When auditions for this movie were taking place, director Bob Rafelson wrote the name of the actress he thought should be cast as Cora Papadakis and put it inside a sealed envelope. Several months later, Rafelson gave the letter to Jessica Lange, whose name was inside.
This is the fourth adaptation of the novel. The first was French, Le dernier tournant (1939), the second was Italian, Ossessione - Von Liebe besessen (1943), and the third in English, and American, was Im Netz der Leidenschaften (1946). As such, this film was the second English language version, but was the first version in color, as all three earlier versions were in black and white.
When plotting the characterization for the role of Cora, Jessica Lange decided the young woman had first tried to make it as a movie actress in Hollywood, struck out, and eventually married. When Jack Nicholson learned this, he gave her the autobiography of blonde, B-movie actress Barbara Paytonn ("I Am Not Ashamed", published in 1963.) Lange based her character's history partly on Payton, who, like her, was born in Cloquet, Minnesota.