Line #16 Quotes/TheThirdMan


1	-> I never knew the old Vienna before the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII war]] with its Strauss music, its glamour and easy charm. Constantinople suited me better. I really got to know it in the classic period of the [[BlackMarket Black Market]]. We'd run anything if people wanted it enough - mmm - had the money to pay. Of course, a situation like that does tempt amateurs but you know they can't stay the course like a professional. Now the city - it's divided into four zones, you know, each occupied by a power: the [[{{Eagleland}} American]], the [[UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} British]], the [[GloriousMotherRussia Russian]] and the [[UsefulNotes/{{France}} French]]. But the center of the city that's international policed by an International Patrol. One member of each of the four powers. Wonderful! What a hope they had! All strangers to the place and none of them could speak the same language. Except a sort of smattering of German. Good fellows on the whole, did their best you know. Vienna doesn't really look any worse than a lot of other European cities. [[{{Understatement}} Bombed about a bit]]. Oh, I was gonna tell you, wait, I was gonna tell you about [[TheProtagonist Holly Martins]], an American. Came all the way here to visit a friend of his. The name is [[BondJamesBond Lime, Harry Lime]]. Now Martins was broke and Lime had offered him, some sort, I don't know, some sort of job. Anyway, there he was, poor chap. Happy as a lark and [[StarvingArtist without a cent.]]
2	-->-- '''Opening narrator'''
3
4	-> You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. [[ArtisticLicenseHistory In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.]] So long Holly.
5	-->-- '''[[spoiler:[[WickedCultured Harry Lime]]]]'''
6
7	-> [[UndyingLoyalty A person doesn't change just because you find out more.]]
8	-->-- '''[[BrokenBird Anna Schmidt]]'''
9
10	-> ''to [[TooDumbToLive Holly Martins]]''\
11	[[DeadpanSnarker You were born to be murdered.]]
12	-->-- '''Calloway'''
13
14	-> I'd make comic faces... and stand on my head and grin at you between my legs... and tell all sorts of jokes. [[DidNotGetTheGirl I wouldn't stand a chance, would I?]]
15	-->-- '''[[ActionSurvivor Holly Martins]]'''
16
17	-> '''Martins''': I was going to stay with him, but he died Thursday.
18	-> '''Crabbin''': [[{{Understatement}} Goodness, that's awkward.]]
19	-> '''Martins''': [[DeadpanSnarker Is that what you say to people after death? "Goodness, that's awkward"?]]
20
21	-> '''Crabbin''': ''[inviting Holly Martins to give a lecture at the local Cultural Reeducation Society]'' We do a little show each week. Last week we had [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Hamlet.]] The week before we had... something.
22	-> '''[[NiceGuy Sgt. Paine]]''': [[CaptainOblivious The striptease, sir.]]
23	-> '''Crabbin''': Yes, the Hindu dancers. Thank you, sergeant.
24
25	-> [[ItIsDehumanizing It had meningitis]]. They gave it some of [[spoiler:[[BigBad Lime's]] penicillin]]. [[LackOfEmpathy Terrible pity isn't it.]]
26	-->-- '''[[SociopathicHero Calloway]]'''
27
28	-> '''[[{{Determinator}} Martins]]''': [[ArmorPiercingQuestion Have you ever seen any of your victims?]]
29	-> '''[[spoiler:[[WouldHurtAChild Harry Lime]]]]''': [[LackOfEmpathy You know, I never feel comfortable on these sort of things.]] [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide Victims? Don't be melodramatic.]] Look down there. Tell me. Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you twenty thousand pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, [[AffablyEvil old man]], tell me to keep my money, [[{{Greed}} or would you calculate how many dots you could afford to spare?]] Free of income tax, old man. Free of income tax - the only way you can save money nowadays.
30
31	-> [[YouNeedToGetLaid You know, you ought to get yourself a girl.]]
32	-->-- '''[[TheNotLoveInterest Anna Schmidt]]'''
33
34	-> What did you want me to do? Be reasonable. You didn't expect me to give myself up... [[Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities 'It's a far, far better thing that I do.']] The old limelight. The fall of the curtain. Oh, [[WideEyedIdealist Holly,]] you and I aren't heroes. [[GrayingMorality The world doesn't make any heroes outside of your stories.]]
35	-->-- '''[[spoiler:Harry Lime]]'''
36
37	-> '''Calloway''': Go home Martins, like a sensible chap. You don't know what you're mixing in, get the next plane.
38	-> '''Martins''': As soon as I get to the bottom of this, I'll get the next plane.
39	-> '''Calloway''': Death's at the bottom of everything, Martins. [[BadassBoast Leave death to the professionals.]]
40	-> '''Martins''': [[DeadpanSnarker Mind if I use that line in my next Western?]]
41
42	-> '''[[spoiler:Harry Lime]]''': Nobody thinks in terms of human beings. [[TheGovernment Governments don't]]. [[AboveGoodAndEvil 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, [[CardCarryingVillain so have I.]]
43	-> '''Martins''': You used to believe in God.
44	-> '''[[spoiler: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.
45
46	-> '''Martins:''' ''I guess nobody really knew Harry like he did... like I did.''
47	-> '''Calloway:''' ''How long ago ?''
48	-> '''Martins:''' ''Back in school. [[FriendlessBackground I was never so lonesome in my life until he]] showed up.''
49	-> '''Calloway:''' ''When did you see him last ?''
50	-> '''Martins:''' ''September, '39.''
51	-> '''Calloway:''' ''When the business started ?''
52	-> '''Martins:''' ''Um, hmm.''
53	-> '''Calloway:''' ''See much of him before that ?''
54	-> '''Martins:''' ''[[OldFriend Once in a while. Best friend I ever had.]]''
55	-> '''Calloway:''' ''That sounds like a cheap novelette.''
56	-> '''Martins:''' ''[[WritersSuck Well, I write cheap novelettes.]]''

Context Quotes / TheThirdMan