Quite uniquely, director François Truffaut chose to shoot the film almost completely in chronological order. The reasoning for this was that he found the relationship between the two main characters so important, he wanted it to develop in a natural way. Truffaut actually spent the nights re-writing the scenes he would film the next day, to follow the dynamics between the leading couple.
The film is dedicated to director Jean Renoir. The dedication is visible at the beginning and signed by Truffaut.
The original French title is spelled "La Sirène du Mississipi" (one P) in some sources, and "La Sirène du Mississippi" (two Ps) in other sources. In the film itself and on posters however, it is spelled with a single P.
The least-known of François Truffaut's films in the UK. Although it was shown in France in 1969 and had a showing at the Edinburgh Film Festival the following year, it gained no commercial distribution whatever in Britain until 1974, when a cut version dubbed into English, intended to be exhibited as the lower half of a double-bill, was press-shown, although it seems to have been shown hardly anywhere at that time. The proper French version was shown on BBC-2 a few years later, but this was its only British television showing. Despite the fame of its director and stars. the film remained largely unknown in the UK until a 21st-century DVD release.
The little book that Mahé finds in the cabin, "La Peau de chagrin," is a novel released in 1831 by Honoré de Balzac. Published in two volumes, the novel tells a story of a young man who has his wishes fulfilled by a magic piece of animal skin (peau). However, each wish granted takes away a portion of his physical energy. Although employing elements of fantasy, the novel is generally viewed as providing commentary about bourgeois materialism. It was a commercial success, selling out soon after going on sale and was widely reviewed in Parisian media.