How does the sewer scene from The Third Man use framing and composition techniques, mise en scene and cinematography to create meanings and effects?

The sewer scene in The Third Man uses conventions from film noir and techniques of German expressionism to create an illusion of disorientation and the character's entrapment, which is representative of the experiences of WW2 and the feelings of paranoia. 

Figure 1

The shot in the sewers from The Third Man in figure 1 uses composition techniques such as off centre, out of the frame vanishing points to create a sense of confusion. The vanishing point shows the character running towards the light which is metaphorical for hope or possibly false hope as the character is trapped and there is no escape out of the tunnel, this can reflect the hope for escape during WW2 and the paranoia of being chased.
The director uses mise en scene as the location of figure 1 is very claustrophobic which also signifies that the character is trapped, this links to figure 2 as it is in a confined space and the high angle shot emphasises this.
The chiaroscuro lighting, created by the key light forms shadows which make intense shadows that connote a sense of danger in the sewers and uses the convention of film noir. The long shot shows the character in the distance in what appears to be a never-ending tunnel, this exaggerates how the character is isolated and alone as there is so much space surrounding him. The brightness of the light at the end of the sewer makes it impossible to see the end of the tunnel that the character is running towards, this connotes the uncertainty of where people are going and what will happen to them depending on the path they take. The bright light could foreshadow what will happen such as hope or a bleak ending for the character.

figure 2

This shot (figure2) uses composition using a high angle to give a sense of vertigo because it creates a feeling of the character falling into an empty space of evil and bleak immorality. This moral corruption reflects the confusion of people's morals after WW2. Also the chiaroscuro lighting and the location of the spiral staircase emphasises this as it is disorientating and the darkness of the shadows makes the character seem lost or could be metaphorical for the character hoping to escape from of the darkness. The director uses conventions from German expressionism because the staircase's geometric and angular lines connote a sense of of disorientation or entrapment. The shadow on the side of his face creates a contrast in the dark and light which reflects the temptation of evil from within. The bars on the staircase create a sense of imprisonment and claustrophobia and the way he is crouching down and looking up, emphasised by the high angle shot, in a small space is also very claustrophobic.

figure 3

Figure 3 is a more busy shot than the others and uses many film noir conventions such as chiaroscuro lighting because it crates a dark shadow on the wall from the character, this could connote the evil within the character and the how they're perceived as dark and dangerous. The setting is confusing because there are different platforms, which is metaphorical for the difference in each of the characters' power and that the police authorities are seen as more superior to the criminal character. 

Also the sewer location has a lot of tunnels and pathways which gives a sense of confusion and connotes the character being lost or trapped. Also it portrays a maze like atmosphere, as the character in the film is constantly running and hiding in different pathways, searching for an exit to escape the entrapment. This shot links to figure 1 as the intensity of the light in the tunnel in both shots connotes the hope for an end to the endless chase of the character, the director has used direction of the lighting to display this. Also the angles created by the sharp corners add to the disorientation and unsettling perspective of the scene. 


I will take key techniques and ideas from this clip from The Third Man and use them to inform the planning of my own thriller. For example i will use similar chiaroscuro lighting to create metaphorical meanings and portray the character's dark side or sense of moral corruption. Also i can take ideas from the way The Third Man uses quadrants to compose the characters in a claustrophobic situation, also in figure 3 it uses quadrants to split the screen to illustrate the different components in this shot such as the characters dark shadow and the different characters chasing him on the top of the screen, and then the tunnels on the side to create a sense of hope for freedom. I could use this in my own thriller to split the screen in order to show each characters' opposite stories and to establish the characters.