Trivia

Richard Sylbert's set was deliberately designed to be a series of cages--wire meshes, bars, locks, alarms, etc.--to symbolize that even though Sol was no longer in a concentration camp, he was effectively still imprisoned by his memories.

After the filmmakers appealed to the MPAA's appeals board to oppose censoring the film, it became the first US film to show a nude woman from the waist up and be granted a Production Code Seal. It was the first of a series of confrontations between filmmakers and the MPAA in the 1960s that would lead to the abandonment of the Code within five years, in favor of a ratings system.

Thelma Oliver didn't realize until filming began that her nude scene would be shot with a full intent of being seen (nudity was usually done over the shoulder). She was highly upset about this but agreed to bare her breasts, thereby creating cinema history.

Composer Quincy Jones' first major motion picture score.

Rod Steiger was paid $50,000 for his work on the film. This was significantly lower than his usual fee, but he was heavily invested in the material and wanted to work with Sidney Lumet.