In the film, Paul's hand to catch the butterfly is actually the hand of the director Lewis Milestone.
To ensure the authenticity of the film, director Lewis Milestone asked people to find German veterans living in the New York area to provide guidance on the German military uniforms and equipment that appeared in the film. Later, those German veterans became extras in the film.
Because of the role of Paul in the film, Lew Ayres refused to serve in the military during World War II, and his film was banned in more than 100 theaters in Chicago.
At first, there was Lew Ayres pretending to be Paul’s mother in the film, but the audience laughed during the preview, so director Lewis Milestone re-identified an actress to play.
The silent version of the film was only released in the UK in November 2003.
In the United States in the 1930s, the film was called the bloodiest movie.
As of 2006, only two of the actors and crew members who participated in the filming of the film were still alive.
The film is the first sound film directed by Lewis Milestone.
The film was banned by the Nazi Party in Germany, and the ban was not lifted until 1956.
The film cost 1.25 million U.S. dollars, with as many as 2,000 extras.
In order to express the serious theme of the film, director Lewis Milestone did not use any soundtrack in the film. However, to his chagrin, many theaters have added soundtracks without authorization.
