Il marchio di sangue (1950)'s location shooting took place in Douglas, Portal, San Simon and Globe, AZ. Scenes of the Salt River Canyon were shot near Globe. Some scenes were also shot at Vasquez Rocks in Agua Dulce, CA, and the Monogram Ranch in Placerita Canyon, Newhall, CA.
Il marchio di sangue (1950), a hidden treasure in the studio's vault, just released on DVD very quietly by Paramount Home Video, this Alan Ladd vehicle with an underwhelming title turns out to be a terrific little western and a most pleasant discovery. Photographed in Technicolor in the mountains of Arizona and Utah, the movie is never less than stunning visually, with breathtaking clarity and beauty from one frame to the next. The colors of the mountains, costumes and sets are vivid, and the movie has a crispness of pace which prevents it from being just a series of pretty pictures. Considering this is the work of cameraman-turned-director Rudolph Maté, it's no surprise really. The Polish-born Mate received five Oscar® nominations [Il prigioniero di Amsterdam (1940), Il grande ammiraglio (1941), L'idolo delle folle (1942), Sahara (1943) and Sahara (1943)] in five straight years for his cinematography, though he never won the award. In 1947, he turned to directing, though it's clear he had strong influence over the camera here.
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60-minute radio adaptation of the movie on January 28, 1952 with Charles Bickford and Mona Freeman reprising their film roles, along with Burt Lancaster.
Il marchio di sangue (1950) was remade as Ai confini del delitto (1951) with Lizabeth Scott. The plot is almost the same except substituting a rich industrialist for cattle rancher, in a different setting.
Il marchio di sangue (1950) was adapted from the novel Montana Rides by Max Brand (New York, 1934) under pen name Evan Evans with the working title of Montana Rides. The year before, RKO had released a Tom Keene Western under the working title of Montana Rides but released it as The Saddle Buster (1932). The plot was different from Branded.