Third Man Sewer Scene Analysis

The third man sewer scene is an incredibly dark, atmospheric sequence that incorporates many aspects of film noir, most notably in its lighting and its setting: the cavernous sewers of Vienna - the innards of Post-War Europe. This is perhaps more representative than it seems. Film noir grew out of the spirits of war torn Europe so therefore in many ways this scene could be representative of film noir as a whole and is arguably one of the most significant scenes in any noir film and is laced with metaphors.

     Most notably is the actual setting of the sequence - in the bowls of Vienna. In a city that is so typically associated with glamour and the upper classes, it is a unique and somewhat chilling experience to watch the lowest of the criminal classes scuttle through the tunnels and the waste that lie beneath the city. In a way this alone is a study in film noir - to strip back the glamour and facade of purity and success to reveal the sleaze and the corruption that lies beneath.

     In more ways than one the tunnels and the frantic chase through them represent Harry Lime's entire existence. We don't learn much about Lime's life over the course of the film, but from what we do see and hear of his life we can assume it was always a constant and chaotic sprint from authority as he pursued his own leads and his own initiative. In that respect the sewer scene is just Harry Lime's life story sped up into one chase scene that swings near constantly in and out of his favour until eventually he is cornered, arguably through his own blunders and the sheer numbers of police and soldiers that pour into the tunnels after him. Constantly, Lime is chasing after the light at the end of the tunnels, but every time something stands in the way. Whether this representative of an, albeit perhaps fictional, pursuit of an honest existence, hindered by the constant blockades he himself builds around him.

     Perhaps the best part of the entire scene is Harry Lime's frantic bid for escape through the grating of a street gutter where just his finger tips protrude through the grates. Something about this is chilling. From the exterior shots it looks as though some bizarre growth is rising up through the grates - like the children Lime's morphine has been disfiguring. Somehow in these last few moments of his life the audience feels incredible pity for Lime. What he has done is beside the point and we see, in all its striking horror, a man who is terrified of death and so close to freedom that he can feel it. The noise above ground is deliberately louder and more noticeable than the constant rush of water and babble of German, Russian and English. This is done to emphasise how close Lime is to his goal, but also it suggests that even he does escape he'll still going to have to contend with the rushing wind and the lashing rain - a metaphor that tells us that even if Lime does manage to escape the sewers, he is by no means free.

     Lime is filmed in a curious way throughout the scene. We feel that as an audience we are following his every move, not just the most important ones. We watch as he stoops through low passages and, in one of the scenes best camera angles, see the real fear on his face as he presses himself against the sewer wall as the police pass him by mere meters away. It is odd to have this much of a connection with a character not introduced until half way through the film. Typically of film noir the lighting is dim and normally from just one single point, throwing one half of Lime's body into sharp relief while the other remains unreadable in the shadows which is perhaps a good enough summary of the scene as any.