Don't be so gloomy. After all, it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for thirty 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 five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock. So long, Holly."
The honeyed tones with which Welles delivers this great speech are tinged with menace; the contempt and at the same time the attraction Holly feels for this charming psychopath are shared by the viewer of this unforgettable movie based on Graham Greene's book by the same name.
(If you're also interested in the story behind the story, click here)
Of course, if you're like me, you'll never get tired of the movie's original soundtrack which reminds me of my childhood in Germany when, with the city in ruins and an accute housing shortage, we were forced to share our small two-bedroom apartment with two Bavarian musicians who earned their living by playing their zithers in a nearby beerhall. "The Third Man Theme", also known as "The Harry Lime Theme", was part of their repertoire which they often practised when at our home.
Now sit back to listen to the audiobook while reading along online ...
... and continuing here.
