François Fratellini originally played Pierrot the clown, who offered shelter to Jean Detaille, but when Sarah Bernhardt died, production was halted. It was later decided that the film could be finished with Jeanne Brindeau acting as a double for her. By then, Fratellini had given up the part, which was rewritten for Jean-François Martial as a painter.
In her elderly incapacitated condition, Bernhardt was unable to be transported to and from the studio, so the film was shot in her apartment.