Dirk Bogarde had already turned down The Night Porter (1974) when he saw this film on television at his home in France. He was so impressed with the film that he waited until the end credits to find out who the director was. When he saw the name Liliana Cavani, he remembered that he still had the script from her for The Night Porter down in his cellar. He retrieved the script and read through it that night and the next morning called Cavani and accepted the role.