The film's theme of immurement draws inspiration from Balzac's "La Grande Bretêche", and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". The king constructs a cozy, windowless love-nest for himself and his concubine.
This film's theme of entrapment is reminiscent of Balzac's "La Grande Bretêche" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". The king creates a private, windowless abode for himself and his mistress.