The studio was right beside a train line and very badly sound-proofed. They had to post a man on the studio roof to watch out for trains so filming could be suspended while the trains went past.
Thorold Dickinson joined the production at the personal request of Anton Walbrook. Dickinson read the original Aleksandr Pushkin story on a Tuesday, read the script on a Wednesday and was in the studio by Saturday.
The snow was made of shredded-up windows from German warplanes. Although it looked great onscreen, it was extremely uncomfortable for cast and crew alike.
The card game being played is based on a version of "Faro". Thorold Dickinson's wife, Joanne, went to Harrod's in London and bought a book on card games. A simple interpretation was used in the filming in the parlour scenes.
This film marked Dame Edith Evans's return to the cinema. Previously she had devoted herself to the theater, after only appearing in a couple of forgotten silent movies 32 years earlier.