In Search of The Third Man

Book Description

Half a century after its opening, The Third Man remains an unquestioned masterpiece of film artistry and, for many, the greatest British movie ever made. Whether it is Harry Lime's magical first appearance or the celebrated cuckoo clock speech or the climactic chase through the sewers beneath Vienna or the haunting theme music of Anton Karas, the film contains some of the most memorable moments in screen history. Drawing on both contemporary documents and accounts of the people involved, In Search of The Third Man explores the many myths that over the years have grown around this extraordinary film, and seeks to unravel the facts from the fiction. "...you'll want to read The Third Man...The story of the film's creation is as intriguing as the film itself" -Leonard Maltin, Playboy

Customer Reviews:

First rate book about the Third Man.......2005-09-16

I tell it to you straight. A terrific read. This book is lucid, well-researched, intelligent, and beautifully written. And it is supremely enjoyable. If you think the Third Man is one of the great films of all time (and I do), you will acquire more information on the context, the story-line, the dramatis personae, the music (THAT theme), and the politics, than you might ever thought you could need (ie, Joseph Cotten was a womaniser, Trevor Howard was a soak). And you will clear out of the mental attic of the PR mythologizing which has grown around it (ie, that super-ego Orson Welles was the true eminence grise - when he was hardly even on the set). Right wing, nationalist Americans won't like because it shows how the American side of the co-production was focused on how it should present Americans in the best possible light (ie, brave, smart, democratic, etc) and ended up 'dumbing it down' for the American release (presumably because they cynically thought that Americans couldn't deal with Greene's subtle script).
The author holds the director and prime motivator, Carol Reed, in the highest possible regard. Here is someone utterly lacking in pretension; utterly obsessive on the detail; humanistic; a real charmer - someone cute enough able to deploy those actors' inflated egos to help extract the best possible performances (and in some cases get them just to turn up) yet ultimately the workaholic consumate craftsperson. He also shows that while US producer Selznick was a bullying oaf, he also contributed ideas which provided some of the film's real strengths (ie, the last scene which ducks the predictable happy ever after ending).

It is more than a book about a film. It deals with one of the most fascinating periods in the affairs of men and how a host of really talented, sometimes warring, people can together produce true cinematic art.

Deserves to be very widely read, but, Health Warning to Republicans or other Americans with an inferiority complex towards Europeans, it will challenge your assumptions. For the rest of us film buffs a hugely illuminating book.

You will want to go 'In Search of The Third Man' yourself!.......2002-04-16

If you loved the film then this book is a must. Charles Drazin has written a fantastic book which keeps the magic of the film alive and brings the reader behind the scenes of the making of the film with all the juicy stories you would expect of a book of this type. What I particularly liked were the parts where he has gone to Vienna himself in an attempt to retrace the steps of this glorious film. I must admit that on a recent trip to Vienna, I myself went around the city, book in hand, looking for the famous locations myself. With the help of the book I was able to find all the locations without having to go on the guided tour, including the grave used as Harry's in the Zentralfriedhof (and it's a BIG cemetry!). One small disappointment though was the rather simple explanation as to why the signs in Harry's apartment building have changed language over the years. I will not elaborate here but readers of the book will know what I am talking about.

A Mediocre Piece of Film Criticism.......2002-02-09

Drazin's writing is barely adequate. He presents his narrative out of sequence, giving the reader the impression of a hastily produced first draft. The book is a marvelous example of the British inferiority complex, as Drazin goes to great lengths to marginalize the contributions of the American participants. Joseph Cotten, the film's leading man, is referenced only in passing, while the size and texture of Carol Reed's bowel movements are discussed in great detail. I found it disappointing to discover that the art of film criticism has advanced no further than the art of dentistry in Drazin's homeland. Yes, The Third Man is a great film, but an objective account of the production has yet to be written. Perhaps in the far distant future, when the misguided citizens of Great Britain acquire culinary skills and overthrow their antiquated monarchy, we may hope to see such a book.

Great Research and Anecdotes.......2002-01-27

"In Search of the Third Man" is a well researched work that is ambitiously written and contains numerous fascinating anecdotes about one of the greatest films ever made, Sir Carol Reed's "The Third Man." Charles Drazin takes us back in time to just after World War Two in Vienna, making the reader feel a part of the dramatic filmmaking process. The activities were so involved as well as interesting that a movie about the making of "The Third Man" might prove almost as interesting as the magnificent cinema classic itself.

The film was a co-production effort involving Britain and America. Two legendary figures were involved in each continent, the fascinating Eastern European emigre Sir Alexander Korda in London and David O. Selznick in Hollywood. Assistant director Guy Hamilton relates that dealing with Selznick's renowned memos entailed virtually a full time job in itself. Selznick was worried at various points about Joseph Cotten being too much of a bumbler, making Americans in general look bad, as well as fearing that Cotten and his longtime friend from Mercury Theater days, Orson Welles, were both "frustrated writers" who would make life miserable for Reed by ad libbing lines. As fate turned out, only one ad lib was delivered, Welles' memorable line to Cotten after exiting the giant ferris wheel in the Vienna Woods about Italy achieving the Renaissance during a 30 year period of bloodshed and Switzerland, after centuries of peace, becoming notable for the cuckoo clock.

One humorous segment of the book involves the pursuit of Welles, who had fled throughout Europe before being discovered in Venice, the actor's way of obtaining revenge against Korda for a period of inactivity while under contract to him. Once that Welles arrived in Vienna he panicked over doing scenes in the city's sewer system, where some of the most dramatic moments of the film occur when police chase the racketeer near the movie's end. An unruffled Reed announced that the sewer system scenes involving Welles would be shot on new sets at Sheperton Studios outside London, where many of the interiors were shot.

One of the most unique features of the film was the substitution of zither player Anton Karas for what would normally be a symphonic musical background. The book reveals how Reed stuck to his guns in the wake of criticism of his idea by Sheperton's musical director, Dr. Hubert Clifford. We also learn just how and where Karas was found, along with reading interesting details of his audition in Reed's hotel room during one of the few days when cast and crew were not busy.

Drazin reveals his theory about screenwriter Graham Greene's real life model of the film's villain, Harry Lime, who was played so convincingly by Welles. Drazin believes that Lime was modeled after Kim Philby, the British intelligence operative who spied for Russia.

The Best Birthday Present.......2001-12-31

Mr Drazin presents his book "In Search of the Third Man" as a 50th birthday tribute to this "most loved and enduring of British films". A glance at the internet shows just how popular the Third Man remains - especially since the release of the anniversary DVD/Video. However many of the comments on the net - particularly on the roles of Reed, Selznick and Wells appear to be misguided, and it is greatly to the author's credit that he has produced what appears to be the definitive work on the film which gives the lie to some of the more extravagant claims.
He examines the work of Graham Greene, exploring the authors connections with Kim Philby, "the fourth man" and gives us a resume of a modern day trip to Vienna - where the complexity of the films construction between location shots and later work at Shepperton Studios is clarified. This is a super book - an absolutely "must read" for any Third Man fan - I can't think of a better way of paying tribute to a wonderful film.

Rescuers search bay after boat capsizes.(Accidents)(One man drowns, one survives and a third is presumed to have drowned after accident): An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

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Rescuers search bay after boat capsizes.(Accidents)(One man drowns, one survives and a third is presumed to have drowned after accident): An article from: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

Manufacturer: The Register Guard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00096YOWA
Release Date: 2005-07-13

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on February 11, 2005. The length of the article is 823 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Rescuers search bay after boat capsizes.(Accidents)(One man drowns, one survives and a third is presumed to have drowned after accident)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: February 11, 2005
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: A1

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Who's that knocking at your door? Third party consents to police entry.: An article from: Florida Bar Journal

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Who's that knocking at your door? Third party consents to police entry.: An article from: Florida Bar Journal
Joseph D. Robinson
Manufacturer: Florida Bar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008EELEE
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Florida Bar Journal, published by Florida Bar on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 5648 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Who's that knocking at your door? Third party consents to police entry.
Author: Joseph D. Robinson
Publication: Florida Bar Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Florida Bar
Volume: 77 Issue: 10 Page: 24(8)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Gas turbines play an important role in power generation and aeroengines. An extended survey of methods associated with the control and systems identification in these engines, Dynamic Modelling of Gas Turbines reviews current methods and presents a number of new perspectives.

• Describes a total modelling and identification program for various classes of aeroengine, allowing you to deal with the engine’s behaviour over its complete life cycle.

• Shows how the above regime can be applied to a real engine balancing the theory with practical use.

• Follows a comparative approach to the study of existing and newly derived techniques thus offering an informed choice of controllers and models from the tried-and trusted to the most up-to-date evolutionary optimisation models.

• Presents entirely novel work in modelling, optimal control and systems identification to help you get the most from your engine designs.

Dynamic Modelling of Gas Turbines represents the latest research of three groups of internationally recognised experts in gas turbine studies. It will be of interest to academics working in aeroengine control and to industrial practitioners in companies concerned with their design. The work presented here is easily extendible to be relevant in other areas in which gas turbines play a role such as power engineering.

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VILLE VALO IS GOD
Gipped
His Infernal Majesty
HIM- nice photo book.

HIM: His Infernal Majesty
Reinhardt Haydn
Manufacturer: Plexus Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0859653927

Book Description

Led by their charismatic and photogenic vocalist Ville Valo, H.I.M. is set to be the hottest alternative rock act of the decade. Fusing gothic, heavy metal, and power pop, the band has established a new musical genre, which it describes as “love metal,” that transcends existing genres and gives it the crossover appeal that has generated album sales in excess of 3 million. In H.I.M: His Infernal Majesty, Barry Keating recounts the story of the band’s rise from a Helsinki covers group playing everything from Chris Isaak to Blue Oyster Cult to a global rock phenomenon. Through interviews and anecdotes, Keating explores the band’s unique ethos and influences, and the genesis of the love metal sound, as well as the band's quest to bring goth music to the masses. Featuring a wealth of eye-catching images, the book details the breathtaking way in which H.I.M.'s singular approach to music has brought it to the cusp of global stardom.

Customer Reviews:

VILLE VALO IS GOD.......2007-09-06

I was so excited to get this book. I am an AVID H.I.M. fan and enjoyed the detailed history and wonderful photographs! If you love H.I.M., you'll love this book.

Gipped.......2007-08-29

Good book overall...Read very quickly. Great pictures and some are rare. Wish it was as long as the Finnish version. Waited a long time for this book and it didn't grab my attention the way the Finnish one did. Would recommend since we don't have any other options short of translating and it is entertaining.

His Infernal Majesty.......2007-08-16

This is a great book for any HIM or Ville Valo fan. It gives you tons of information on the origins of the band. The members, past, present and the different "variations" of HIM. The focus is mainly on HIM front-man Ville Valo. Lots of great pictures of Ville and the band. I am a hard-core HIM/Ville fan and this book is a welcome addition to my collection.

Lisa Hooser
Illinois

HIM- nice photo book........2007-07-23

For those of you who don't want to plunk down 75 plus dollars for the finnish HIM book, this one is a nice alternative: lots of BIO, many rarer photos and lots of quotes... a must for any fan.
AND: nice clear photos: not the grainier versions you see in so many fan books.

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven

Average customer rating:

Notice the rising smoke screens whenever truth is trying to escape obscurity
Utility in interpretation
A good introduction into the evolution of the classical styl
Classic writing about Classical music
If this is a three star book what's a five star book?

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven
Charles Rosen
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393040208

Amazon.com

The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven is a revised and enlarged version of Charles Rosen's landmark 1970 work on the compositions of the trio of musical geniuses who formed the Viennese Classical School and forever changed the face of music. Along with clarifications, expansions, and new insights into the composers and their music, the book has been enriched by the addition of a compact disc containing two of the Beethoven piano sonatas of which the author writes. Rosen's books are always shot through with musical examples, so you'll get a great deal more out of this one if you can read music. The Classical Style is a brilliant book, composed by a genuine artist, sometimes provocative, but never sloppy in its thinking.

Book Description

A greatly expanded edition of the National Book Award-winning masterpiece by a world-class pianist and writer on music. This outstanding book treating the three most beloved composers of the Vienna School is basic to any study of Classical-era music. Drawing on his rich experience and intimate familiarity with the works of these giants, Charles Rosen presents his keen insights in clear and persuasive language. For this expanded edition, now available in paperback for the first time, Rosen has provided a new, 64-page chapter on the later years of Beethoven and the musical conventions he inherited from Haydn and Mozart. The author has also written an extensive new preface in which he responds to other writers who have commented on his ideas.

Customer Reviews:

Notice the rising smoke screens whenever truth is trying to escape obscurity.......2007-09-24

This is an important and in many ways excellent book by Charles Rosen, who has also written other fine books. Rosen explains how the 18th-century sonata form was a logical extension and elaboration of what had come before and of what was inherent in traditional tonality. He shows that Romanticism wasn't a further development of the same principle, but rather a gradual dissolution. Rosen gives a scientific explanation of how traditional tonality itself is natural, grounded in physics. The implications of all this are clear enough. It's no accident that Beethoven was generally thought of as the greatest of all composers, until relatively recently (now it's not acceptable to think that anybody was greater than anybody else).

The anonymous reviewer from July 3, 1999 talks about sloppy thinking, while himself indulging in straw men, ad hominem, and plain deception. The reviewer gives a single quoted example of Rosen's allegedly sweeping statements, and this quote is of course taken out of context and isn't even Rosen's. It's Rosen quoting someone else in a context in which the quotation seems quite appropriate. The rest of this reviewer's statements are similar smoke and no substance. Please, do yourself a favor and read The Classical Style, and make your own conclusions. It's politically incorrect enough to inspire devious reviews and to be enlightening even to many professionals (if they have an open mind). It's not dumbed down, but it's written in an understandable language--something many other academicians might want to emulate. But if you are a "Liberal Warrior" or some other mind-already-made-up duffer, don't bother with this book or any other intelligent book: read Harry Potter and other children's fantasy instead, because that way you can escape reality while remaining rather harmless.

Utility in interpretation.......2005-09-04

This analysis is most valuable in describing/explaining/analysing classical style in a way that assists actual performance of the piano music of that style. Excellent comments are interspersed throughout it.

A good introduction into the evolution of the classical styl.......2005-01-13

The author does an impressive job of showing how the classical style of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven evolved from the musical chaos following the high baroque period. Perhaps giving too little credit to transitional composers who blazed the trail for these three geniuses, Rosen intersperses analysis with superlatives that at times is useful but at other times seems more like hero worship.

I found some parts particularly fascinating, such as the comparison between a work by Haydn and C.P.E. Bach. Certainly when the analysis was complete, you could see why Haydn's art was more rational and complete, however Rosen's dismissal of C.P.E. Bach's work as incoherent was somewhat off base in my opinion because the styles and goals of the two composers were not synonymous.

Though I didn't always agree with the author's conclusions, this book is still the best out there that I have read on the subject and is well worth reading.

Classic writing about Classical music.......2003-12-11

Charles Rosen by now has attained a place among musical analysts on a par with the likes of Tovey and Grout, though his style is very different from either of these luminaries. Taking the music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven as the pinnacle of the musical style that developed in the late eighteenth-century, Rosen explains how around 1775 there was a decisive shift away from the High Baroque style of Bach and Handel, and why this new music was different. After his general introduction to the style most of the book explores different genres, symphony, opera, concerto and string quartet among them, to create a lucid and multi-faceted picture of how these three great composers approached and solved common musical and formal problems. The new edition adds a preface that addresses criticisms of the original book and an additional late chapter on Beethoven.

Rosen's writing, though it can be dense and repetitive, at its best is unmatched in its ability to relate analysis to what actually is heard by a listener. To this end, an ability to read and understand the copious and detailed musical examples is essential to fully grasping his points--this book is not for the casual amateur. But to those willing to do the work, The Classical Style remains as richly rewarding after three-plus decades as when it first appeared. As another reviewer has mentioned, it is a book one returns to again and again simply for the sheer pleasure of reading it.

If this is a three star book what's a five star book?.......2002-12-21

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book on a noble subject. On the basis of that rarity alone it deserves five stars.

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Fantastic...

Essentials of Geology
Stanley Chernicoff , and Haydn A. Fox
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618249885

Book Description

A condensed version of Geology, 3/e, this textbook provides succinct, focused explanations of key points—ideal for non-majors who require a basic introduction to the field. Three themes (plate tectonics, environmental geology and natural resources, and planetary geology) appear repeatedly throughout the text to highlight the connections between core concepts. In addition, the authors provide examples from across North America and the globe.

The art program incorporates a level of detail appropriate for introductory students—more effectively communicating core concepts in each figure.
Geology at a Glance features act as quick, visual reference tools summarizing difficult ideas through figures, photos, and flow charts.
A comprehensive suite of technology supplements facilitate both teaching and learning.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic..........1998-07-29

As an earth and space science student teacher, I look for material that I can pass off to my class of middle school students. I use this text to augment THEIR text and my lesson plans. This book is a must for any type of earth science enthusiast. The articles and chapters are easily read and understood, and the diagrams are works of art. BRAVO!

Franz Joseph Haydn: Great Man of Music (Rookie Biography)

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Franz Joseph Haydn: Great Man of Music (Rookie Biography)
Carol Greene
Manufacturer: Childrens Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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ASIN: 0516042602

Average customer rating:

Nice Coffee Table Book

(Joseph) Haydn: A Documentary Study
H. C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: Rizzoli International Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0847803880

Customer Reviews:

Nice Coffee Table Book.......2007-03-15

While not as in-depth as most serious biographies, this book combines a solid overview of Haydn's life with a wonderful selection of photos, paintings, and illustrations of the people and places he knew. In addition, the text features plenty of excerpts from letters and articles written by, to, and about Haydn that really bring his story alive.

There is no musical detail about his works (in other words, don't expect any discussions of theory or examples in notation); it's purely the story of the man. Look elsewhere if your goal is to study the music itself. However, Haydn led a long and interesting enough life to make for good reading on its own.

Note that I cannot comment on this book's scholarship -- it was written around 1980 and may have been superceded by more recent work. It's aimed more at casual readers than at those doing serious research, though, so any minor inaccuracies shouldn't be a problem for the target audience.

Music Minus One Bb Trumpet, Eb Trumpet or D Trumpet: Haydn Concerto in E-flat major, HobVIIe:1; TELEMANN Trumpet Concerto in D; Fasch Trumpet Concerto in D (Sheet Music & 2 CDs)

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Music Minus One Bb Trumpet, Eb Trumpet or D Trumpet: Haydn Concerto in E-flat major, HobVIIe:1; TELEMANN Trumpet Concerto in D; Fasch Trumpet Concerto in D (Sheet Music & 2 CDs)

Manufacturer: Music Minus One
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1596154160

Book Description

Performed by Brian Rood, trumpet Accompaniment: Stuttgart Festival Orchestra Conductor: Emil Kahn Haydn's E-flat-major Trumpet Concerto is in fine company with these two selections by Telemann and Fasch, complete with full orchestral accompaniment. One of MMO's most popular trumpet album, now digitally remastered for brilliant sound! Includes a newly engraved, authoritative printed music score printed on high-quality ivory paper, featuring both the original E-flat or D solo trumpet parts and the B-flat-trumpet arrangement, along with an orchestral reduction for easy reference; and a compact disc containing a complete version with soloist, in digitally remastered stereo; then a second digitally remastered stereo version of the orchestral accompaniment, minus the soloist; and a second compact disc containing the complete version of each concerto, followed by a -20% slow-tempo version of the accompaniments for practice purposes.

Three Orchestral Works in Full Score: Academic Festival Overture, Tragic Overture and Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn

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3 Works By Brahms

Three Orchestral Works in Full Score: Academic Festival Overture, Tragic Overture and Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn
Johannes Brahms
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 048624637X

Book Description

This volume reproduces, from the authoritative Breitkopf & Härtel edition, three of Brahms's great orchestral favorites. Editor's commentary in German and English.

Customer Reviews:

3 Works By Brahms.......2003-08-24

This volume contains three orchestral works by Brahms. The Academic Festival Overture, The Tragic Overture, Variations on a Theme By Haydn.

Book Description

The first volume to appear in the five-volume magnum opus of A. Peter Brown, this work sets a new standard for writing about the symphonies of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert. Now a single source provides up-to-date overviews of the status of research, former or present questions of attribution, discussion of stylistic traits, background material on the musical context of composition and early performances, as well as samplings from the early reception of works that we now call classics.

Haydn: The Late Years 1801-1809 (Haydn : Chronicle and Works)

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Haydn: The Late Years 1801-1809 (Haydn : Chronicle and Works)
H. C. Robbins Landon
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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