Ichiko Kamichika, one of the characters from the film, was an active politician in the '60s who threatened to sue director 'Yoshishige Yoshida' for violation of privacy should this film be released uncut (to avoid legal issues in the first place, her name in the film was changed to Itsuko Masaoka). Thus, Yoshida was forced to cut a number of scenes centered around her. For a long time, the shorter cut of the film was the only one available.
The first movie in Yoshishige Yoshida's unofficial trilogy on Japanese radicalism. The other two titles are Purgatoire eroïca (1970) and Coup d'état (1973).