Although the story takes place in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, many scenes were filmed in other cities across The Netherlands and Europe. This was because Rotterdam has very few buildings from this era left following heavy bombing during the Second World War. Filming locations included: Hamburg (Germany), Wroclaw (Poland), Antwerp and Ghent (Belgium) and The Hague (The Netherlands).
Based on the novel 'Karakter' and the short story 'Dreverhaven and Katadreuffe' by Dutch writer F. Bordewijk (1884-1965). Bordewijk had always wanted to write a story about a feud between father and a son, which finally became a collection of short stories called 'Dreverhaven en Katadreuffe'. The novel 'Karakter' was released 10 years later, out of Bordewijk's desire to expand the story and the characters.
Filming took place over the course of 71 days in the summer and fall of 1996.