Final part of Hans-Jürgen Syberberg's trilogy on German history, also including Ludwig, réquiem por un rey virgen (1972) and Karl May (1974).
Syberberg's young daughter, Amelie Syberberg, appears in the film.
Reportedly Susan Sontag's favorite film.
The film was a considerable influence on, among others, the critic Susan Sontag and the philosopher Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe; Sontag called it "one of the 20th century's greatest works of art.".
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival.