Mexican officials initially banned this film and demanded that cuts be made, in order to portray Mexicans less unfavourably. 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.
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.