The Third Man

An American writer in post-World War Two Vienna discovers an old friend presumed dead by the authorities is still alive and spreading misery by dealing drugs on the black market - leading to a dramatic confrontation in the sewers beneath the city. Carol Reed's masterly, menacing thriller based on Graham Greene's novel, starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Alida Valli and Trevor Howard. Cinematographer Robert Krasker scooped a well-deserved Oscar for his work, but Reed missed out on the Best Director award, losing to All About Eve's Joseph L Mankiewicz.