Allen Smithee Credit
The film began under the direction of Robert Totten, an experienced television director (Gunsmoke, The Legend of Jesse James). After clashes with star Widmark, and almost a year of work, he was dropped and replaced by Don Siegel. When the film was finished Siegel did not want his name to replace Totten's. Widmark protested and an agreement was made with the Directors Guild of America for the pseudonym Alan Smithee to be used.
Despite the dispute, critics praised the film and its "new" director. The New York Times commented that the film was "sharply directed by Allen Smithee who has an adroit facility for scanning faces and extracting sharp background detail," Roger Ebert called the film "an extraordinary western ... irector Allen Smithee, a name I'm not familiar with, allows his story to unfold naturally."
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