Jean-Louis Trintignant and Charles Denner previously appeared in The Sleeping Car Murder (1965) and Z (1969). The latter film has some common elements with this one, as both films revolves on mysterious political murders and both stories are told through a series of flashbacks.
Nadine Trintignant directed Jean-Louis Trintignant, her then first husband, and co-wrote the script with Alain Corneau, her second future husband. Nadine and Alain married in the mid 1990's, after divorcing Jean-Louis.
The film is a family affair as it is directed by Jean-Louis Trintignant wife and mother, respectively, of Nadine Trintignant and Marie Trintignant.