Anton Karas members of the British Royal family. Princess Margaret invited him to London's fashionable "Empress Club", where he played twice a week during his stay at London. He also appeared before Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, members of the Swedish royal family, and Pope Pius XII. By the end of 1949, half a million copies of "The Harry Lime Theme" had been sold, an unprecedented number for the time. The success of the score also caused a surge in zither sales. In Austria, the film opened on 10 March 1950, in Vienna's Apollo Kino, and it initially offended some Viennese inhabitants,
Alexander Korda advent of World War Two saw Korda make more propaganda films. They included "Q Planes" (1939) with Olivier and "The Lion Has Wings" (1939). Korda had a massive hit with another Imperial adventure directed by Zoltan, "The Four Feathers" (1939). By 1939, Michael Powell had been hired as a contract director by Korda on the strength of "The Edge of the World". Korda set him to work on some projects such as "Burmese Silver" that were subsequently cancelled. Nonetheless, Powell was brought in to save a film that was being made as a vehicle for two of Korda's star players,