 At the time of its release, many critics commented favorably on  director Samuel Fuller (qv)s "artistic" decision to concentrate  on the feet of the participants in the actual "run of the arrow"  rather than showing them in their entirety. In an interview, Fuller  said there was a very simple reason for his decision: star  Rod Steiger (qv) had badly sprained his ankle just before the  scene was to be shot and wasnt able to walk, let alone run, so  Fuller got one of the Indian extras who was built somewhat like  Steiger to run in his place, which is why he shot only feet instead  of close