Before starting filming, Roberto Rossellini had signed a contract for distribution with Artisti Associati. However, the firm would not honor its commitments, arguing that the film was more a documentary than a fiction film. Rossellini then managed to sell his rights to Minerva Films, which finally released it.
The 16-minute sequence covering the torture of Resistance leader Manfred by the Nazis was the longest such sustained depiction of brutality yet to appear in a feature film.
All the atrocities in the film are attributed to the Germans. This was due to the policy of national reconciliation, which was relevant in Italy during the filming of the film.