Otto Preminger was one of Hollywood's first truly independent producer/directors. Blazing a trail in the examination of controversial issues such as drug addiction (The Man with the Golden Arm) and homosexuality (Advise and Consent), Preminger broke the censorship of the Hollywood Production Code and the blacklist, while creating some of Hollywood's most enduring film noir classics.

Chris Fujiwara's critical biography - the first in more than thirty years - follows Preminger throughout his varied career, penetrating his carefully constructed public persona and revealing the many layers of his work.