The Countess' (Natasha Richardson) family included her real-life mother Dame Vanessa Redgrave and aunt Lynn Redgrave.
The real-life mother of Madeleine Daly (Katya) was Madeleine Potter, who played the Countess' sister-in-law Greshenka.
In preparation for his role, Ralph Fiennes observed a blind man's average day with help from the Royal Society for the Blind. During the shoot he would wear special glasses to simulate blindness before each take.