An insightful, anecdote-filled history of the film industry, and an examination of the role of the men or women whose job it is to deliver a dramatic and commercial success. Tim Adler introduces us to the mavericks and adventurers of modern-day cinema, in candid interviews with Michael Douglas (a producer who became an actor by mistake), Dino De Laurentiis (last of the great moguls), Duncan Kenworthy and Andrew McDonald (Notting Hill, 28 Days Later), Jeremy Thomas, Marin Karmitz and Christine Vachon. Through them Adler explains the history of some of the most successful films of the last three decades, and looks at the skill and experience, the showmanship and the money necessary to survive in the world's toughest business.