Since historical review of Reed's opus was made primarily by the critics who
advocated 'the auteur policy', which Reed was not a good example of because of
his American phase, he remained unappreciated.
Many film lovers claim The Third Man (1949) is one of the best films
of all time, but very few of them would call its creator – British director
Carol Reed (1906-1976), who became Sir for his meritorious contribution to
cinema – one of the world's best film makers. Furthermore, many critics consider
The Fallen Idiot (1948) to be his best film, while he won the Oscars for
the documentary (made in cooperation with Garson Kanin) The True Glory
(1945), which was an undeniable proof of his great skill, but put a bit too much
emphasis on the propaganda, and commercially successful musical Oliver
(1968), from his last phase, to which also belonged The Agony and the Ecstasy
(1965), a very popular Michelangelo's biography with Charlton Heston in the
leading role. The period he spent working for American producers (mainly because
of the crisis in British cinema), the critics do not appreciate much. More
radical critics accuse him of having given up his personal auteur world, and
moreover, deny him any directorial skill, which certainly seems an exaggeration,
because it was precisely that skill that helped him successfully realise
Hollywood's generic models – particularly in the above mentioned two films.
We must admit, however, that Reed did not become a Hollywood star, like another
great British director of his generation – David Lean. Works from Reed's last
American phase are lagging behind those produced in Great Britain, especially
such masterpieces as Odd Man Out (1946), The Fallen Idol and
The Third Man, which, along with two less significant, but still good films
The Outcast of the Islands (1951) and The Man Between (1953) –
created a whole that gave an impressive presentation of the spiritual atmosphere
in Europe after World War II (even in the films which were not linked to that
period) through his consistent auteur views and individualised film expression.
This was further emphasized by the suggestive, sombre atmosphere and Reed’s
relationship with the protagonists. Namely, Reed’s cooperation with actors was
excellent. He enabled them to express their full potential, but he also had a
very sympathetic relationship with the characters – people in flight, losers
whose dignity (regardless whether or not they broke the law) springs from their
firm characters and moral choices that they never forsake, even if caught in
difficult, or disastrous situations. These elements made of him a worthy film
counterpart to one of the greatest English writers of the 20th century – Graham
Greene (although only two of his films were adaptations of Greene’s novels).
Even before this golden era, Reed had some noticeable films, like The Stars
Look Down (1939), about Welsh miners with a stressed socially-critical note,
or the spy film Night Train to Munich (1940), which had a series of
thematic and stylistic elements that announced the procédé of Reed’s later
works. Since historical review of Reed’s opus were written by the critics who
primarily advocated the ‘auteur policy’, Reed was left unappreciated because his
American phase was proof to them that he was not an auteur. For example, David
Thomson wrote that Reed would have been a great author if he had died in 1950.
But is it correct to claim a director who had shot a great deal of excellent
films less important because his later films were commercial? Hardly. Still, I
believe that the viewers of Reed’s film cycle featured by the Film centre will
make their own conclusions about how really great a cineaste he was. (Tomislav
Kurelec)