Noted film noir authority James Ursini (The Film Noir Reader series, L.A. Noir, and numerous DVD commentaries) analyzes the work of five underrated independent directors--Hugo Haas, Reginald LeBorg, Ida Lupino, Gerd Oswald, and Edgar G. Ulmer. This lavishly illustrated study examines their films as works of art and their careers as outsiders who directed films on the edge of Hollywood and paved the way for the modern American independent film movement.