sentences:  Preminger realized no major studio would be interested in financing an operatic film with an all-Black cast, so he decided to produce it independently.He anticipated United Artists executives Arthur B. Krim and Robert S. Benjamin, who had supported him in his censorship battles with "The Moon Is Blue", would be willing to invest in the project, but the two felt it was not economically viable and declined.Following the completion of his previous film, "River of No Return", Preminger had paid 20th Century Fox $150,000 to cancel the remainder of his contract, so he was surprised when Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck contacted him and offered to finance the film while allowing him to operate as a fully independent filmmaker.