Anton Karas asked a stunned Karas if he would compose the music for the film. Karas protested, saying he had never actually written music. As Karas later told the story, the director insisted and invited Karas to England. The Austrian became homesick and asked to be allowed to return. Reed told him he could—as soon as he had written the music. Under this pressure Karas wrote his Harry Lime theme. The film—with the music a contributing factor—was a gigantic success, and Karas' life was changed drastically. As a result, he toured all over the world and performed for many celebrities, among them
Alexander Korda (1927), which adapted the life story of Madame Du Barry, based on an original screenplay by Lajos Bíró. The film may have intended to highlight Maria Corda's star potential to Hollywood. Korda made his final German film "Madame Wants No Children" (1926) for the Berlin-based subsidiary of the American studio Fox. Although made later, it was released before "A Modern Dubarry". In December 1926 after receiving an offer of a joint contract from the American studio First National, Korda and his wife sailed for the United States on board the steamer "Olympic". Once they reached Hollywood, both struggled to adapt