Fast Fade: David Puttnam, Columbia Pictures, and the Battle for Hollywood Yule, Andrew

In 1986, British producer David Puttnam — the man behind *Chariots of Fire* and *The Killing Fields* — took the helm at Columbia Pictures with a mission to save Hollywood from itself. He wanted art over commerce, quality over blockbusters, integrity over ego. The studio system wanted him gone. Andrew Yule's *Fast Fade* is the inside account of Puttnam's spectacular 13-month flameout, a clash between old-guard moguls and a moralistic outsider who thought he could reform Tinseltown. It's part boardroom drama, part cautionary tale, packed with studio politics, creative clashes, and the brutal reality of how power works in Hollywood. If you've ever wondered why good intentions fail in the film industry, this is the autopsy.