Firstly, Greene is such an incredible writer and I was again reminded of this fact reading these two stories of his!
The premise of this book is to present two of Greene’s narratives that were made into films. Despite not knowing either of these classic films, I enjoyed the intros that delved into how these translated onto the big screen, and in fact, it seems as these were always intended as screenplays above anything.
The Third Man is a mystery thriller set in the chaotic (largely forgotten) post-war Vienna where Russian, American, British, and French “Allied” forces compete with each other and the Austrians who are attempting to continue on with their lives in their historic city. Holly, a writer of popular western fiction, is compelled to go to Vienna to investigate the death of Harry Lime, an old school chum of his. Did Harry actually die? Was he murdered? Holly gets caught in up in the flourishing Viennese black market trade and organised crime, international politics, and a hilarious case of mistaken identity. A really funny and poignant mystery thriller that also explores friendship, legacy, and ethics. Loved the characterisation of post-war Vienna. Echoes of the hardboiled detective fiction of Raymond Chandler and the cynicism of Patricia Highsmith. A very fun read and the 1949 film is a classic of British film noir where Harry Lime is played by none other than Orson Welles!
The Fallen Idol felt comparatively less interesting, but it’s also a good story of how youthful naïveté comes up against the sinister and cynical world. Left alone in a big house with just the butler and his wife for company, will the young man of the house speak up about what he sees? How will he react when his loyalty to the old man is tested?
Both very interesting stories that show off Greene’s superb command of descriptions and plotting.
One word: world-weary.
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