Reality Subtext: As Euripides was fond of using old myths to explore the quandaries of contemporary Athenian culture there are undertones of some of his contemporary issues:
It was produced during The Peloponnesian War, when for the sake of its hegemony Athens subjected the pacific island of Melos, slaughtering and enslaving its people;
That was also the year of the scandalous desecration of the hermainote A simple squared sculpture with a head and male genitals carved in the lower section, which were placed at crossings, country borders and boundaries as a symbol of Hermes' protection, and vandalizing them was seen as a big no-no for Greeks and was also the Athenians' second expedition to Sicily, maybe reflected by Cassandra's vicious rape in Athena's temple (another big no-no, as intercourses were forbidden inside the temples) and Sicily is mentioned by the Greek Chorus.
In order to get Brian Blessed comfortable around the lead actresses, director Michael Cacoyannis got him to take them all out to dinner one night, although Vanessa Redgrave was unavailable.
Genevieve Bujold was made to do her final scene ten times, and it was only on the tenth and final take that she achieved the exhaustion required for Cassandra.
Fake Nationality: Well of course! Although it's averted with Greek actress Irene Papas as Helen.
Everyone expected there would be friction between the lead actresses, given Katharine Hepburn's very outspoken attitude towards what she considered to be an immoral young generation - and Vanessa Redgrave was known for being radical. In fact the two actresses got on quite well.
Brian Blessed also became very good friends with Katharine Hepburn, and the two encouraged each other's performances throughout shooting. At one point, she insisted he be moved to an apartment next to hers, bluntly telling the director "I want Brian close to me".
Playing Against Type: Katharine Hepburn went to great effort to have her famous Mid Atlantic accent toned down, lowering by an entire octave, to distinguish Hecuba from her more familiar roles.
