 Huston claimed that the military banned his film to maintain a "warrior" myth; that American soldiers went to war and came back stronger, everyone was a hero, and though there were casualties their spirits remained unbroken.The film's eventual release in the 1980s by Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander, Jr. was attributed to his friend Jack Valenti who worked to get the ban lifted.The film was screened in the "Un Certain Regard" section at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.