"The Third Man"

How does the chase sequence and opening scene from "The Third Man" use framing and composition techniques, mise en scene and cinematography to create meanings, metaphors and effects?

Figure 1

The opening scene from The Third Man uses composition, framing and mise en scene to construct metaphors and meanings of disorientation and evil. The staircase shot (figure 1) uses a low angle, tilted shot creates an off-balance image, creating a sense of disorientation and the shot confuses us. Another technique used in this scene is the classic Film Noir convention of German Expressionism; the angular, straight lines are used to create connotations of panic and anxiety, which were the main feelings hanging around after WW2. The sharp, straight lines lead our eyes in different directions, confusing us and making the shot seem disorientated. Chiaroscuro lighting is also used in this shot to emphasise the panic and anxiety: intense key lighting from below the staircase creates very angular shadows on the doorway at the top of the stairs. The effect of this is that it creates the feeling of hidden darkness and evil within.

Figure 2

Stairs in film noir usually symbolise moral ambiguity. In this shot, the use of the stairs creates a metaphor for Heaven and Hell; where a character stands on the stairs is a metaphor for being good or evil. In this case, Holly is standing at the foot of the stairs, implying that his character could be evil. Key lighting is also used in this shot to create connotations of evil: the dark shadow cast on the wall gives us the feeling of paranoia and "evil within" in Holly's character. German Expressionism in this shot creates sharp, angular edges which create a sense of danger as sharp edges can be linked to knives and blades. Another technique used in this scene is the tilt shot. This tilt shot creates connotations of disorientation and confusion. As well as the shot being tilted, Holly's head is also tilted which emphasises the disorientated feeling.

Figure 3

In figure 3, we can only see Harry's shadow and not his physical body. This symbolises how throughout the movie, Holly has been chasing Harry's shadow, unable to find him; this shot represents how he is still unable to catch him. The powerful key lighting creates the large, dark shadow on the wall: the dark shadow creates a feeling of darkness/evil within Harry, which he can't escape - it's a part of him. As with most shots in this film, this one is tilted. The tilted shot creates meanings and connotations of disorientation; these represent how disorientated Holly has been through the film - he hasn't been able to find Harry until now and has been very confused. Also, we can't see the vanishing point in this shot, which creates an unsettling feeling. Furthermore, it creates the sense of ongoing and never ending, which represents how Holly's search for Harry could last a long while.

Figure 4

Figure 4 incorporates one main aspect of film noir - German Expressionism. This shot is very angular with the kiosk in the middle and the building behind it, the sharp edges create connotations of danger, even though the kiosk is not something considered dangerous. This sense of danger could represent Harry's personality and the things he's been up to during the film. This shot uses a strong key light from behind the kiosk, which draws our attention to it and makes us believe it has some kind of importance. And it does - we find out later in the film that it's what Harry uses to disappear into the Vienna sewers. Another feature which shows importance of the kisok is that it's centre frame.