Funeral In Berlin is the second spy film in the 'Harry Palmer' series, following the superior The Ipcress File (1965) and preceding the fairly bad Billion Dollar Brain (1967). It once again follows the unglamourised British secret agent Palmer in a more nuts and bolts approach to the Secret Service than had been popularised by the 'James Bond' series. Unlike those, this one focuses on the real geopolitical scenario of the Cold War. In this instance, Palmer is sent to Berlin to check out a dubious planned defection of a high ranking Soviet commander; needless to say, things prove to be considerably more complex.
Once again, the 'Palmer' films have differentiated themselves from the approach of the 'James Bond' series. High glamour and exotic locations are replaced with a bespectacled and unstylishly clothed spy and a gloomy and oppressed city in which the action plays out. The 'Palmer' films sort of fall between the full-on over-the-top approach of Bond and the ultra-austere realism of The Spy who came in from the Cold (1965); so they sort of feed of both strands with enough realism to please those seeking truer to life fare, yet still throwing in enough action to ensure they aren't too depressingly realistic. Funeral In Berlin is a more plot-driven film than The Ipcress File but it lacks the relentless visual invention of that movie and its fantastic John Barry score. It also I guess suffers from inevitably not being as fresh an idea the second time around. Yet, it still remains a quite impressive film in terms of its overall story and production values. The story is quite complex so you do need to pay attention but it does ensure it remains quite compelling. Michael Caine is great value again as the sarcastic central character. It was also nice to see Eva Renzi appear as an Israeli spy - she was very well known to me for playing a highly memorable character in Dario Argento's seminal debut film, the ultra-chic giallo The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - it was very nice to see her in something else.
Once again, the 'Palmer' films have differentiated themselves from the approach of the 'James Bond' series. High glamour and exotic locations are replaced with a bespectacled and unstylishly clothed spy and a gloomy and oppressed city in which the action plays out. The 'Palmer' films sort of fall between the full-on over-the-top approach of Bond and the ultra-austere realism of The Spy who came in from the Cold (1965); so they sort of feed of both strands with enough realism to please those seeking truer to life fare, yet still throwing in enough action to ensure they aren't too depressingly realistic. Funeral In Berlin is a more plot-driven film than The Ipcress File but it lacks the relentless visual invention of that movie and its fantastic John Barry score. It also I guess suffers from inevitably not being as fresh an idea the second time around. Yet, it still remains a quite impressive film in terms of its overall story and production values. The story is quite complex so you do need to pay attention but it does ensure it remains quite compelling. Michael Caine is great value again as the sarcastic central character. It was also nice to see Eva Renzi appear as an Israeli spy - she was very well known to me for playing a highly memorable character in Dario Argento's seminal debut film, the ultra-chic giallo The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - it was very nice to see her in something else.