THE THIRD MAN/ THE FALLEN IDOL

The collaboration between director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene produced three masterfully suspenseful films, THE FALLEN IDOL, THE THIRD MAN, and OUR MAN IN HAVANA. The first two are compressed and dramatized for the ear on this two-CD set. In THE THIRD MAN, the longer piece, an American writer is called to postwar Vienna by his best friend, only to find the friend dead under mysterious circumstances. Or is he? Based on a short story, IDOL concerns a boy who idolizes and tries to protect a butler who is suspected of killing his wife. The BBC productions boast pleasant voices, simple and straightforward soundscapes, and much of Greene's memorable dialogue. They lack, however, the character, complexity, and atmosphere of the source material. Y.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2008]