Anton Karas asked a stunned Karas if he would compose the music for the film. Karas protested, saying he had never actually written music. As Karas later told the story, the director insisted and invited Karas to England. The Austrian became homesick and asked to be allowed to return. Reed told him he could—as soon as he had written the music. Under this pressure Karas wrote his Harry Lime theme. The film—with the music a contributing factor—was a gigantic success, and Karas' life was changed drastically. As a result, he toured all over the world and performed for many celebrities, among them
Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948 film) in October 1948. The film was poorly reviewed by London critics, most criticising the movie as dull and claiming that David Niven was miscast. However, Margaret Leighton received acclaim for her performance. Alex Korda took out paid advertisements defending the movie and criticising the critics. The film still failed to recoup its cost at the box office. Producer Edward Black died not long after the premiere. 20th Century Fox agreed to distribute in the US. The film's US release was held back, along with other Korda productions, out of fear of anti-British protests from American-Jewish groups opposed to British policy