In Peter Bogdanovich’s introduction to the Criterion DVD of Carol Reed’s The Third Man, he relates a conversation with Orson Welles where Welles calls his role in the film the greatest “star part” ever written. What he meant was that the entire first half of the film is comprised of characters talking about Harry Lime, so when he finally appears the audience almost can’t help but feel a certain sense of awe. However, while the build-up to his debut is sublime (thanks in great part to Graham Greene’s tension mounting script), it’s Welles presence and charisma which finally makes the
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