Producer Ismail Merchant has said of the film's financing problems: "Halfway through the shooting, some of the finance committed to the project failed to materialize, and we found we were suddenly penniless. The cast and crew continued to work despite the fact that they weren't being paid, but that couldn't go on indefinitely. There was the strongest possibility that we would go under. We would lose not just the film but our whole company [Merchant Ivory Productions]". Renowned European banker Sir Jacob Rothschild viewed a rough cut of the unfinished film and in a rescue package acted as a completion guarantor so the picture could be completed.
In order to be in this film, Julie Christie turned down a very well paid role for The Verdict (1982) by Sidney Lumet, that ultimately ended up being played by Charlotte Rampling.