 The Gershwin family was dissatisfied with the film, largely because  it was not staged as a true opera with all the recitative performed  musically, and also because the two leads had their singing voices  dubbed. The films original director, Rouben Mamoulian (qv),  wanted to film on location, but producer Samuel Goldwyn (qv)  refused and insisted on using sound stages. When a mysterious fire  broke out and destroyed the sets, Mamoulian again requested that the  film be made on location. Enraged, Goldwyn felt that Mamoulian was  taking advantage of a misfortune, promptly fired him, and hired  Otto Preminger (qv), who made the film on sound stages in  Hollywood. The film is currently (Nov. 2002) withheld from release  because of actions by both the Gershwin and Goldwyn estates, as  neither Samuel Goldwyn nor the Gershwin family were satisfied with  the film.