This film lost more money for MGM than any other of its films during the period from 1920 to 1949.
The lavish ballroom set where Napoleon dances with Marie Walewska is actually identical to that used in Maytime (1937) - the Jeanette McDonald /Nelson Eddy operetta. It has simply been redressed and given a different floor covering and shot from a different angle.
Of all her many film directors, one can surmise that Clarence Brown was Greta Garbo's favorite. They made seven films together in the 11 years between their first, Flesh and the Devil (1926), and the last, Conquest (1937). Given her level of stardom, it's likely not a mistake that did she collaborate with any other director more than twice.
Brown commented on his impression of Garbo, whom very few knew intimately: "Garbo starts where they all leave off. She was a shy person; her lack of English gave her a slight inferiority complex. I used to direct her quietly. I never gave her direction above a whisper. Nobody on the set ever knew what I said to her; she liked that. She hated to rehearse. She would have preferred to stay away until everyone else was rehearsed, then come in and do the scene."
Their film projects include: Flesh and the Devil (1926), A Woman of Affairs (1928), Anna Christie (1930), Romance (1930), Inspiration (1931), Anna Karenina (1935), and Conquest (1937). For Romance and Anna Christie, both Brown and Garbo were Oscar-nominated as Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role, respectively.
Brown commented on his impression of Garbo, whom very few knew intimately: "Garbo starts where they all leave off. She was a shy person; her lack of English gave her a slight inferiority complex. I used to direct her quietly. I never gave her direction above a whisper. Nobody on the set ever knew what I said to her; she liked that. She hated to rehearse. She would have preferred to stay away until everyone else was rehearsed, then come in and do the scene."
Their film projects include: Flesh and the Devil (1926), A Woman of Affairs (1928), Anna Christie (1930), Romance (1930), Inspiration (1931), Anna Karenina (1935), and Conquest (1937). For Romance and Anna Christie, both Brown and Garbo were Oscar-nominated as Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role, respectively.
This film received its initial television showing in Philadelphia PA Tuesday 5 February 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), followed by Seattle Saturday 9 February 1957 on KING (Channel 5), and by Portland OR Wednesday 13 February 1957 on KGW (Channel 8); in Minneapolis MN, it first aired 2 March 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in Chicago IL 16 March 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), in Norfolk VA 17 March 1957 on WTAR (Channel 3), in Memphis TN 1 May 1957 on WHBQ (Channel 13), in Hartford CT 26 May 1957 on WHCT (Channel 18), in New York City NY 7 July 1957 on WCBS (Channel 2), in Los Angeles CA 1 August 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), in Baltimore MD 27 September 1957 on WJZ (Channel 13), and in Altoona PA 16 December 1957 on WFBG (Channel 1); in San Francisco CA, its first telecast occurred 25 April 1959 on KGO (Channel 7).