The third man

✍ Scribed by Greene, Graham; Reed, directed by Carol

• Book ID: 106901535
• Publisher: London : Faber and Faber, c1988.
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 57 KB
• Category: Fiction
• ISBN-13: 9780571206469

✦ Synopsis

From Library Journal

Greene's novella, or "entertainment," was written in 1950 as a sort of preliminary draft for a screenplay and was not actually intended to stand alone as a written work. The motion picture, stated Greene, is better than the story because it is the story in its finished state, and it is the film, starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, that most people will remember. This audiobook, however, brings the story to life very effectively, with all its suspense, odd turns of plot, and intriguing characters placed in the powerful setting of post-World War II Vienna. Murder, racketeering, mystery, and subterfuge combine for a compelling tale that is simple, economical, concise, and very satisfying. Reader Martin Jarvis communicates the mood and pace with intensity and skill and good character differentiation. Chapter breaks and side ends are marked musically by, what else, the famous zither-performed theme song. The story, complete on two cassettes, will please patrons who prefer a shorter commitment. Recommended for all popular collections.?Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Graham Greene was in a class by himself... He will be read and remembered as the ultimate chronicler of 20th-century man's consciousness and anxiety." -- William Golding

"Greene was a great writer who spoke brilliantly to a whole generation." -- Alec Guiness

"Jarvis never misses an opportunity to accentuate Greene's elegant descriptions, making the nuances hard-edged and poetic at the same time. Jarvis excels at making each player distinct, but never lets any one overshadow the compelling drama of secrets, searches and shifting allegiances. Smooth and precise, Jarvis brings Greene's story alive in exquisite detail and with superb characterizations." -- *_*AudioFile_, October/November 1998

"Jarvis, an award-winning narrator, captures the cynicism and paranoia of the story...He effortlessly slips into a flat American twang or the clipped speech of a working-class Brit. But that's secondary to his smooth, deep voice and intelligent interpretation." -- *_*Los Angeles Times_, August 1998

"Narrator Martin Jarvis' performance is first-rate." -- *_*Chicago Tribune_, August 30, 1998

"Some books are so effective on tape that they're arguably better heard than read. Audio Editions' version of Graham Greene's The Third Man, read by Jarvis, begins with the haunting zither music of the film, and Jarvis' cynical, assured voice brings Harry Lime to seedy life - and death." -- *_*The New Yorker_, October 19, 1998

Publishers Weekly 1998 Audio Award Winner for Literary Classics. -- *_*Publishers Weekly_

Graham Greene was "a master storyteller, one of the first to write in cinematic style with razor-sharp images moving with kinetic force." -- *_*Newsweek_