A new 4K restoration of Sir Carol Reed‘s The Third Man (’49) will screen at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival as part of a celebration of Orson Welles’ 100th birthday (which is today). Pic is being theatrically re-released in British cinemas on 6.26; one presumes that a subsequent Bluray will be issued down the road. Remember that horribly grainstormed Criterion Bluray of The Third Man that popped in February 2009? Glenn Kenny and the loyal order of grain monks accused me of having plebian tastes when I panned it, but if I never see that awful disc again it’ll be too soon. I was told at the time by a restoration specialist that The Third Man could never look as immaculate as Casablanca or Citizen Kane because it was shot on location in Vienna under less-than-optimum conditions. I’ll check out the 4K showing in Cannes, but I’m not expecting very much.