The 1960 adaptation deviates from the original story of the Ferber best-seller in many ways, including its focal point. TCM's James Tartara observes: "It makes sense that, rather than focusing on the more refined Sabra, who guided both Ferber's novel and the earlier filmic adaptation, Mann chose to focus more on Ford's gutsy adventurer. He also hoped to capture the drama of the changing Western landscape as it fills with settlers, a task that perfectly suited CinemaScope. " However, Mann quit the project in the middle of filming after a bitter clash with producer Edmund Grainger. Director Charles Walters, uncredited, shot all the rest. Added to this was an ill-fated romance between the leads that left them barely speaking. Tartara says "The resulting picture is a striking example of the CinemaScope process while still being something of a creative mishmash. The critics were bored, audiences stayed away in droves, and MGM never earned a penny from it."