Austrian actress Maria Schell learnt the script in Italian and spoke all her lines in Italian during the shooting, which won her the admiration of the Italian cast and crew. It was subsequently decided not to dub her voice by an Italian actress, which was the usual practice at the time.
In order to have misty backgrounds by night but a clear view on actors, director Luchino Visconti and director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno could not use mist filters on camera lenses. Instead they used large rolls of tulle hanging from ceiling to the ground on the sets of Cinecitta studios. Putting street lamps just behind, it worked perfectly for the desired effect.
After serving as a juror at the Venice festival, where Maria Schell had been honored, Luchino Visconti decided to offer the Austrian actress the main female role in this film.
"Notti bianche" in Italian translates to "white nights" in English.
This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #296.