After seeing what MGM had done to the film, John Huston instructed his agent to include a clause in all future contracts guaranteeing that he would receive a copy of his director's cut on all of his films.
When filming was completed, John Huston held a special screening for the cast and crew and invited directors and producers. They were overwhelmed, and he declared it the best film he had ever made. Audie Murphy couldn't believe he had turned in such an impressive performance, and his mentor, Hedda Hopper, declared it the best war film ever made.
John Huston considered this his best film. After a power struggle at the top of MGM management, the film was cut from a two-hour epic to the 69-minute version released to theaters. It was never released as an "A" feature but was shown as a second-feature "B" picture. Both Huston and star Audie Murphy tried unsuccessfully to purchase the film so that it could be re-edited to its original length. The studio claimed that the cut footage was destroyed. Unless there is an undiscovered copy of the uncut version, this movie will never be viewed as Huston intended.
John Huston got around Audie Murphy's insecurities by maintaining a cheerful air at all times. Observers thought he had developed almost a paternal relationship with the young man who, at 26, was still haunted by the horrors he had witnessed during World War II.
To cast extras for the crowd scenes, John Huston sent his assistants into the pool halls of nearby Chico, CA, to find what he described as "grizzled SOBs" to avoid giving the film a Hollywood look.