ðə nˈɑːvəlz vˈɜːʒən ʌvðə mˈeɪn stˈoːɹi wʌz fˈɜːst ɐdˈæptᵻd tə fˈɪlm ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti ˈeɪt, æz ˌɛl sˈiːboʊ ˈiːz dʒˈɛʃə ɐm hˈɛlɪtʃʔˌn̩ tˈæɡ, ɐ spˈænɪʃswˈɪsdʒˈɜːmən fˈɪlm dᵻɹˈɛktᵻd baɪ lædˈɪslaʊ vˈædʒdə.
The novel's version of the main story was first adapted to film in 1958, as El cebo (Es geschah am hellichten Tag), a Spanish-Swiss-German film directed by Ladislao Vajda.