When filming "the Russian dance sequence" in a theater filled with unsuspecting extras, Dame Vanessa Redgrave duplicated a real-life incident in the life of Isadora Duncan by ripping off the top of her dress and dancing bare-breasted. The extras were not told that she would do this, thus providing the desired audience-aghast reaction shots that director Karel Reisz wanted.
Leading lady Dame Vanessa Redgrave trained for six months in order to imitate Isadora Duncan's dancing style in the film.
The film was selected to screen in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 where the picture ended up winning the Best Actress Award for Dame Vanessa Redgrave for playing Isadora Duncan. For her performance, Redgrave won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress, and received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama.
The film's running time ran originally at a length of around 168 minutes. Following this, the film was then cut down to about 138 minutes and this version now runs approximately 131 to 132 minutes on DVD.
Director Karel Reisz in 1987 prepared a director's cut of the film for its television broadcasts, and this version ran at a length of 153 minutes, still about fifteen minutes less than the original cut.