Vendetta (1950 film)
Encyclopedia
Vendetta is a 1950 film
based on the 1840
novella
Colomba by Prosper Mérimée
, about a young Corsica
n girl who pushes her brother to kill to avenge their father's murder.
The film, produced by Howard Hughes
as a vehicle for his latest discovery, Faith Domergue
, began principal photography for United Artists
in 1946, but was not released until four years later through RKO Pictures
, which Hughes had recently purchased. Hughes fired director Max Ophüls
as well as his producing partner, Preston Sturges
, who replaced Ophuls. Stuart Heisler
completed the film, but Hughes decided he wanted more changes and brought in actor/director Mel Ferrer
, who is the only credited director on the film. Hughes himself did some direction of pick-up scenes. The screenplay was credited to W.R. Burnett, but the script was worked on by a number of writers, including Sturges, who originated the project at Hughes's behest.
Vendetta is estimated to have cost around $4 million, an extraordinary amount for the time. The film was neither a critical nor a box office success.
, hot-blooded maiden Colomba della Rabia (Faith Domergue
) wants her brother Orso (George Dolenz
) to avenge the murder of their father by the powerful Barracini family. Despite being a lieutenant, Orso is a man of peace and reason who opposes the Corsican practice of vendetta and revenge; he is more interested in courting the beautiful English aristocrat, Lydia Nevil (Hillary Brooke
), who is vacationing on the island with her father, Col. Sir Thomas Nevil (Nigel Bruce
).
To persuade Orso to do his family duty, Colomba must have the help of a family friend, the "bandit" Padrino (Donald Buka), and his servant Brando (Hugo Haas
). When Orso is finally convinced that the Barracinis are guilty, and were acquitted at trial due to perjured testimony, he challenges Vincente Barracini to a duel, which pleases Colomba but horrifies Lydia. She is now bethrothed to Orso, but threatens to leave him if he goes through with the duel.
When Orso heads to the appointed place, Colomba finds out that the Barracini brothers are going to ambush him, and rides out to give him warning. In the confrontation that comes, Colomba is shot and dies in Orso's arms, the Barracinis are killed, and Orso is wounded, but not seriously. Padrino tells the grief-striken Orso that he must use his experience to guide the people to a better way of living, breaking the cycle of vendetta and death.
Cast notes:
left Paramount Pictures
, where he made his most popular and successful films, including the runaway hit The Lady Eve
(1941), and joined in a partnership with eccentric millionaire aviator Howard Hughes
to create California Pictures. By September 1945, work has already begun on the new company's first picture, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
, written and directed by Sturges, and it was announced that Sturges had completed the first draft of an adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's 1840
novella Colomba, the first time it had been used as the basis for a sound film. (It was adapted in 1920 in France as a silent film
.) Sturges began the project at the request of Hughes, who was looking for a vehicle for his protegée, Faith Domergue
.
By July 1946, French director Max Ophüls
had been announced as the director, in what would be his American debut. Ophüls had been trying for four years to get a directing job in Hollywood, and Sturges hired him so that he could concentrate on completing ...Harold Diddlebock. Ophüls' first choices to play opposite Domergue were James Mason
and Madeleine Carroll
, but Hughes refused to pay star salaries, and worried that Domergue, who had little acting experience, would be outshone by powerful and better-known actors. The cast that was eventually assembled had Domergue, George Dolenz
, J. Carrol Naish
, Gregory Marshall, George Renevant and Fortunio Bonanova
. Principal photography began in mid-August 1946.
After only a week of shooting, Hughes, who was recuperating from the crash of an experimental reconnaissance plane, complained to Sturges about the slowness of Ophüls' shooting pace and the way he handled Domergue. Saying that he didn't want "foreigners" working for California Pictures, he demanded that Sturges fire the French director, who in 1949 made the film Caught about his experience with Hughes. Sturges took over the helm of the film, and principal photography wrapped on 29 October, with the film over both its shooting schedule and its budget.
out of his contract with Gary Cooper
to be the new director for Vendetta, re-cast the film, and replaced the production staff. He cut out one of the major characters, the son of the aristocratic English lady, because he was dissatisfied with actor Gregory Marshall's performance, and he wanted Domergue to get more screen exposure.
Principal photography began again on 8 November with Heisler directing, and with George Dolenz
and Donald Buka as the new co-stars, but paused again for about 10 days near the end of the month for the script to be re-written. Filming started up again, with some new cast members, on 2 December and proceeded until 15 March 1947. During this time, writers W.R. Burnett and Peter O'Crotty were engaged, in January, to do more re-writes, and director Heisler became ill for several days so that editor Paul Weatherwax had to substitute for him. By this time, the film had been shooting for 88 days.
, who he borrowed from David O. Selznick
's production company in June, to finish the film, with the expectation that his assignment would last about 30 days and cost about $200,000. Hughes also hired Wells Root to do re-writes, and replaced the director of photography.
Ferrer began shooting on 6 October 1947. Because Hughes kept expanding what was to be re-shot, this phase of the production ended up taking almost seven weeks and costing over $1 million. Shooting wrapped in late November, but by March 1948, Hughes wanted more changes, and Ferrer came back to do re-shoots beginning on 27 March, with Hughes himself directing some pick-up scenes.
During the course of the film's extensive shooting, much of which was done at Samuel Goldwyn Studios, location shooting was done at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley, California
and in Monterey, California
.
had originally been contracted to distribute the film, but after Hughes bought RKO Radio Pictures in the middle of 1948, he paid UA $600,000 for the rights to Vendetta, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock and The Outlaw
, and announced he would distribute them through RKO. The film was marketed with the taglines "She lives by the code of the vendetta!" and "Love is wild - life is violent - death is cheap!"
In the course of production on Vendetta, there had been no significant problems with the censors at the Hays Office, although chief censor Joseph Breen
had complained in August 1949 about the overtones of "unholy love" (i.e. incest) in the film, referring to the relationship between "Colomba" and "Orso", and after the film was released, conservative publisher Martin Quigley made the same complaint. The censors also objected to the ad campaign for the film, which, like the campaign for Hughes' The Outlaw, featured Domergue's exposed cleavage. Despite these concerns, no states banned or cut the film.
It is not known what percentage of the final released film can be ascribed to the various directors who worked on it. News reports at the time claimed that little of what Ophüls or Sturges shot was retained in the film, perhaps no more than a couple of minutes. Heisler's footage may make up as much as two-thirds of the film, although probably less than that. Although it was reported that Hughes had agreed to give Heisler a screen credit, only Mel Ferrer is credited on the released film.
Preston Sturges later wrote that Vendetta was the best adaptation he had ever done, but how much of his script was used in the final film is not known – little enough that his autobiography lists his script for the film as being "unproduced".
Vendetta was a major critical and box office flop.
1950 in film
The year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
based on the 1840
1840 in literature
The year 1840 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Novelist Fritz Reuter is freed from the fortress of Dömitz after two years' imprisonment on a charge of high treason....
novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
Colomba by Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée
Prosper Mérimée was a French dramatist, historian, archaeologist, and short story writer. He is perhaps best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen.-Life:...
, about a young Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
n girl who pushes her brother to kill to avenge their father's murder.
The film, produced by Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
as a vehicle for his latest discovery, Faith Domergue
Faith Domergue
-Early life and career:Born in New Orleans, Domergue was adopted by Adabelle Wemet when she was six weeks old . Adabelle married Leo Domergue in 1926, when Faith was 18 months old. The family moved to California in 1928 where Domergue attended Beverly Hills Catholic School and St...
, began principal photography for United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
in 1946, but was not released until four years later through RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
, which Hughes had recently purchased. Hughes fired director Max Ophüls
Max Ophüls
Maximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
as well as his producing partner, Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
, who replaced Ophuls. Stuart Heisler
Stuart Heisler
Stuart Heisler was an American film and television director. He worked as a motion picture editor from 1921 to 1936, then dedicated the rest of his career to that of a film director....
completed the film, but Hughes decided he wanted more changes and brought in actor/director Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
, who is the only credited director on the film. Hughes himself did some direction of pick-up scenes. The screenplay was credited to W.R. Burnett, but the script was worked on by a number of writers, including Sturges, who originated the project at Hughes's behest.
Vendetta is estimated to have cost around $4 million, an extraordinary amount for the time. The film was neither a critical nor a box office success.
Plot
In 1825, in the village of Pietranera in French-controlled CorsicaCorsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, hot-blooded maiden Colomba della Rabia (Faith Domergue
Faith Domergue
-Early life and career:Born in New Orleans, Domergue was adopted by Adabelle Wemet when she was six weeks old . Adabelle married Leo Domergue in 1926, when Faith was 18 months old. The family moved to California in 1928 where Domergue attended Beverly Hills Catholic School and St...
) wants her brother Orso (George Dolenz
George Dolenz
George Dolenz was an American film actor born in Trieste , in the city's Slovene community.-Biography:...
) to avenge the murder of their father by the powerful Barracini family. Despite being a lieutenant, Orso is a man of peace and reason who opposes the Corsican practice of vendetta and revenge; he is more interested in courting the beautiful English aristocrat, Lydia Nevil (Hillary Brooke
Hillary Brooke
Hillary Brooke was an American film actress best known for her work in Abbott and Costello and Sherlock Holmes films...
), who is vacationing on the island with her father, Col. Sir Thomas Nevil (Nigel Bruce
Nigel Bruce
William Nigel Ernle Bruce , best known as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...
).
To persuade Orso to do his family duty, Colomba must have the help of a family friend, the "bandit" Padrino (Donald Buka), and his servant Brando (Hugo Haas
Hugo Haas
Hugo Haas was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in over 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962....
). When Orso is finally convinced that the Barracinis are guilty, and were acquitted at trial due to perjured testimony, he challenges Vincente Barracini to a duel, which pleases Colomba but horrifies Lydia. She is now bethrothed to Orso, but threatens to leave him if he goes through with the duel.
When Orso heads to the appointed place, Colomba finds out that the Barracini brothers are going to ambush him, and rides out to give him warning. In the confrontation that comes, Colomba is shot and dies in Orso's arms, the Barracinis are killed, and Orso is wounded, but not seriously. Padrino tells the grief-striken Orso that he must use his experience to guide the people to a better way of living, breaking the cycle of vendetta and death.
Cast
- Faith DomergueFaith Domergue-Early life and career:Born in New Orleans, Domergue was adopted by Adabelle Wemet when she was six weeks old . Adabelle married Leo Domergue in 1926, when Faith was 18 months old. The family moved to California in 1928 where Domergue attended Beverly Hills Catholic School and St...
as Colomba della Rabia - George DolenzGeorge DolenzGeorge Dolenz was an American film actor born in Trieste , in the city's Slovene community.-Biography:...
as Lt. Orso Antonio della Rabia - Donald BukaDonald BukaDonald Buka was an American supporting actor in films and television from 1943 to 1971 when he appeared in A Memory of Two Mondays.He appeared in episodes of Dragnet, Ironside and The High Chaparral....
as Padrino the Bandit - Joseph CalleiaJoseph CalleiaJoseph Calleia was a Maltese born American singer, composer, screenwriter and actor, both on Broadway and in film...
as Mayor Guido Barracini - Robert Warwick as The French Prefect
- Hugo HaasHugo HaasHugo Haas was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in over 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962....
as Brando, a bandit - Hillary BrookeHillary BrookeHillary Brooke was an American film actress best known for her work in Abbott and Costello and Sherlock Holmes films...
as Lydia Nevil - Nigel BruceNigel BruceWilliam Nigel Ernle Bruce , best known as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes...
as Sir Thomas Nevil
Cast notes:
- George Dolenz was the father of singer Micky DolenzMicky DolenzGeorge Michael "Micky" Dolenz, Jr. is an American actor, musician, television director, radio personality and theater director, best known as a member of the 1960s made-for-television band The Monkees.-Biography:...
of The MonkeesThe MonkeesThe Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
. - One source lists Richard TuckerRichard TuckerRichard Tucker was an American operatic tenor.-Early life:Tucker was born Rivn Ticker in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of Romanian immigrants from Bessarabia. His father, Shmul Ticker, and mother Fanya-Tsipa Ticker had already adopted the surname "Tucker" by the time their son entered first...
as "Aria singer". The aria is from the opera ToscaToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
by Giacomo PucciniGiacomo PucciniGiacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
.
Sturges and Ophüls
The saga of the making of Vendetta, which had the working titles of "Colomba" and "The Shooting of Our Lady of the Doves", is extensive. In 1944, after ten years, writer/director Preston SturgesPreston Sturges
Preston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
left Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, where he made his most popular and successful films, including the runaway hit The Lady Eve
The Lady Eve
The Lady Eve is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. The film is based on a story by Monckton Hoffe about a mismatched couple who meet on board a luxury liner...
(1941), and joined in a partnership with eccentric millionaire aviator Howard Hughes
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
to create California Pictures. By September 1945, work has already begun on the new company's first picture, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock is a 1947 comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges, starring the silent film comic icon Harold Lloyd, and featuring Jimmy Conlin, Raymond Walburn, Rudy Vallee, Arline Judge, Edgar Kennedy, Franklin Pangborn and Lionel Stander...
, written and directed by Sturges, and it was announced that Sturges had completed the first draft of an adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's 1840
1840 in literature
The year 1840 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Novelist Fritz Reuter is freed from the fortress of Dömitz after two years' imprisonment on a charge of high treason....
novella Colomba, the first time it had been used as the basis for a sound film. (It was adapted in 1920 in France as a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
.) Sturges began the project at the request of Hughes, who was looking for a vehicle for his protegée, Faith Domergue
Faith Domergue
-Early life and career:Born in New Orleans, Domergue was adopted by Adabelle Wemet when she was six weeks old . Adabelle married Leo Domergue in 1926, when Faith was 18 months old. The family moved to California in 1928 where Domergue attended Beverly Hills Catholic School and St...
.
By July 1946, French director Max Ophüls
Max Ophüls
Maximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
had been announced as the director, in what would be his American debut. Ophüls had been trying for four years to get a directing job in Hollywood, and Sturges hired him so that he could concentrate on completing ...Harold Diddlebock. Ophüls' first choices to play opposite Domergue were James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
and Madeleine Carroll
Madeleine Carroll
Edith Madeleine Carroll was an English actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s.-Early life:Carroll was born at 32 Herbert Street in West Bromwich, England. She graduated from the University of Birmingham, England with a B.A. degree...
, but Hughes refused to pay star salaries, and worried that Domergue, who had little acting experience, would be outshone by powerful and better-known actors. The cast that was eventually assembled had Domergue, George Dolenz
George Dolenz
George Dolenz was an American film actor born in Trieste , in the city's Slovene community.-Biography:...
, J. Carrol Naish
J. Carrol Naish
Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish was an American character actor born in New York City. Naish was twice nominated for an Academy Award for film roles, and he later found fame in the title role of CBS Radio's Life With Luigi , which was also on CBS Television .Naish appeared on stage for several years...
, Gregory Marshall, George Renevant and Fortunio Bonanova
Fortunio Bonanova
Fortunio Bonanova is the pseudonym of Josep Lluís Moll , who was a baritone singer and a film, theater, and television actor...
. Principal photography began in mid-August 1946.
After only a week of shooting, Hughes, who was recuperating from the crash of an experimental reconnaissance plane, complained to Sturges about the slowness of Ophüls' shooting pace and the way he handled Domergue. Saying that he didn't want "foreigners" working for California Pictures, he demanded that Sturges fire the French director, who in 1949 made the film Caught about his experience with Hughes. Sturges took over the helm of the film, and principal photography wrapped on 29 October, with the film over both its shooting schedule and its budget.
Stuart Heisler
At this point, Sturges quit the film or was fired, and his partnership with Hughes was dissolved, with both of the company's films, Vendetta and The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, seriously overbudget. Hughes bought director Stuart HeislerStuart Heisler
Stuart Heisler was an American film and television director. He worked as a motion picture editor from 1921 to 1936, then dedicated the rest of his career to that of a film director....
out of his contract with Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
to be the new director for Vendetta, re-cast the film, and replaced the production staff. He cut out one of the major characters, the son of the aristocratic English lady, because he was dissatisfied with actor Gregory Marshall's performance, and he wanted Domergue to get more screen exposure.
Principal photography began again on 8 November with Heisler directing, and with George Dolenz
George Dolenz
George Dolenz was an American film actor born in Trieste , in the city's Slovene community.-Biography:...
and Donald Buka as the new co-stars, but paused again for about 10 days near the end of the month for the script to be re-written. Filming started up again, with some new cast members, on 2 December and proceeded until 15 March 1947. During this time, writers W.R. Burnett and Peter O'Crotty were engaged, in January, to do more re-writes, and director Heisler became ill for several days so that editor Paul Weatherwax had to substitute for him. By this time, the film had been shooting for 88 days.
Mel Ferrer
Hughes was dissatisfied with the result of Heisler's work and wanted a new ending for the film. He and Heisler couldn't agree, and Heisler departed in May 1947. Hughes then brought in actor/director Mel FerrerMel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
, who he borrowed from David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick
David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:...
's production company in June, to finish the film, with the expectation that his assignment would last about 30 days and cost about $200,000. Hughes also hired Wells Root to do re-writes, and replaced the director of photography.
Ferrer began shooting on 6 October 1947. Because Hughes kept expanding what was to be re-shot, this phase of the production ended up taking almost seven weeks and costing over $1 million. Shooting wrapped in late November, but by March 1948, Hughes wanted more changes, and Ferrer came back to do re-shoots beginning on 27 March, with Hughes himself directing some pick-up scenes.
During the course of the film's extensive shooting, much of which was done at Samuel Goldwyn Studios, location shooting was done at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley, California
Simi Valley, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Simi Valley had a population of 124,237. The population density was 2,940.8 people per square mile...
and in Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
.
Release and reception
Vendetta was finally released in 1950, premiering in New York City on 25 December, over four years from when filming had begun. The film had been made at the estimated expenditure of over $4 million, an extraordinary amount for the time for a film that had no big stars and was not epic in scale. United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
had originally been contracted to distribute the film, but after Hughes bought RKO Radio Pictures in the middle of 1948, he paid UA $600,000 for the rights to Vendetta, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock and The Outlaw
The Outlaw
The Outlaw is a 1943 American Western film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jane Russell. The supporting cast includes Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell, and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, while Howard Hawks served as an uncredited co-director...
, and announced he would distribute them through RKO. The film was marketed with the taglines "She lives by the code of the vendetta!" and "Love is wild - life is violent - death is cheap!"
In the course of production on Vendetta, there had been no significant problems with the censors at the Hays Office, although chief censor Joseph Breen
Joseph Breen
Joseph Breen is an American soap opera actor.He played contract parts on both Guiding Light and Loving before being offered his most front-burner role to date: that of Lisa’s long-lost son, Scott Eldridge, on As the World Turns...
had complained in August 1949 about the overtones of "unholy love" (i.e. incest) in the film, referring to the relationship between "Colomba" and "Orso", and after the film was released, conservative publisher Martin Quigley made the same complaint. The censors also objected to the ad campaign for the film, which, like the campaign for Hughes' The Outlaw, featured Domergue's exposed cleavage. Despite these concerns, no states banned or cut the film.
It is not known what percentage of the final released film can be ascribed to the various directors who worked on it. News reports at the time claimed that little of what Ophüls or Sturges shot was retained in the film, perhaps no more than a couple of minutes. Heisler's footage may make up as much as two-thirds of the film, although probably less than that. Although it was reported that Hughes had agreed to give Heisler a screen credit, only Mel Ferrer is credited on the released film.
Preston Sturges later wrote that Vendetta was the best adaptation he had ever done, but how much of his script was used in the final film is not known – little enough that his autobiography lists his script for the film as being "unproduced".
Vendetta was a major critical and box office flop.