The German title of this film, "OSS 117 --- Der Spion, der sich liebte," is a prank on the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). It literally means "OSS 117 --- The Spy Who Loved Himself."
According to the DVD extras, this movie was influenced by several films --- Dr. No (1962); two or three Hitchcock films: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), North by Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958); as well as the original OSS 117 films directed by André Hunebelle in the 1960's.
The opening title animation is an homage to the work of Saul Bass, a titles designer noted for his animated titles. The striking of the gong is likely an homage to the trademark opening titles of J. Arthur Rank films, where a large gong is struck.
Scenes of this film were shot in Casablanca, Morocco, at the "Habuse," a tourist area with many shops as well as homes, with small alleyways. The shopkeepers were paid a day's projected income to close shop for the day. One homeowner's doorway was to be prominently featured, but the man would not step out of his doorway. He was trying to squeeze more money out of the producers. As a result, the crew built a back-drop made with some 2x4's and a Moroccan rug. About 20 minutes later, several conservative Muslims staged a sit-in to try to get money. The filmmakers decided to shoot elsewhere in the city.