The writer and director Anthony Asquith was the son of H.H. Asquith, who, as Home Secretary, brought the charges of immorality which led to Oscar Wilde's imprisonment.
Edith Evans (Lady Bracknell) had problems adjusting to movie acting, particularly when it came to hitting her marks on the floor. She finally told writer and director Anthony Asquith, "I always feel the camera should come to me instead of me go to the camera."
Insecure in her film debut, Dorothy Tutin (Cecily Cardew) kept requesting retakes until producer Teddy Baird told her how much each new take cost.
Sir John Gielgud was offered the part of Jack Worthing in this movie. Even though it was one of his signature roles on stage, he turned it down because he disliked filming.
In keeping with the movie's theatrical origins, writer and director Anthony Asquith shot it mostly in sequence and used long takes to let the actors and actresses develop the rhythms of Oscar Wilde's dialogue.