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,
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