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
Vjekoslav Karas Vjekoslav Karas Vjekoslav Karas (19 May 1821 - 5 July 1858) was a Croatian painter, considered a pioneer of a new era of Croatian painting and art in general. Born in Karlovac, Croatia, Karas was educated in Italy. He mostly painted biblical and religious themes but he was best known for his work on portraits. In addition to painting, he also played the flute and the guitar. In 1848 Karas returned to Croatia and taught at the Institute of Fine Arts in Zagreb. By then, he was suffering from depression and attempted to commit suicide after which he spent some