taken, but one of the many things that fascinates me about this movie -- surely one of the greatest ever -- is the undying love that Harry's girlfriend (Alida Valli) has for the thoroughly despicable Lime, as well as the contempt she has for the nominal hero Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), the archetypal American innocent abroad. I can't think of another movie whose resolution is almost literally in the last frame -- as Valli breezes right by Cotton without pausing, en route from Harry's graveside.

BTW, I once heard that Orson Welles improvised that line about the Borgias vs. the cuckoo clock. Anyone know if that's true?

Carl

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