Provides the first comprehensive history of the politics of film finance in Britain from the end of the Second World War to 1985 Offers a study of the economic and fiscal structures underpinning the British film industry rather than another history of films and film-making Utilises extensive archival research, including the National Archives, Bank of England Archive and the Special Collections of the British Film Institute Grants privileged access to the archive of the completion guarantor Film Finances, which holds financial and production documentation for over 800 British feature films since 1950 The Money Behind the Screen maps the changing landscape of film finance in Britain during a transformative period for the film industry. It is the first book to document the sources of finance for film-making, the relations between film producers and financiers, and the wider fiscal and economic landscape of the British film production industry. It covers a period characterised by recurrent crises for the British film industry which also saw profound and far-reaching changes in the provision of film finance, including the establishment of state support mechanisms for British producers (the National Film Finance Corporation and the Eady levy), the shift from producer-finance to distributor-finance, and the growth of American investment in the British production sector. The book explores three interrelated aspects of the history of film finance: the institutional and economic structure of the production sector of the industry; the sources of production finance, including private and public capital and British and foreign investment; and the role of government in providing support for film production. It is an essential reference work for anyone studying the British film industry.