Funeral en Berlín

As some other reviewers have opined, this is the best of the three Harry Palmer movies set in the '60s. Michael Caine's cavalier attitude coupled with his witty, sarcastic banter is most refreshing. All the stodgy bureaucratic types get bum-rushed by Harry Palmer's rapier tongue. His self deprecating humor, especially in some of the scenes with Samantha Steele (Eva Renzi), is refreshing, since she has the pertness and sense of humor to complement those scenes deftly. Similarly, the scenes with Col. Stock show great flashes of sarcastic wit, juxtaposed with attending to the serious Cold War business at hand.

But the more serious fun is the wonderfully executed plot development, interweaving the various characters such as Johnny Vulcan, Col. Stock, Hallam, Ross (the boss), Kreutsmann, Steele, etc. into a menagerie of complicated intrigue. I'll let others offer a plot synopsis: I'll just say the film keeps you guessing and wondering throughout its hour and forty-five minutes. The overall style of mixing mordant anti-establishment humor and complicated intrigue reminds me of a later film, "The Russia House", with Sean Connery, an equally satisfying Cold War drama.

The only knock I have on this film is the sometimes obtrusive sound track, where the trumpets blare much too loudly to proclaim a given dramatic occurrence. Could have been done a little more tastefully.

All in all, a "must see" for Cold War movie fans!

Funeral in Berlin, in my view, remains the best of the 3 Harry palmer films. Dispensing with the mandatory 60's 'brainwashing'and over-played 'spy' sequences of the Ipcress file. Funeral in Berlin benefits greatly from being shot on location, adding to the authenticity and nervy cold war tension of the original novel. (Actually at least 2 other sub-plots are ditched to save on running time & viewer brain fatigue)The plot, although condensed, remains coherent and totally logical. For anyone wanting explosions, car chases and all the other dreary staples of the 'spy thriller' - forget it. Harry Palmer travels to see his boss on a bus and only receives a gun (at his request) over half way through the film! Watch it for atmosphere, razor-sharp dialogue and a great in-joke regarding Lownbrau beer... Michael Caine is at his world-weary best and supported by a fine cast, all adding to arguably the most 'authentic' spy film of the 60's. as for Billion dollar brain- Have you ever seen it? Listen to the theme tune & turn off!!

Taking Harry Palmer to cold-war Berlin, 'Funeral In Berlin (1966)' sees its hero tasked with handling the defection of a Russian general. Of course things don't go exactly to plan. The plot includes all manner of codenames, back-stabbings and stiff upper lips. It gets very complicated very quickly and it's honesty hard to keep track of. More often than not, you're at the mercy of the narrative. That isn't always a bad thing and it does lead to a few surprises, but it also prevents you from being as attached to proceedings as you perhaps could have been. It's a rather cold affair, overall; it isn't emotionally affecting. It is typically an enjoyable experience, though. It's not quite as good as its predecessor, but it's a solid spy movie nevertheless. 6/10

Though arguably not as cohesive as The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin still stands head and shoulders above the average 60s spy movie. The pacing could be tighter, the adaptation of Deighton's exemplary novel - one of his best - could be a little more fluid but generally the thing works well.

For fans of the novels this is perhaps the most interesting of the three movies. Ipcress is a fascinating spin on the its novel's central theme, Brain is an awful adaptation of a lack-lustre book but Funeral in Berlin sticks to the original story pretty firmly until it turns on you with a very groovy twist indeed.

I picked up this movie from one of the remote corners of the DVD shop. What attracted me was the picture of Caine stooping against a wall. Even after buying it, I kept the box unopened in my table for a couple of weeks. Suddenlt, yesterday it was raining, and I decided to see it. I was blown away! From the first escape sequence, I was taken back to the days of the cold war, to the rivalry, the brutal undercover violence, and all in the backdrop of post WWII Europe. The scenes are so good, the dialogs perfect. Caine is sublime as the British agent. The surprises in the movie have been delivered with an artists's touch. I wonder why we no longer make movies like this. A wonder too, how they were able to make movies like this without all the gadgets and technology that we have today. Maybe because they didn't, they could. It is a very enjoyable movie, almost making you wish the cold war wasn't over. . . .