The shooting started several times, and was halted for censorship reasons - the project was banned by the Ministry of Justice - and harsh shooting conditions, and finally abandoned. All material was inexplicably lost in the 1950s.
Only a third of the movie had been filmed when the shooting had to be abandoned after three months because the entire movie budget had been used up. Several mishaps and difficult weather conditions made it impossible to finish the movie. Only some movie stills are left.
This was the last collaboration between director Carné and his long time scriptwriter Prévert after the chaotic and abandoned filming had caused a rift between the two.