J. Arthur Rank - The Rise and Fall of His Film Empire (hardback) : BearManor Media : 9781629338163 : 1629338168 : 24 Jan 2022 : J. Arthur Rank was the biggest and perhaps the most unlikely of film moguls. The staunch Methodist, and blunt Yorkshire miller, maintained he only became involved in movies after discovering the popularity of some religious films he ran at his local Sunday school; after exhausting their supply he decided to fund the production of more himself to help spread 'the word of god'. Many mocked him, many didn't understand him, some even tried to rip him off, but all - ultimately - were in awe of him as he moved into more mainstream entertainment and went on to preside over Britain's largest ever film empire with studios, laboratories, distribution, and exhibition, along with a stable of contract directors, producers, and artistes under his control. The Rank Organisation's film division was unrivaled - before or since - and all of their movies were graced by a m