Overview:“The American Way” refers to studio production, in which producers don’t need to constantly search for financing—and directors don’t necessarily get the final cut, as enshrined in French law. Jacques-Éric Strauss’s introduction to production came when Fox studio head Daryl Zanuck threw the script for The Sicilian Clan on the floor and told him it was the worst thing he’d ever read. (He financed it anyway.) Some adopted American vertical integration methods, producing and distributing while also running labs and cinemas. It was a recipe that sometimes put creative producers and corporate bigwigs at odds.