Daily Dialogue — February 1, 2015

Harry Lime: Nobody thinks in terms of human beings. Governments don’t. Why should we? They talk about the people and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs — it’s the same thing. They have their five-year plans, so have I.
Martins: You used to believe in God.
Harry Lime: Oh, I still do believe in God, old man. I believe in God and Mercy and all that. But the dead are happier dead. They don’t miss much here, poor devils.

— The Third Man (1949), by Graham Greene, screen play by Graham Greene

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Espionage.

Trivia: Rumors have long since been widespread that Orson Welles wrote all of Harry Lime’s dialogue and even that he took over the direction of his own scenes. Everyone involved, including Welles himself, have always insisted that the film was directed by only Carol Reed. Welles did claim that he wrote most of Lime’s dialogue, which is also a fabrication. The extent of Welles’ contributions were Lime’s grumbling about his stomach problems (which were improvisations) and the famous “cuckoo clock” spiel at the end of the Ferris wheel scene.

Dialogue On Dialogue: The relationship between Martins and Lime is a fascinating one witness this exchange here. Such a great movie.