There were at least two previous attempts to bring David Garnett's source novella to the screen, by Bernhard Wicki in the 1930s and by William Wyler in the 1950s. Thanks in part to the story's themes of racism and mixed marriage, both failed to secure sufficient funds.
Made by Thames Television subsidiary Euston Films with funding from the National Film Finance Corporation, the movie failed to achieve a hoped-for theatrical release and finally premiered on television in 1980.