The Prater Wheel Scene, And Mise-En-Scene In The Third Man

The Prater wheel scene packs everything that makes The Third Man (Reed, 1949) an excellent movie into a single sequence. There is a lot to unpack in the two and a half minutes, especially between Holly Martins (Joseph Coen) and Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Due to the overwhelming amount of formal symbolism in the film, this paper will narrow down to three aspects: the movement between the actors, the lighting, and the mise-en-scene.
The initial striking aspect of the Prater wheel scene is the movement between the two actors. Blocking is important, and their continual circling of each other, with Lime (Welles) almost always in control of the situation. Not only are they in an incredibly tight space, but a moving space at that. Consequently, being on a Ferris wheel not only changes the lighting hitting each actors face at differing intervals, but also symbolizes the going around circles that Martins has been doing to this point. It could also add to Lime (being representative of capitalism) and cyclicality of the economic system. (210)

The second striking aspect of the scene is the lighting and, in particular, the use of shadows.

With Harry Lime being in some form of shadow throughout it, the audience is shown how untrustworthy Lime ends up being. And this is all within a scene that was supposed to be a reunion between two friends. The lighting in the scene makes special use of chiaroscuro: the strong, dramatic, contrasts between light and dark (thinking about Lime and Martins dueling moralities.) The effect this causes is foundational to film noir, and specifically to German Expressionism noir. Martins is almost completely in the light when the camera faces him however, with his entire face consistently shown. Lime, on the other hand, is always obscured in some way. Lime becomes sinister through this; signifying how the audience should feel about

him.
The final aspect is the mise-en-scene. With the conversation that Martins and Lime are having, the idea that they are in a Ferris wheel is indicative of a myriad of different ideas. Both men are talking about the value of human life, and what the price of that is. When they are at the top of the cycle, Lime points out the window and we see an amusement park that is broken down, with very few civilians walking around. It’s a desolate looking physical setting, but not nearly as desolate as Lime’s morality: he actually puts a price on the people below him and Martins. He shows no remorse, and simply goes on and on about profit and making money. He sees himself as superior (or higher than) other people. What is so interesting about this scene is that it puts both of the characters above everyone else to have a discussion about that same topic. The subtle shift from a confined space to overlooking a much wider area (and much lighter area as well) alters the audiences feeling about the scene.
Overall, The Third Man uses its formal elements to shift the movie from this point forward. Harry Lime is now the “villain,” and Holly Martins has found himself mixed up with a man who is willing to let people (including children) die just to make money off stolen drugs. The Prater wheel scene takes its time setting up just how corrupt he has become (or possibly been. The film never confirms or denies the fact that Lime might have always been this way, and his conversation in the wheel calls into question just how far he has been willing to go in the past. The potential for him to be hiding even more shadowy methods and practices becomes apparent in that fateful reunion.