Mexican officials initially banned this film and demanded that cuts be made, in order to portray Mexicans less unfavorably. Warner Bros. agreed to make the cuts, after months of negotiations during which the Mexican government threatened to ban all Warner Bros. productions in Mexico. After months of negotiation, during which the Mexican government threatened to ban all Warner Bros. productions in Mexico and to appeal to the U. S. State Department to prevent worldwide distribution of the film, Warner Bros. agreed to make the cuts. Besides making cuts in the film, Warner Bros. May have changed the location of the story as a result of the dispute and altered the title card after the film's 1953 release in the U.S.
Lauren Bacall passed on the role of Marina Conway and as a result, she was again suspended by Warner Bros.
During filming Gary Cooper won his second Oscar® for High Noon (1952), while Anthony Quinn won his first Oscar® for Viva Zapata! (1952).
Although the film was shot in Mexico and reviews place the story in Mexico, the viewed print contains a title card setting the story in South America.