The cast took salaries of just $25,000 each, which allowed Sidney Lumet to film it for less than $850,000.
The film cast includes two Oscar winners: Vanessa Redgrave and Simone Signoret; and two Oscar nominees: James Mason and Denholm Elliott.
Nina's conversation outdoors with Trigorin (James Mason) features a long speech that Mason largely performs in one uninterrupted take of more than five minutes and ten seconds.