To publicize this movie, Kris Kristofferson and Sarah Miles did a nude layout together in Playboy magazine, assuming sexual positions that were pretty graphic for that magazine. Kristofferson said he was drunk while posing for them. Kristofferson was married at the time to singer Rita Coolidge. When she saw the "Playboy" layout, she divorced him, though this was largely due to his physical abuse of her during their brief marriage.
The title of this picture's source Japanese "Gogo no Eiko" story translates literally into the English language as "The Afternoon Towing."
Most movie posters for the film featured a long blurb that read: "He gave his soul to the sea and his heart to a woman. Their love will arouse you. The story will disturb you. The ending will startle you."
The vessel name of the merchant ship was "Belle" of the port of Boston.