Paul Verhoeven is a former alumnus of Hanagum High Schooi in the Hague where most of the scenes of this movie were filmed.
The film is loosely based on the Anton Wachter novel cycle written by Simon Vestdijk. The film is mainly inspired by the third part of the cycle: Terug tot Ina Damman ("Return to Ina Damman" 1934).
During the recordings Paul Verhoeven meets his later wife Martine Verhoeven. She was seventeen years old and a student at the Haganum (the school where the film was shot). She was secretary of the student council and had a lot of contact with the director about the use of the extras: the students of the school.
At the schoolyard the students rehearse the usual Latin inflections 'Rosa, rosae, rosae, rosam ...' As an homage to the nouvelle vague the students also rehearse the list 'Godard, Truffaut, Chabrol, Rohmer ...'.