Claude Chabrol himself often defined this title as "the worst film" of his career, stating he was fully aware at the time that the whole project was doomed from the very beginning.
In 2009, Claude Chabrol stated that the three worst movies ever made are: Fanny (1961), Day and Night (1997), and his own film, The Twist (1976).
According to Claude Chabrol, the film was produced by Alexander Salkind because he wanted to get the Legion of Honor. It was for this reason that the producer decided to adapt a novel by Lucie Faure, wife of Edgar Faure.
Bruce Dern and Ann-Margret worked together again, four years later, as an unhappily married couple in MIDDLE AGED CRAZY.