Funeral in Berlin

source: Funeral in Berlin

Occasionally stilted and some what anti-climatic spy yarn still has it's moments, mostly provided by a top script. Second half is puzzling at times. Why does Palmer go to so much trouble in preventing Vulkan from going over the wall to the east when earlier he tells him he wants him to disappear? And why did he hold on to the Blume documents if this too would prevent him from ridding himself of the thorny task set him by Ross? Perhaps he had more integrity in doing his job than his laconic style first suggested. Over-all, above average commercial fodder.

The Second of Len Deightons's Harry Palmer trilogy 'Funeral In Berlin' Stands head and shoulders above nearly all spy thrillers ever made. Michael Caine is at his best, funny and brooding in turn. The supporting cast are brilliant, with an outstanding Oskar Holmolka working his genius as the Russian Colonel Stok. What the film does best is capture the tension and complicated nature of the cold war. Some people may complain about the complexity of the storyline, but Deighton researched his books to the finest detail and this is as near as how it ever came to be on film. The only film to come close in modern times is "The Good Shepard" The look of the movie is completely stunning and the soundtrack is perfection Often the best work will come out when there is little or no expectation- Take Marvin Gayes "Whats going on" Album. This movie has that same relaxed air of confidence. I cannot praise this film highly enough- I have serched high and low (Third man, The spy who came in, etc..) and i honestly cannot find its equal- 11/10 After many, many viewings, it continues to shine Enjoy

Guy Goldfinger Hamilton did a better job,in my humble opinion,than Sidney J.furie in "the icpress file" which featured Michael Caine in his first Harry Palmer movie.This latter movie made me yawn my head off and I left before the end. "Funeral in Berlin" is nervier-everything is relative!- and Guy Hamilton took advantage of the location :his movie is a lot more palatable than Furie's .The problem lies in the plot:it's really a mess where ,any old how,you find a Russian who wants to fly west ,a nazi who stole a lot of dough from the Jews,a handsome man who is not what he claims to be,a gorgeous girl who naturally has got something to hide,actually nothing new under Berlin's sun."The spy who came in from the cold" (Martin Ritt,1965) had also a labyrinthine story,but its bleak black and white cinematography,its miserable hero -who was not a hero as Palmer is :he was mortal-and its top notch cast -Claire Bloom,Richard Burton,Peter Van Eyck,Oskar Werner-easily made up for it. Main interest is Berlin before "die Mauer muss weg".Hamilton has a good sense of space,which will emerge again in "Goldfinger" ,even if James Bond and Harry Palmer are worlds apart.

Funeral in Berlin is to my mind the best spy-agent film of its kind! The film is even more appreciated if you have visited or lived in Berlin prior to 1989. I lived in West Berlin through most of 1967 and often went through Checkpoint Charlie to visit various parts of East Berlin. There was a tremendous atmosphere in West Berlin, a special buzz, an excitement, probably due to the Allied sectors being well inside the Soviet zone. Crossing the white line at Charlie for the first time was rather daunting. Border guards would train their binoculars on you and the reception received from the Vopos who were in charge of passport admin was cold. Watching Funeral in Berlin takes me back to 1967, I notice Kranzlers café on the Ku'damm where I often took coffee, the Bristol Kempinski Hotel off the Ku'damm where I lived for 3 months, the Europa Centre next to the Kaiser Willhelm Memorial Church, and of course the Mercedes insignia. If you want to know more about the Berlin Wall read the excellent Christopher Hilton book The Wall: THe Peoples Story.

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.

There are a number of interesting spy novels involving British Agents, which were written by Len Deighton, but the most popular ones involves international spy Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) . That is because unlike 007, Harry is a 'thinking man's James Bond.' If you watch the movie, you'll see the reason for such a statement. Take for instance this offering " A Funeral in Berlin " is the tale of spy vs spy. During the era of the Cold War, each side (East and West) was endeavoring to gain an upper hand in the war of intrigue. The Berlin Wall or Iron Curtain separated Germany and each side sought to exploit the other side's weaknesses. Many East Germans were seeking to cross the 'wall' any way they could. To fail meant death. Harry Palmer is sent by his boss, Col. Ross (Guy Doleman) on what Harry believes is a fool's errand. A high ranking Russian Official, Colonel Stok KGB (Oskar Homolka) seeks to defect and needs Harry's help. His German friend, Johnny Vulkan (Paul Hubschmid) reassures harry of his mission as does Eva Renzi (Samantha Steel) an Isreali spy. All seems above board, but Harry is no fool and takes precautions to insure his own life. What transpires is nothing short of fine drama and the result is the foundation for Classic status. ****

The weakest of the three Harry Palmer movies the best being Billion Dollar Brain. This one lacks the style of the Ipcress File and the ingenuity of BDB. Like me you may well fall asleep before the end. It is standard spy fare at best and the confusing plot irritates. Don't watch it! Bury it!

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!!

FUNERAL IN BERLIN is another of the Harry Palmer spy sequels that followed in the wake of THE IPCRESS FILE. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first film in the series, I think the sequels are something of an unnecessary drag and so it proved with this clunky misfire of a movie. It's another Len Deighton adaptation in which Palmer is tasked with heading into East Berlin, where he tangles with all kinds of mysterious characters. There are more nods to the Bond franchise here, with Palmer taking time out to romance various attractive and glamorous women, with the more action elements of the story coming in at the climax. It's well-made, certainly, but also overlong and not particularly fulfilling - at least for this viewer.