Writer Maria Adelaide Amaral adapted plots from two other novels from Eça de Queirós in this mini-series, 'A Relíquia' (characters Teodorico Raposo and his aunt Titi) and 'A Capital' (character Artur Corvelo); these subplots were removed for the DVD edition.
Actors Fábio Assunção and Ana Paula Arósio have blue eyes but used brown contact lenses for their roles.