The Cannon Group company allegedly had restrictive bank covenants that limited the number of films it could make during periods of financial distress, which it was experiencing at the time. Because of expensive forward commitments to stars on other films, Cannon decided to exclude this film from its production slate, because Cannon otherwise would have been forced to abandon another film in its place which had substantially greater monetary penalties to its star for non-production. The film ultimately was produced because Barbet Schroeder allegedly appeared at the Cannon offices one day with a battery powered portable saw and threatened to cut off his finger unless Cannon reconsidered its decision and agreed to make the film, stating that he (Schroeder) was represented by the law firm of Black and Decker and would be forced cut off his finger to show to the world that Cannon was cutting off a piece of him by abandoning the film. Cannon (to its credit) allegedly decided that violating its banking covenants was the lesser evil compared to denying birth to what ultimately would prove to be a classic and important artistic work. Fred Roos and Francis Ford Coppola from Zoetrope Studios certainly were important components in ultimately shaping the business plan going forward, but the decision allegedly was irrevocably made and committed to the day that Schroeder showed up in the offices with both a portable battery powered saw and the will and determination to use it exactly as he said he would if the decision to abort the film was not rescinded that morning. This allegedly true story was later fictionalized and retold in Charles Bukowski's novel "Hollywood" (1989).

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