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Here are some details about possible topics related to The Third Man.

I highly recommend this restored DVD version
for use with our Third Man German exercises,
which include the DVD chapter numbers.
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Language
An obvious reason to show this film to students of German is the frequent use of German dialogue in The Third Man. Unlike the overwhelming torrent of German that cascades over students in an all-German film, the German in Der dritte Mann comes in measured doses dispersed throughout the film. I am also a firm believer in exposing students to real German and its dialects, including Austrian German. The authentic German spoken by the Austrian actors in The Third Man is not only an excellent story device (emphasizing the confusion of the American Joseph Cotten, who can't understand a word of German) but also an opportunity to turn the viewing of this film into a language experience and more than just a free “film day.” (To help students and teachers, we have the text of the German dialogue from the film.) With a little advance preparation, students can learn some German from The Third Man.

Austrian Culture and Geography
Beside the famous Prater Riesenrad scene and the scenes set in the Theater in der Josefstadt, there are other ways the film opens up a chance to learn some Austrian and Viennese geography. For instance, the Bahnhof scene when Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli) is supposed to leave Vienna for Paris includes a typical departure announcement with the names of most of the Austrian and Swiss cities between Vienna and Basel. Many students have never heard (of) a zither or Anton Karas, the Austrian composer of the film's famous theme music. (Director Reed discovered Karas and his music in Vienna by accident.) Since this is a key element of the film, students can learn more about this unique instrument and Karas.

See my review of the
restored DVD version of
The Third Man.

European and U.S. History
The basic story of The Third Man is a history lesson in itself. The film's narrative introduction (there are two different versions - American or British) is a great overview of Vienna's (and Austria's) Four Power situation in 1948. Just as students often know very little about how Germany and Berlin were divided after World War II, they usually know even less about Austria. With a little effort and help, students can learn a lot about post-war Austria and Europe. Since the United States and Britain were two of the Four Powers, they can also learn about U.S. and British history.

Cinema History and Trivia
One way for teachers to soften the language and culture blow, is to include some fun by asking students to try to identify some of the continuity goofs, film trivia, and very few historical flaws. (We outline those on our film trivia page.) One trivia example: Bernard Lee, the British actor who plays Sgt. Paine in The Third Man, later played a famous role in the early James Bond films. What was this famous role?

On the next page you'll find worksheets and other aids for using The Third Man in the German classroom.

Also see my review of In Search of the Third Man and other books.

BOOK > Der dritte Mann von Brigitte Timmermann (in German, Amazon.de)

NEXT > Worksheets - Part 1 | Part 2

REVIEW > Restored Third Man DVD

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