Its cast was made up entirely of amateur actors, many of them the real crew of a hospital ship of the Italian navy.

It was the first feature film directed by Rossellini, and commenced what has been described as his "Fascist Trilogy" which also includes A Pilot Returns (1942) and The Man with a Cross (1943).

Rossellini went on to be a leading Italian filmmaker, and a major figure in the development of neorealism.

[1] A young Italian sailor falls in love with a schoolteacher before returning to service on a warship.

During the Battle of Cape Teulada against the Royal Navy, he is wounded and transferred to a hospital ship.