Sir Michael Caine has said many times that he acted in this movie purely for monetary reasons, and considers it the worst project he's ever done. Caine once said that this movie was "the worst, most wretched film I ever made."
William Holden accepted a seventh billed role in this movie, as bush helicopter pilot Jim Sandell, so he could work on-location in his beloved Africa, where he owned a safari club.
In his recent autobiography, Sir Michael Caine stated that this was his worst movie and advised the reader not to watch it.
Due to the extremely high temperatures, a camel collapsed during the shoot, and fell on Sir Michael Caine. Caine once said "It was so bad, that my camel fainted and rolled on top of me. I thought it was a bit much to expect me to act in that heat when my camel was collapsing!"