Matt Shackman has lived many lives, first as an actor, then as a director whose filmography includes such hits as The Fantastic Four First Steps.

I'm Elvis Mitchell. It's the treat. And Shackman treats us to an early step in his life, a film noir that's a kind of origin story for three incredible talents, a novelist, a director, and an actor.

I'm Matt Jackman, and this is the treat.

The movie that was most inspiring to me is the third man, Carol Reid's movie, Orson

Wells, Joseph Cotton.

I found it as a kid. I must have been 12. I was a Orson Welles fanatic. And so like everyone, I started

with Citizen Kane, but then I found third man and became obsessed with the photography, the location

shooting, the way that the narrative was designed. It was so surprising the idea that Rosen Welles

doesn't come on to the picture until sort of halfway through

the movie. Everything about it felt incredibly bold, but what I loved so much was that each of the

characters were so well drawn. Would you help me? I wish I could, but you know, I am an Austrian. I have

to be careful with the police.

I'm afraid I can't help you, except with advice, of course.

The members of Harry Lyme's group of friends, like The Baron and Mr. Popescu and all of these characters that came in,

and they had such vivid scenes,

so beautifully written, so well, acted.

And I thought, well, this is how you do it, right?

You have to make a big narrative that works and is surprising and has all the best espionage elements that you would expect from Graham Green.

And then it would also have these almost theater-like, play-like moments between characters

as they were very real and relatable and distinctive, and the performances are all great.

Now, tell you what, Mr. Martins, on Wednesday night at our institute, we're having a little lecture

on the contemporary novel.

...