The film was first released in March 1939 as "Le Déserteur" (The deserter), but as soon as France was at war, the censors ordered the film to be renamed. It was under the title "Je t'attendrai" (I will wait for you) that it was re-released in November 1939.
During the Nazi occupation of France ,the German authorities had ordered the negative of the film destroyed, as the star Jean Pierre Aumont was of Jewish ancestry and was active in the Free French forces. But French Cinematheque curator Henri Langlois was able to hide a print in his collection.