One of the greatest movie quotes of all times comes from “The Third Man” – “…In 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.” In addition, the movie contains one of the greatest uses of a zither in a theme song. (Okay, that one is a pretty low bar.)

Unfortunately, neither of these is contained in this book. Oh well, we must all try to forge ahead somehow. And this book makes that forging ahead an easy thing to do. It is a fast, entertaining read which tells the story of Rollo Martins’ arrival in post-war Vienna to visit his friend Harry Lime who, when Rollo arrives, is dead. There follows the tale of Rollo striving to solve the murder local authorities have declared an accident.

If you have seen the movie, then you have seen part of the book. But only part of it. This is actually a book that was never meant to be a book. In fact, as Graham Greene describes it, the story is really just a treatment meant to be turned into a movie. So you will see differences. (For example, no cuckoo clock quote.) But that should not be a deterrent. I am not normally a reader of “thrillers” (or whatever genre this book might be considered), so I cannot expound on the relative merit of this book to others of its kind. But I can expound on the fact that this is a good story you will most likely enjoy. ( )

When asked to write a screenplay for a movie about the occupation of Vienna following World War II, Graham Greene considered it best to start by writing a story. In this way, he reasoned, the film would be more likely to capture the mood and atmosphere that he (as author) intended. Thus, as Greene notes in his introduction to the novelette, The Third Man "was never intended to be read but only to be seen," and was meant to be no more than raw material for the movie. Nonetheless, following the success of the 1949 film (which starred Orson Welles as the unforgettable Harry Lime), the text was published the following year as a novelette.

Despite its uncertain origins, The Third Man is an engaging story, one that visits themes familiar to readers of Greene's fiction, including the conflicts of friendship, self-interest, and social responsibility in the face of human evil. Its one incongruous element is that it is told in the first person by a secondary character (the police detective). In order to give the reader insight into the mind of Rollo Martins (the actual protagonist), the policeman recounts extended passages of dialogue in which Martins reveals his thoughts and feelings, and details of events that the narrator never witnessed.

The story line of the film follows the novelette fairly closely, although Martins' character is changed from British to American, and the ending (as well as a few episodes) differ markedly. The dialogue in many scenes is very similar to what emerged in the film, including the unforgettable scene between Martins and Harry Lyme at the top of the ferris wheel.

The film deservedly is a classic, and widely available. Both it and the novelette are worth seeking out, for a step into a past world of political intrigue and danger. ( )

Classic Greene, this should qualify as one of the best books written after the movie script. Oh, and the movie introduced me to the zither! ( )

This work is really an elaborate film treatment rather than a novel, so you miss the deep background, psychological probing and rich description typical of Greene in his novels. But, having said that, this treatment captures the jangly, conversational discord of the film, which gives rise to a nerve-tingling sense of disorientation and as well as one of its funniest scenes (the book discussion group). The character of Rollo Martins is fleshed out and he turns out to have more flaws than the film can convey. The film is brilliant, no doubt. This quick read is well worth it for fans.

The scene of the book discussion group is treated amusingly by Pierre Bayard in his How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read, which I also recommend. ( )

El tercer hombre, Graham Greene, (2002)