Richard Burton recorded in his diary a story he had heard Stewart Granger tell frequently about the movie: offered the lead role, Granger skimmed through the script, saw how little dialogue he had and rejected it, realizing his mistake later when the film transformed James Mason's career.
Most of the supporting cast was recruited from Dublin's Abbey Theatre.
Considered by Roman Polanski as one of the best films he has ever seen. He even went so far as to say that this film was one of the chief reasons he pursued a career as a film director.
The Crown Bar in the center of Belfast has long been associated with the movie, although, contrary to popular opinion, it was not used in the filming. Instead a copy was made on set in England. It shows all the familiar ornate features of the real thing but was more spacious and laid out in a different way.