4 Classic Movies Directed by Carol Reed
Born into an artistic family, director Carol Reed was drawn to the theater at an early age and set his intentions on becoming an actor. After a brief career on the stage, Reed segued to film and directed a number of small British productions throughout the 1930s. Following a stint in the British army's film unit during the war, Reed catapulted to the top with his influential thriller, Odd Man Out. He went on to direct a number of classics and won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1969. Here are four great movies directed by Carol Reed.
A classic political thriller, Odd Man Out was an elaborate chase movie enriched by Reed's symbolic visualizations. The film starred James Mason as Johnny McQueen, an IRA operative who breaks out of prison and goes into hiding, only to stage a bank robbery for ideological reasons and gets mortally wounded in the process. On the run in the streets of a nameless city in Northern Ireland, Johnny meets an assorted cast of characters out to do him harm or help him along his escape, including a poor man out for a reward, a failed medical student who tends to Johnny's wound, and a mentally unstable painter who wants to capture his desperation. A taut film with political undertones, Odd Man Out marked Reed's emergence as an exemplary filmmaker.
One of the greatest noirs, if not one of the best movies of the classic era, The Third Man has remained a hugely influential film and Reed's crowning achievement. The film starred American actor Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a third-rate pulp writer given a job in Vienna by childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But upon his arrival, Martins learns that old Harry is dead after getting run over by a speeding car. At the funeral, however, Martins hears about Harry's sordid past and eventually discovers that he's not really dead. He goes in search of his friend despite a warning from police and eventually learns the true nature of his friend. Brilliantly directed by Reed, who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Director, The Third Man features a chase through the sewers that remains one of the era's most iconic cinematic images.
In his third adaptation of a Graham Greene work, Reed added a bit of a comedic touch to Our Man in Havana, which starred Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, and Maureen O'Hara. Set in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the action followed vacuum cleaner salesman James Wormold (Guinness) recruited by a British agent (Hawthorne) to spy on the Cubans as the revolution heats up. Of course, the new recruit has no experience in espionage and really has no information to offer, but the agent doesn't know that and throwing Jim checks after receiving fake information. Featuring a dry wit and strikingly beautiful visuals, Our Man in Havana is one Reed's more underappreciated works that nonetheless remains one of his best.
An exuberant musical and one of his last times behind the camera, Oliver! won Reed his only Oscar for Best Director in his career. Inspired by Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and adapted from Lionel Bart's 1961 Broadway hit, the film starred nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (Mark Lester), who falls in with a pair of ne'er-do-wells in the form of pickpocket Fagin (Ron Moody) and murderous thief Billy Sykes (Oliver Reed). Not shying away from the Dickensian underworld of the source material, Reed injected dark undertones in an otherwise cheery genre. The film, which featured musical numbers like "Food, Glorious Food" and "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two," also won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
1. 'Odd Man Out' – 1947
A classic political thriller, Odd Man Out was an elaborate chase movie enriched by Reed's symbolic visualizations. The film starred James Mason as Johnny McQueen, an IRA operative who breaks out of prison and goes into hiding, only to stage a bank robbery for ideological reasons and gets mortally wounded in the process. On the run in the streets of a nameless city in Northern Ireland, Johnny meets an assorted cast of characters out to do him harm or help him along his escape, including a poor man out for a reward, a failed medical student who tends to Johnny's wound, and a mentally unstable painter who wants to capture his desperation. A taut film with political undertones, Odd Man Out marked Reed's emergence as an exemplary filmmaker.
2. 'The Third Man' – 1949
One of the greatest noirs, if not one of the best movies of the classic era, The Third Man has remained a hugely influential film and Reed's crowning achievement. The film starred American actor Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, a third-rate pulp writer given a job in Vienna by childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). But upon his arrival, Martins learns that old Harry is dead after getting run over by a speeding car. At the funeral, however, Martins hears about Harry's sordid past and eventually discovers that he's not really dead. He goes in search of his friend despite a warning from police and eventually learns the true nature of his friend. Brilliantly directed by Reed, who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Director, The Third Man features a chase through the sewers that remains one of the era's most iconic cinematic images.
3. 'Our Man in Havana' – 1959
In his third adaptation of a Graham Greene work, Reed added a bit of a comedic touch to Our Man in Havana, which starred Alec Guinness, Ralph Richardson, and Maureen O'Hara. Set in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the action followed vacuum cleaner salesman James Wormold (Guinness) recruited by a British agent (Hawthorne) to spy on the Cubans as the revolution heats up. Of course, the new recruit has no experience in espionage and really has no information to offer, but the agent doesn't know that and throwing Jim checks after receiving fake information. Featuring a dry wit and strikingly beautiful visuals, Our Man in Havana is one Reed's more underappreciated works that nonetheless remains one of his best.
4. 'Oliver!' – 1968
An exuberant musical and one of his last times behind the camera, Oliver! won Reed his only Oscar for Best Director in his career. Inspired by Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and adapted from Lionel Bart's 1961 Broadway hit, the film starred nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (Mark Lester), who falls in with a pair of ne'er-do-wells in the form of pickpocket Fagin (Ron Moody) and murderous thief Billy Sykes (Oliver Reed). Not shying away from the Dickensian underworld of the source material, Reed injected dark undertones in an otherwise cheery genre. The film, which featured musical numbers like "Food, Glorious Food" and "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two," also won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
