Dean Stockwell was cast at producer Jerry Wald's insistence to help the film's chances of distribution in the United States.
Jack Cardiff chose to film in black and white as he felt that Technicolor was too pretty for such a gritty subject.
At 20 minutes and 14 seconds, Trevor Howard's performance in this movie is one of the shortest ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
To her regret, Joan Collins turned down the film because her then-fiancé Warren Beatty thought the script was terrible.