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Saturday
24Oct2009

DiCaprio, Maguire to Remake 'The Third Man'

DateSaturday, October 24, 2009 at 10:40AM
There's a rumor floating around, one CHUD says is pretty strong, that Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire may team up to remake Carol Reed's The Third Man, one of the best movies of the 1940s, and that's saying something. The film is primarily known for Orson Welles' Harry Lime, mentioned in nearly every scene in the movie for about an hour without ever being seen, and then making one of the most memorable appearances in cinema.

Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) is apparently working on a screenplay, and the project is real; it's happening. THe rumor is whether or not Leo and Tobey will actually be involved, and if they are, who would play Lime and who would play the everyman Holly Martins (originally portrayed by Joseph Cotten).

My instinct is that Leo would play Lime. It's a showcase role, it's the one that moves the chains. My instinct is also that this movie won't take place in post-WWII Vienna, but rather post-invasion Baghdad. That's a theory CHUD also pushes, and I can't think of a better way to bring the story forward.

This could be one of those remakes they really get a lot of mileage out of. CHUD recommends keeping Welles' famous ferris wheel monologue but that's one of those things I think they need to make a break from in order to be its own film. I doubt, for example, they'll keep Anton Karas' equally famous zither-inspired musical score. And they don't need to because there are so many other relevant questions in the original that could transfer to a remake without any of those bookmarks.

If you've not ever seen the film, well, I'd certainly try to pick it up. There are so many great things about it, and I think it holds up astonishingly well for the very specific subject it pursues.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment2 Comments |

Reader Comments (2)

That's one of my all time favorite films. It's perfect in every way. Most of the time I'd be against an idea like this, but everyone involved probably loves the original so much, but at the same time wants to do original work, so I think it could be good. It could never be as good as the original though, but that's ok. However, couldn't they get someone better then Tobey Maguire, I know that Leo and him are friends, but come on. He's not bad, he just isn't that great either

Saturday, October 24, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterZack Solomon

Right, I doubt it could be as good, but the story is still relevant (or relevant again, I guess), and it doesn't require a whole lot of alteration, other than making it fit a contemporary setting. What's at issue in the original would be just as valuable to address today.

Saturday, October 24, 2009 | Registered CommenterColin Boyd

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