The Third Man Theme The Third Man Theme "The Third Man Theme" (also known as "The Harry Lime Theme") is an instrumental written and performed by Anton Karas for the soundtrack to the 1949 film "The Third Man". "The Third Man" is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed. One night after a long day of filming "The Third Man" on location in Vienna, Reed and cast members Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Orson Welles had dinner and retired to a wine cellar. In the bistro, which retained the atmosphere of the pre-war days, they heard the zither music of Anton Karas,
Alexander Korda (1927), which adapted the life story of Madame Du Barry, based on an original screenplay by Lajos Bíró. The film may have intended to highlight Maria Corda's star potential to Hollywood. Korda made his final German film "Madame Wants No Children" (1926) for the Berlin-based subsidiary of the American studio Fox. Although made later, it was released before "A Modern Dubarry". In December 1926 after receiving an offer of a joint contract from the American studio First National, Korda and his wife sailed for the United States on board the steamer "Olympic". Once they reached Hollywood, both struggled to adapt