In the French Style

This was the first and only feature film to be produced by the eminent writer Irwin Shaw (although he later produced a documentary film). Shaw had expressed loud and frequent dissatisfaction with earlier films based on his work (although the then-anonymous critic of "Time" magazine accused him of "crying into his champagne"), and decided that this screenplay, which he had adapted from two of his own short stories, would be protected if he produced the film himself, with his close friend Robert Parrish directing. The film was well-received by critics - though not the "Time" writer, who said that, if Shaw carried on like this, he would soon be "crying into his beer".