History Film / FuneralInBerlin

''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1966 film directed by Creator/GuyHamilton, based on the [[SpyFiction spy novel]] by Creator/LenDeighton. It is the second of the Film/HarryPalmer series starring Creator/MichaelCaine, following ''Film/TheIPCRESSFile'' and itself followed by ''The Billion Dollar Brain''.

''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1966 film directed by Creator/GuyHamilton, based on the spy novel by Creator/LenDeighton. It is the second of the Film/HarryPalmer series starring Creator/MichaelCaine, following ''Film/TheIPCRESSFile'' and itself followed by ''The Billion Dollar Brain''.

* SameLanguageDub: Eva Renzi was dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl (who also dubbed several [[Film/JamesBond Bond girls]], while David Glover was dubbed by Dinsdale Landen.

* SameLanguageDub: Eva Renzi was dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl, while David Glover was dubbed by Dinsdale Landen.

* TakeItToTheBridge: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glienicke_Bridge Glienicke Bridge]] is featured prominentely.

''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1966 film based on the spy novel by Creator/LenDeighton. It is the second of the Film/HarryPalmer series starring Creator/MichaelCaine, following ''Film/TheIPCRESSFile'' and itself followed by ''The Billion Dollar Brain''.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TheDefector I wish to defect. But there are... conditions.]]]]

Once Palmer reaches Berlin, though, things quickly become much more complicated as at least two other factions become involved in what was meant to be a simple operation - a beautiful young woman who turns out to be [[spoiler: Israeli intelligence]] and an old acquaintance of Harry's who [[spoiler: turns out to be an ex-Nazi under an assumed name.]]

* HalfWayPlotSwitch: The funeral happens at the halfway point of the film - [[spoiler: the rest of the film deals with the revelation that Vulkan is the mysterious ex-Nazi Broum, and his conflict with the Israelis.]]

* ThePubSchlubSeductionTechnique: Harry Palmer is picked up by a beautiful young woman - who is later revealed to be an Israeli agent - in a West Berlin bar and invited back to her flat. He goes along with it but is not convinced for a moment that her motives are genuine, telling his German contact that "she picked me up last night, and - with my irresistible charm - I want to know why, and who she's working for." Despite his suspicions, she still manages to distract him long enough for her associates to search his hotel room.

* CheckpointCharlie: The defector gets smuggled by faking his death and being taken across the Berlin Wall in a coffin. The idea has been reused several times, such as in the TV series ''Series/JasonKing'' and ''Series/MacGyver''.

''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1966 film based on the spy novel by Creator/LenDeighton. It is the second of the Film/HarryPalmer series, following ''Film/TheIPCRESSFile'' and itself followed by ''The Billion Dollar Brain''.

* [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall The Berlin Wall]]: The titular funeral is the method of getting Stok across the Wall safely. German gangster and escape maestro Kreutzmann even has a lookalike East German pensioner killed and organizes a fake "relative" in the West to claim the body. [[spoiler: Long story short, it was all a Soviet ploy to expose Kreutzmann, and when the coffin is opened in the West, it's him in it - dead - instead of the Colonel.]] Also significant for being shot on location. Wall guards in East Germany kept shining lights at the camera trying to ruin their filming.
* TheChessMaster: [[spoiler:Harry Palmer]]

* SpyFiction: Quintessential Stale Beer. Long coats, [[BlackAndGreyMorality morally iffy actions]] and backstabbing in the bombed-out ruins of Berlin - yup, it's definitely dirty 60s spy fiction.

* GambitPileup: British Intelligence, a Russian General, Mossad and a Nazi war criminal are all trying to stay a step ahead of each other. [[spoiler:Harry Palmer, the supposed UnwittingPawn to everyone involved was actually ahead of them from quite early on.]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Harry Palmer]].

----

[[caption-width-right:350:[[TheDefector I wish to defect. But there are... conditions]]]]

* HalfWayPlotSwitch: The titular funeral happens at the halfway point of the film - [[spoiler: the rest of the film deals with the revelation that Vulkan is the mysterious ex-Nazi Broum, and his conflict with the Israelis.]]

* [[UsefulNotes/BerlinWall The Berlin Wall]]: The titular funeral is the method of getting Stok across the Wall safely. German gangster and escape maestro Kreutzmann even has a lookalike East German pensioner killed and organizes a fake "relative" in the West to claim the body. [[spoiler: Long story short, it was all a Soviet ploy to expose Kreutzmann, and when the coffin is opened in the West, it's him in it - dead - instead of the Colonel.]]

* SpyFiction: Stale Beer kind.
* UnwittingPawn: Harry Palmer. [[spoiler:Or is he?]]

Once Palmer reaches Berlin, though, things quickly become much more complicated as at least two other factions become involved in what was meant to be a simple operation - a beautiful young woman who turns out to be [[spoiler: Israeli intelligence]] and [[spoiler: an old acquaintance of Harry's who turns out to be an ex-Nazi under an assumed name.]]

''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1966 film based on the spy novel by Creator/LenDeighton. It is the second of the Film/HarryPalmer series.

Colonel Stok, a Soviet intelligence officer responsible for security at the Berlin Wall, appears to want to defect but the evidence is contradictory. Stok wants the British to handle his defection and asks for one of their agents, Harry Palmer, to smuggle him out of East Germany.

* GambitPileup: The MI5, a Russian General, Mossad, a Nazi war criminal are all trying to be a step ahead of each other. [[spoiler:Harry Palmer, the supposed UnwittingPawn is ahead of all of them, while working on behalf of the MI5.]]

''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1966 film based on the spy novel by LenDeighton. It is the second of the Film/HarryPalmer series.

* UsefulNotes/{{Berlin}}
* UsefulNotes/BerlinWall
* ColdWar

* BerlinWall