The Spanish government threatened to bar all Paramount films from Spain and its territories unless the film was withdrawn from worldwide circulation. They protested the unfavorable portrayal of the Spanish police. Paramount destroyed the original print after its initial run, and it remained out of circulation until 1959. According to Andrew Sarris in his biography of Josef von Sternberg, a copy of the work was provided by von Sternberg for a screening at the 1959 Venice Film Festival, and The Devil Is a Woman received a limited re-release in 1961. Marlene Dietrich herself kept a print of the film in a bank vault for safe keeping, as it was her favorite film. She feared the film would otherwise be lost. New prints were struck from her private copy in the 1980's for art house release. The superb quality of the prints in circulation now , and on DVD are because of this fact.
In Maximilian Schell's documentary Marlene (1984), Marlene Dietrich said that this was her favorite of all her films.
Joel McCrea left the cast after one day's work because of a disagreement with director Josef von Sternberg. Joseph Breen of the Hays Office suggested an ending in which Pasqual shoots Concha so that she could not get off scot-free after years of bad behavior. Although that was rejected, several cuts were eventually made to eliminate sexual innuendos.
In a 1971 film interview with Swedish television, her first television interview, Marlene Dietrich claimed that this was her favorite film that she had made with director Josef von Sternberg. In later years, she would go on to say that it was her all-time favorite out of all of her films.
"(If It Isn't Pain) Then It Isn't Love" by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin was recorded for this movie but cut from the final print. Surviving audio is included as a bonus feature for this film in the 2019 Indicator blu ray box set 'Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg at Paramount 1930 - 1935'.