How does the director of The Third Man use camerawork, mise en scene and sound to control the audiences response and create meaning?

The scene involving the police chasing Harry into the sewers creates a sense of claustrophobia; this is done by the camera zooming in on the characters resulting in the space around them appearing small. The echo of the characters footfalls makes the setting seem more compact. A narrow staircase also adds to the sense of claustrophobia, as the sewers are below ground this can be seen as a visual metaphor for the characters going down to hell. The characters shadows are shown against the brick walls which helps to add claustrophobia, the railings from the staircase are also reflected on the walls, this gives a prison bar like effect giving a sense of unease to the scene. 

The use of the water reflecting the walls creates the sense of claustrophobia; this is then added by the shadows on both the ceiling and wall, the ceiling is incredibly low creating the feeling that Harry will be trapped. The camera is in a standing position throughout this shot allowing the character to appear smaller in the distance so the audience can take in the whole scene, this can be called a 'vanishing point' were the ceiling and floor appear to meet. The shot provides a visual metaphor for Harry trying to escape into the light, “the light at the end of the tunnel,” this can be seen as his escape from hell, this also brings a sense of foreboding to the scene making the viewer wonder what is waiting at the end. 

This is one of the few close ups shown in the sewer chase, this allows the audience to capture the emotions that the character Harry is experiencing, fear, it also makes the audience feel as though they are there with the character.  Half of his face is seen to be submerged in darkness and half in light; this is a visual metaphor of his morals, the good and the bad within him. From the angle of the characters body it makes him appear as though he is in a small space, this provides the audience with a sense of claustrophobia. The rule of thirds is used in this shot; the character is located to the right of the shot allowing the audience to also see what is happening on the level below with the police searching for him. 

This shot located towards the end of the film draws on the fact that the character is trapped and 'the light at the end of the tunnel,' is no longer an escape. The light amplifies the tunnel walls making the space appear enclosed; with the character raising his arms to the side it makes the space appear only body width wide. With the character facing the opposite way, the audience has no idea of the emotions he is experiencing, but the use of the light silhouetting his body gives an almost Jesus on the cross effect.  The long shot allows the audience to take in his entire surroundings.