Until his sudden death in 2011 at the age of sixty-one, Bernd Eichinger was not only the most significant German film producer, but also a singular figure in German filmmaking, a man who more than anyone else shaped the course of German cinema over the last forty years. An active player since the early 1970s, Eichinger devoted himself to the commercial renewal of German film. as a self-styled mogul who consciously adopted the ideas and habits of classical Hollywood producers, Eichinger was an auteur producer who played a central role in all aspects of the films he made. First acquiring the story, he then also oversaw script development, casting, selection of the crew including the director, location scouting, the shoot, editing, visual effects, and postproduction, as well as advertising, publicity, and distribution. When he was unhappy with these, he regularly intervened. As such, his vision left an indelible imprint on the dominant narrative and stylistic trends in contemporary German and international film.

Eichinger began his career by founding the independent production company Solaris in 1974. In 1979 he took over the moribund German production and distribution company Constantin-Film. At the reinvented neue Constantin, Eichinger introduced an emphasis on narrative filmmaking and epic stories, at a moment when art cinema held sway in postwar Germany. Eichinger's formula for success involved tailoring his films to the demands of international audiences, while simultaneously creating new expectations at home for a highly commercialized cinema that could compete with the best that global film industries have to offer.