 The film's budget was 222 million old francs; of this, Clair's salary was 20 million and Gérard Philipe's was 18 million.Filming began at the Studios de Boulogne on 28 April 1955, and continued until 2 July, after which the film was completed rapidly; editing had been largely determined during shooting, with few alternative shots being taken.However, Clair hesitated between different endings for the film, two of which were actually filmed and shown to groups of friends to gauge their reaction.