John Huston wanted Patrick O'Neal, who'd previously starred in the Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" for the role of Major Penderton. But Elizabeth Taylor rejected Huston's suggestion along with his alternate choices of Richard Burton and Lee Marvin; she wanted Marlon Brando.
John Huston wanted Carson McCullers, the author of "Reflections in a Golden Eye" to write the screenplay for the film version but she was too ill.
Average Shot Length = ~10.5 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~9.7 seconds.
Both Richard Burton and Lee Marvin turned down the role of Major Weldon Penderton before Marlon Brando agreed to do it for $750,000 plus 10% of the profits.
Film debut of Robert Forster.
In his autobiography, "An Open Book", director John Huston recalls how he meet with Marlon Brando to offer him the role of Maj. Penderton. Initially Brando rejected the role, feeling that he was not suited for the part. Huston then encouraged Brando to read the script and then to make a decision. After he had read the script, Brando took a very long walk in the rain, then came back to Huston and told him he wanted the part.
In the scene where Maj. Penderton gives a lecture on leadership, a subject for which he is ill-suited, Marlon Brando asked director John Huston for another take after delivering what Huston considered a superb performance. In the second take, Brando delivered a different line reading that was equally brilliant. When it came time to cut the film, Huston was baffled over which of the takes to use, as each was superb and relevant to the character.
In the Turner Classic Movies documentary on Marlon Brando, director Martin Scorsese says that the scene in which Brando stands in front of the mirror talking to himself as he inspects his dress uniform inspired the infamous "Are you talkin' to me?" moment with Robert De Niro for Taxi Driver.
Originally released in a version in which all scenes were suffused with the color gold, with one object in each scene (such as a rose) normally-colored. This was in reference to the houseboy's drawing of a golden peacock in whose eye the world is a mere reflection. But that version puzzled audiences, so it was withdrawn and a normally-colored version released.
The role of Maj. Penderton was extremely physically demanding, and the insurance company underwriting the production required proof that star Montgomery Clift was fit enough for the role, after his years of illness. Clift's long-time friend Elizabeth Taylor committed her large salary as insurance in order to secure Clift for the role. Clift subsequently died of a heart attack before filming began, and the role went to Marlon Brando.