The crew and cast were joined by Cambodian translator Dith Pran, who was a liaison between Cambodians and the filmmakers and stars. He left the country after the 1975 Communist takeover and his own imprisonment, and his story was told in The Killing Fields (1984).
After the film's tepid reception, especially for his own starring performance, a once-enthusiastic Peter O'Toole declared, "It was a mistake and I made the mistake because I was conservative and played safe. And that way lies failure".
Upon returning to England, Peter O'Toole said, "If I live to be a thousand, I want nothing like Cambodia again. It was a bloody nightmare". Cambodia's crown prince, Norodom Sihanouk, took exception to this remark and banned O'Toole from the country. "That is the sort of thing that makes tourists nervous", was the royal quote.
During filming there was a spate of political violence in Cambodia. One day a mysterious Frenchman appeared on the location and darkly advised Richard Brooks to get his company out of the country by March 12. With Peter O'Toole' concurrence, the work schedule was doubled and the daily shooting went on from noon until nearly dawn. The 12-week schedule was cut to nine and the company left the country on March 3. A week later, the American and British embassies were attacked by mobs. O'Toole was convinced that some of the attackers had worked on the film as extras.
In London this film was the Royal Film Performance for 1965, with Queen Elizabeth II attending the premiere. James Mason was among the stars presented to the Queen, and he was able to secure free tickets for the evening for his parents, who were both octogenarians by this time. However, they disliked the film so much that they discreetly left the theater at the intermission - even though their son had not yet appeared on-screen.