Pinewood: Anatomy of a Film Studio in Post-war Britain (2024)

By: Sarah Street

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Synopsis: This open access book examines how Pinewood came to be Britain’s dominant film studio complex, focusing on key years following the Second World War. It presents a revisionist, micro history of the studio and its longevity during a particularly turbulentperiod, explaining Pinewood’s survival at a time when other major film studios such as Denham closed. This book also provides contemporary insights into how Pinewood’s technologies, practices, and filmmaking methods compared to Hollywood’s. Thirteen films produced in1946–47 are analysed in detail, tracking how economic pressures engendered many creative techniques and innovative technologies. Prevailing cultures of management and labour organization are foregrounded, as well as insights into being a studio employee. These are vividly brought to life through an in-depthfocus on the in-house studio magazine Pinewood Merry-Go-Round, which provides rare details of sports and leisure activities organized at the studios.