An article in the 25 Mar 1964 Var announced that Paramount Pictures and Joseph E. Levine’s Embassy Pictures were in talks to co-produce a film adaptation of Henry Miller’s novel, Tropic of Cancer, originally published in Paris, France, in 1934 but not legally distributed in the U.S. until 1961. In 1964, the book became the subject of the lawsuit Grove Press, Inc. v. Gerstein, that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which reversed a ruling that had deemed the work obscene. Prior to Paramount’s involvement, Embassy had planned to make the film with Elliott Kastner and Stan Shpetner, and had hired Bernard Wolfe to adapt the screenplay, according to a 30 Jul 1964 DV item. An 11 Nov 1964 Var brief later reported that John Michael Hayes was at work on the script.
       Carroll Baker’s casting was noted in a 2 Dec 1964 LAT brief. Months later, the 23 Jun 1965 Var announced that Baker had recently filed a lawsuit against Paramount and Embassy Pictures for taking the role away from her. The actress sought $2.2 million in damages, plus ten percent of the picture’s gross profits. Her accusations included breach of agreement, wrongful exploitation of her “fame and reputation” to enhance the value of the project, and damage to her reputation. Paramount and Embassy denied that Baker had ever had an official agreement to star in the picture. On 17 Nov 1965, LAT stated that New York State Supreme Court Justice George Tilzer denied a motion filed by the studios to dismiss Baker’s complaint. An article in the 22 May 1966 NYT claimed that the ensuing “tangle of litigations” prohibited Baker from making any films for over a year. The actress recalled her relationship with Joseph E. Levine had soured during the making of Harlow (1965, see entry), which had led to a “campaign of harassment.” She also claimed the Tropic of Cancer part was falsely promised to her as a possible co-starring role with Paul Newman.
       The 17 Feb 1965 Var stated that Tropic of Cancer would be co-produced by Italian filmmaker Carlo Ponti. The project lapsed due to script problems and the Carroll Baker controversy, but was revived in the spring of 1968, at which point Ponti and Levine were no longer on board. The 15 May 1968 Var noted that Paramount was at work on a new treatment.
       In late 1968, Joseph Strick was brought on to produce, direct, and co-write the screenplay with Fred Haines, the 9 Dec 1968 DV reported. At that time, Miller’s novel had sold nearly three million paperback copies and over 100,000 hardcover versions.
       Principal photography began in France on 12 May 1969, as noted in a 16 May 1969 DV production chart. Strick was quoted in a 23 May 1969 LAT article as saying that production would last four months. The French cities of Paris, Dijon, and Le Havre served as filming sites. According to the 16 Jul 1969 Var, shooting was done entirely on location, and some exteriors were filmed just outside of Paris at a converted mansion. Henry Miller, who had had approval over the screenplay, traveled to France to observe filming. Strick claimed in a 16 Jul 1969 Var item that Miller had been “very helpful in providing ideas in the script,” and the 3 Jan 1970 LAT claimed Miller “strenuously avoided interfering in the film-making” despite spending a significant amount of time on set.
       While filming was still underway, Strick was quoted in the 23 May 1969 LAT as saying he foresaw “no censorship problems” in the U.S. He acknowledged in the 3 Jan 1970 LAT that, as with his previous film Ulysses (1967, see entry), the potentially problematic material would be in the dialogue, not the visuals. Direct passages from Miller’s book were set to be incorporated in voice-overs. Strick planned to make no edits to appease any censors, insisting, “Either it gets shown in full or it doesn’t get shown.” The Motion Picture Association of America ultimately gave the film an “X” rating, which banned anyone under the age of seventeen from seeing it. In turn, Strick sued the MPAA, Paramount, and the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), in an attempt to remove the rating, as noted in a 10 Mar 1970 DV article. Among other things, Strick alleged the MPAA was in violation of antitrust laws. MPAA president Jack Valenti called the suit “baseless,” and an 8 Apr 1970 Var brief announced that a New York federal judge had denied Strick’s request for a temporary restraining order against Paramount and the MPAA. The film remained X-rated until 1992, when it was re-rated NC-17 on appeal.
       Some soundtrack work was done at Mirasound Studios in New York City, the 3 Dec 1969 Var stated.
       The budget was cited as $2 million in the 3 Jan 1970 LAT. The 16 Jul 1969 Var had previously reported a cost of “somewhat over $1,000,000.”
       Catharine Samie was named as a cast member in a 28 May 1969 DV announcement.
       Tropic of Cancer marked the final film for editor Sidney Meyers, who died of cancer on 4 Dec 1969.