The document analyzes the locations and lighting used in the film The Third Man. It describes the labyrinth-like streets of postwar Vienna, with tall, damaged buildings creating a sense of mystery and isolation. Small, enclosed spaces like doorways and stairs into the sewers add to the feeling that there are hidden places. The shiny wet pavement and artificial street lights give the setting an unreal, nightmarish quality that traps the main character. The chiaroscuro lighting casts the character in bright light while surrounding him with dark shadows, exposing him as prey and building suspense over what may emerge from the darkness.

1. Case Study
THE THIRD MAN

2. Locations
The urban location of Vienna in Austria is presented in a way that is
very conventional of thrillers. It has done this through having the
streets being dark, deserted and shiny, this suggests that the location is
a labyrinth. The tall surrounding buildings accompanied with many
vanishing points reinforces the idea of him being in a labyrinth, and that
there are paths that lead to nowhere, these also make the character in
this scene, holly look very small and out of proportion. Additionally the
buildings are damaged and falling apart. This is a cultural signifier to
the time the third man was set which is in 1949 in the aftermath of a
war where Austria was split into four, with these four sections being
occupied by different countries including Britain. These damaged
buildings make the setting look hostile, unappealing and unglamorous,
and they also make the audience feel sympathetic for anyone within this
location because we feel sorry that they had live in war torn area.
Furthermore this location has many wide open spaces, however with the
lack of other people, vanishing points and tall buildings surrounding
everywhere, it creates a sense of mystery and isolation which is
conventional of the genre.

3. Locations (2)
Although there are also some small and claustrophobic places such as
the door frame or the stairs leading down into the sewers, this creates
the sense that there is more than the eye can see in this location, that
there are hidden and dark places. Similarly to Kill Bill, the shiny/wet
pavements and building make the setting look fake and unreal, along
side factors I have just mentioned, this makes the location look
nightmarish and that Holly is trapped in this labyrinth with no escape.
Which again creates connotations of mystery, isolation therefore
constructs suspense for the audience as they always have uncertainty
and anxiety that perhaps there is a reason the streets are empty because
there's something dangerous and mysterious making people hide out of
fear.

4. Locations (3)

5. Lighting
Commonly found within noir thrillers chiaroscuro lighting is used to
create strong contrasts of bright light and dark shadows. The lighting
used in this scene creates a lot of dark shadows, this is creating
connotations that there is something hiding in the shadows and Holly in
the light is the exposed prey therefore creating suspense. We soon find
out, through lighting, that Holly is being watched by a man, called
Harry, watching him in dark clothing, suggesting he is part of the
shadows he was just hiding in. His face is lit in a way that illuminates it
and he looks pale and like a vampire. This is referencing the 1922 film
Nosferatu the Vampyre, so immediately without Harry having any
speech or actions, just through lighting we associate him to be evil and
the antagonist. Also the lighting on hi face lets us see his sinister facial
expression and draws our attention to it. Additionally all the small
locations are reinforced to be claustrophobic and isolated through
lighting as they have dark shadows so we cant see anything clearly.

6. Lighting (2)
Moreover all the lighting in this scene is unnatural created by street
lamps- which is very conventional of thriller, or house lights etc. this
reinforces the fakery and the scene being a nightmare. Overall the
chiaroscuro lighting surrounds Holly with darkness in the vanishing
points and the distance etc. therefore we see him as trapped and we
have paranoia that something could come out of these shadows. It is also
used conventionally in the final moments with the stair case going down
underground, the lack of lighting here creates darkness at the bottom, so
Holly is going into the mysterious darkness therefore creating suspense
and anxiety that anything could get him.

7. Lighting (3)