The movie script is based entirely on the proceedings' minutes of the trial of Marie-Antoinette.
When the movie came out, it was advertised with a simple slogan: "Sale Etrangère!" (Dirty foreigner). Anti-racist leagues managed to have the ads removed and the movie subsequently flopped.
Robert Hossein was chosen as the director of the movie until he asked for another year and a half before starting to shoot. Producer Raymond Danon then turned to Pierre Granier-Deferre because the film was scheduled for the 200th anniversary of the French revolution and Ute Lemper was only free for the period set.