It was based on a short story by the Danish writer Karen Blixen (more widely known by her pen name Isak Dinesen).

Clay’s ruthless dealings drove Virginie’s father to bankruptcy and suicide, and she is eager to participate in this action to get her revenge.

The destitute sailor, a young Dane named Paul (Norman Eshley) recently rescued from a desert island, is discovered on the street and recruited.

Before doing so, he asks Clay to give Virginie a shell he found on his desert island that will play a “song” if she holds it to her ear.

[3] Welles received financing from l'Office de Radio-Télévision Française to create The Immortal Story for premiere presentation on French television, to be followed by theatrical release in France and other countries.

[5] The location for the port of Macao was the main square of Chinchón, and other exterior scenes depicting the Portuguese-built city in China were also shot in the nearby towns of Pedraza, Brihuega and Valdemoro.