In 1997, the United States National Film Registry / Library of Congress selected this film for preservation describing it as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Of this film, John Sayles has said: "I wanted to direct, and the only way you get to direct in Hollywood is to have a film to show." Sayles made this film with the intention of using the movie as an "audition piece" so he could get further work in Hollywood.
According to 'Film Threat', this film " . . . was the first successful American independent film to attract wide attention without the benefit of shock value, intense theatrics or snob appeal . . . it became a hit on the art-house circuit and opened the door for an entire movement [of independent filmmaking]."
Apparently, according to one movie book, this film featured only one actor who had starred in a previous movie. Actually, Nancy Mette had played Denise in Girlfriends (1978); Cora Bennett had appeared uncredited as P.R.O.'s Secretary in Time, Gentlemen, Please! (1952); Brian Johnson had appeared in the one TV episode, Hazel and the Vanishing Hero (1963); Jack LaValle had appeared in The Hard Road (1973) whilst Gordon Clapp had appeared in Running (1979). Of these five actors, in all cases, they had only appeared in one production prior to this film. For the rest of the entire cast, this film represents their acting debut. And actually, for seven of this film's cast, Return of the Secaucus Seven (1979) is their only ever film acting credit, not ever returning to any acting engagements.
This movie was not originally intended to have a theatrical cinema release.