Character Relationship Map: The Third Man

Characters

• Holly Martins (played by Joseph Cotten) — protagonist

  American Western pulp novelist who travels to Vienna to find his friend Harry Lime. After learning of Lime's supposed death, he investigates alongside Anna Schmidt and Major Calloway, eventually disco...

• Anna Schmidt (played by Alida Valli) — protagonist

  Czech actress and Harry Lime's girlfriend. She mourns Lime's death with Martins, helps investigate the circumstances, and later discovers her passport is forged. After being persuaded by Martins to wa...

• Major Calloway (played by Trevor Howard) — supporting

  British Field Security Section officer present at Lime's funeral. He reveals Lime's black market penicillin scheme, assists Martins in tracking Lime, pursues him into the sewers, and orders Martins to...

• Harry Lime (played by Orson Welles) — supporting

  Childhood friend of Martins, officially reported dead but actually alive and running a cynical black market operation diluting and selling stolen penicillin. He meets Martins at a Ferris wheel, betray...

Key Relationships

• Major Calloway → Harry Lime (Conflict Law Enforcement Vs Criminal)
• Anna Schmidt → Harry Lime (Romantic Former Lover)
• Holly Martins → Major Calloway (Alliance Law Enforcement Ally)
• Holly Martins → Anna Schmidt (Romantic Love Interest)
• Holly Martins → Harry Lime (Social Childhood Friend)

Story Analysis

A moral thriller exploring loyalty, betrayal, and justice in post-war Vienna.

Plot Progression

1. Arrival and Grief
2. Shadows and Revelations
3. Moral Crucible
4. Sewer Chase and Climax