The film, The Third Man, has for decades been regarded as a classic `film noir'. Although this is true the film also enjoys a second but equally important genre. This genre of course is thriller. This film portrays several of the moods that are associated with classic `film noir'. These moods include melancholy, bleakness, disenchantment, moral ambiguity, evil and corruption. Classic `film noirs' show the depressing side of human nature emphasising the corrupt, suspicious and futile side of human existence. These moods are usually created with several important cinematic techniques. These include lighting, shade, shadow, setting, music, dialogue and major themes.

In the film, The Third Man, Holly Martins, a struggling author full of hope and confidence, is offered a job in Vienna by an old friend. He arrives in Vienna and a short time later finds out that his friend, Harry Limes, has been killed in an...