Eisenstein had come to the United States to work on a film for Paramount Pictures, but, after various projects proposed by Charlie Chaplin and Paramount executives fell through, Paramount released him from his contract. Eisenstein would thereupon have been obliged to return to the USSR, but Upton Sinclair and a small group of financiers recruited by him and his wife Mary Craig Kimbrough Sinclair intervened in Eisenstein's behalf, inviting him to make a film for them of his own devising.  Under a legal corporation these investors formed, the Mexican Film Trust, Eisenstein contracted with them to make a film about Mexico, and left the United States for that country. The contract with Eisenstein called for a short, apolitical feature film about or involving Mexico, in a scenario to be designed and filmed by Eisenstein and his two compatriots, Grigori Alexandrov and Eduard Tisse. Other provisos of the contract, which Eisenstein signed on 24 November 1930, included that the film would be completed (including all post-production work) by April 1931, and would show or imply nothing that could be construed as insulting to or critical of post-Revolution Mexico (a condition imposed by the Mexican government before it would allow the three Soviets entry into their country). Filmed material was also to be subject to censorship by the Mexican government, at first after it was filmed and printed, later in 1931 during shooting via an on-site censor.  Mary Sinclair's brother, Hunter Kimbrough, accompanied the three Russian filmmakers to Mexico to represent the Trust during filming.