I am a bit of a film nut. I was the president of Northern Michigan University's alternative film group "Gonzo Media" for a while when I was an undergrad. That love of film has stuck with me, and one film I hold dear to my heart is the 1949 film noir "The Third Man," directed by Carol Reed, and stars Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles. We are dropped into post-World War II Vienna with American novelist Holly Martins, who was given a job by his friend Harry Lime. Unfortunately he learns quickly that Harry Lime is dead; the story continues with Martins' investigation of his untimely demise.
I could go on about how film noir is one of the coolest film genres out there, or about the beautiful zither score supplied by Viennese composer Anton Karas (which is highly recommended listening here), or about how the dutch angles are spooky and effective. But, the reason why I am so geeked about this film lately is the fact that it takes place in Vienna, one of the locations to visit on the Public Radio 90 Imperial Cities Tour.
Here are some more locations from the film, then and now:
Maybe you can help me track down some more locations of this classic film! Who knows, we may even solve a mystery there...
For more information on the locations in "The Third Man," visit the Movie Tourist website here.
The full trip brochure is available online here: http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wnmu/files/imperial_cities_brochure.pdf
For more information about how to book your seat for the Imperial Cities Tour, call Laura at Holiday Travel Vacations at 228-6355, or email laura@holiday-mqt.com