Anton Karas Anton Karas Anton Karas (7 July 1906 – 10 January 1985) was a Viennese zither player and composer, best known for his internationally famous 1948 soundtrack to Carol Reed's "The Third Man", which came about as a result of a chance meeting. Born in Vienna, one of five children of a factory worker, Anton Karas was already keen on music as a child. He wanted to become a band leader, which because of the family's financial situation was impossible. However, he was allowed to learn to play an instrument, as were his two brothers and two sisters. He later reported
Alexander Korda (1916), "St. Peter's Umbrella" (1917), "The Stork Caliph" (1917) (from the novel by Mihály Babits), and "Magic" (1917). Korda later regarded "Harrison and Barrison" (1917) as his best film. He also made "Faun" (1918), "" (1918), and "Mary Ann" (1918). During the Hungarian Soviet Republic, Korda made "Ave Caesar!" (1919), "White Rose" (1919), "Yamata" (1919) and "Neither at Home or Abroad" (1919). His final Hungarian film was "Number 111" (1919). In October 1919, Korda was arrested during the White Terror that followed the overthrow of the short-lived Communist government, the Hungarian Democratic Republic, because he had participated in its government.