The cinematography, the editing, and the music meld so well here. There are plenty of extreme angles, few camera shots last more than a few seconds, and the zither score is wonderfully herky-jerky. The story has to do with morality, manipulation, love, and betrayal in post war Vienna, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) may be a middle aged author, but he is terribly naive to the extemes of immoral greed that mankind is capable of. That childhood buddy Harry Lime (Orson Welles ) could have been involved in such depravity is something he does not want to face.
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