Great read. The Shanhai Surprise chapter was my favourite. Richard Griffith was such a hilariously catty b*itch.

A thorough, well researched, nicely explained skip through the idealistic reign of a film company who produced some spectacular work in spite of benignly malevolent forces tearing it apart from the inside. It’s comprehensive and engagingly written featuring fantastic interview access to a huge number of the key players, both creative and behind the scenes. It slightly suffers from lengthy repetition of things which can be taken as read from what has come before but it doesn’t stop this being a wistful, yet entertaining, read. Actor Richard Griffiths’ words are a particular joy when you encounter them.