Fredi Washington had to reshoot her scenes wearing dark make-up when the Hays Office deemed her as appearing too light-skinned in the first rushes. They feared audiences would think Paul Robeson was embracing a white actress.
The jungle scenes were originally to be shot in the swamps of the American South, but when Paul Robeson signed for the film, he had a clause inserted in his contract that specifically prohibited filming in the South, due to that area's violent racist history and strict racial segregation. The scenes were filmed on a studio set in Astoria, Queens, NY.
Eugene O'Neill's play opened on Broadway, New York City, at the Neighborhood Playhouse on 11/1/1920 and ran for 204 performances. Charles Gilpin played the title role, the first time a white man in blackface did not play an essential black role. There were three New York revivals; Paul Robeson played the title character in the 1925 production.
In his autobiography, Paul Robeson said he regretted making the film because it deviated too much from the play.