The relationship between writer and director Sir David Lean and Sir Alec Guinness deteriorated during the making of the movie. The final straw came for Guinness when he found out that a large chunk of his scenes had been left on the cutting room floor by Lean. Neither man ever met or spoke to the other again.
As well as several leading cast members, Sir David Lean steadily alienated most of his heads of department and their crew during production. The atmosphere on-set deteriorated to such an extent that producer, John Brabourne, eventually had to order the camera crew to, at least, say "good morning" to Lean each day.
Writer and director Sir David Lean had frequent on-set clashes with Judy Davis, who accused him of having lost his touch, not having directed for fourteen years.
Sir Alec Guinness spent several weeks learning an intricate Hindu dance for a scene that ended up on the cutting room floor.
This is David Lean's first and last movie after a 14-year hiatus from the industry. He was so devastated by the negative reviews of Ryan's Daughter (1970), he dropped out of the filmmaking scene.