Trivia

Michele finds in Alice's bag Stefano D'Arrigo's novel Horcynus Orca, which gives the film original title; when he brings it back to her she explains that it means "a giant whale, fierce and ferocious"; it is also written on her pocket shirt.

In reference to the sex scene where Michele Placido fingers explicitly Rena Niehaus, the actress says she was not clear what the scene would be like because she couldn't speak Italian. She recalls, "It was said that Placido jerked off, caressed me, and I thought, well, you don't see it that way. Then I just said: 'Oops!' I wasn't a prude, but I had to swallow hard ... A good 25 people were also present, but I didn't dare play Liz Taylor either. I was extremely embarrassed. Michele Placido and I were not entirely unfamiliar - we had had a little tête-a-tête - but by then my shame threshold was exceeded quite a bit ..."