Penultimate silent film for Lon Chaney and the last of ten films he made with director Tod Browning going back to 1919.
The scars on Lon Chaney's face were applied by Chaney himself using a rigid collodion mixture. When applied in lines onto skin, it shrinks as it dries, causing deep wrinkles. The surface of the mixture remains glossy, this is why Chaney's scars sometimes appear to be shiny in some scenes.
Lon Chaney spent many days before filming with the tame tiger that he was to share some scenes with. He always brought the tiger a steak.
On the back lot of the studio in Culver City, California, MGM built the elaborate Siamese village set and a river with flowing water measuring 2,000 feet long and up to 300 feet wide - according to a contemporary article in the Los Angeles Times.
MGM borrowed Lupe Velez from Paramount for this film. She learned some Chinese while making this picture as many of the secondary and background cast members were native speakers of the language.