[1] The film closely follows the narrative of the novel, depicting the journey of Karl Rossmann, a young man who is sent to America by his parents.

His journey continues with a series of setbacks and humiliations, culminating in him finding work at the Oklahoma Theater, where he performs menial technical tasks.

As Franz Kafka never visited the United States, the film was shot in Europe, with the bulk of shooting occurring in Germany.

The film features prominently architecture, flora and costuming (including a policeman in a bobby helmet) that is unlikely to be found in the United States.

Like all other Straub-Huillet films, it only uses location sound recorded at the same time as the image, emphasizing cinema's documentary nature over the pictorial.