Stories from the set

In 1967, Czechoslovakia officially submitted the film for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The screen debut of Milada Ježková (1910-1994), who played Milada's mother, portrayed by Vladimír Pucholt. Miloš Forman (1932-2018) and fellow screenwriters Václav Šašek, Jaroslav Papoušek (1929-1995), and Ivan Passer (1933-2020) were riding a bus somewhere and discussing the future screenplay when Ježková, standing nearby, overheard them and laughed at what she heard. The filmmakers noticed her charm and offered her a role in the future film.