Shot in English for American distribution; later dubbed in German
The character of Willi is loosely based on the German singer Lale Andersen who first recorded the song Lili Marleen in 1939.
West Germany's official Foreign Language Film submission at the 54th Academy Awards. The film failed to be nominated.
According to the book "Love is Colder Than Death," Fassbinder approached Richard Gere for the male lead, to which he declined (Gere on his part wanted Fassbinder to adapt Bent (1997), which didn't materialize).
According to film editor Juliane Lorenz, Rainer Werner Fassbinder offered the male lead role to Michael Douglas, who accepted the part and even suggested the scene where Robert is tortured with Lili Marleen song (which end up in the film). But for reasons unknown Douglas wasn't available anymore.