After completing the original cut of the film, director Carl Theodor Dreyer learned that the entire master print had been destroyed accidentally. With no ability to reshoot, Dreyer re-edited the entire film from footage he had originally rejected.
None of the actors wear any makeup, which was unheard of in the silent era. Carl Theodor Dreyer thought this lent strength to the characters' faces.
The film was considered lost for many years. In 1978 an almost complete print was found in the estate of an Italian priest who had organized screenings in mental hospitals. The same is true of Der brennende Acker (1922).
Much of the project's budget was reserved for the expensive sets, although Carl Theodor Dreyer used so many closeups that very little of the actual sets is seen.