In the vintage Monte Carlo scene which opens the movie, when Larita first sees John, both her and John's movements are slowed down while the rest of the cast play at "normal" (i.e. newsreel) speed. This was accomplished by filming the crowd, Larita, John, the background, and the foreground mechanics separately against greenscreen and compositing them together at different speeds.
During the end credits, all of the musicians who played in the orchestra featured on the soundtrack are introduced in voice-over simulating the introductions from the bandstand of a live performance, with each musician playing a brief sample.
The play on which the film is based is set in 1924. At the beginning of the film, Hilda reads that Harry Houdini has died of appendicitis after attempting the Chinese Water Torture, so the film takes place a reasonable time after 31 October 1926. When Mr. Whittaker talks to Larita about his time in the Great War, he mentions that he and the other men in the village enlisted "14 years ago," which would place the film in 1928.
This is the second time that Colin Firth appeared in a movie based on a play written by Noël Coward. The first was Relative Values (2000).
Director Stephan Elliott instructed Kristin Scott Thomas to play Mrs. Whittaker as a "mustache-twirling... Disney witch." Initially, the actress responded by suggesting this is the worst direction she had ever received, but later embraced her character's wickedness and somewhat haggard appearance and unflattering wardrobe.
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