BERLIN: German movie producer, director and screenplay writer Bernd Eichinger, who produced well-known films “The Neverending Story” and “Downfall,” has died. He was 61. Eichinger suffered a deadly heart attack Monday night during a dinner with family and friends in Los Angeles, German production firm Constantin Film AG said in a statement Tuesday. Over his 40-years in the industry, Eichinger was widely credited for his ability to turn novels and stories into movies that not only pleased critics, but also proved popular at the box office. One of his most successful productions was the 2004 film “Downfall,” for which he also wrote the screenplay. The movie depicts the last days of Nazi Germany in Adolf Hitler's bunker in Berlin and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005. His 2008 movie “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” devoted to the history of Germany's left-wing terrorist group Red Army Faction, was also nominated for a foreign-language Oscar. In 2005, German newspaper Tagesspiegel referred to him as a “genius” poised to succeed with whatever movie he touches. “May the critics be upset, people love his stuff,” it said.
