Funeral in Berlin (1966)

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Len Deighton (novel)
Evan Jones (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 February 1967 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It was going to be a lovely funeral. Harry Palmer just hoped it wouldn't be his...

Plot:

A British agent is sent to Berlin to receive a Communist defector, but the true situation turns out to be rather more complicated.

Plot Keywords:

British | Berlin Wall | Sequel | British Spy | Smuggler

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Harry Palmer
Paul Hubschmid	...	Johnny Vulkan
Oskar Homolka	...	Col. Stok (as Oscar Homolka)
Eva Renzi	...	Samantha Steel
Guy Doleman	...	Ross
Hugh Burden	...	Hallam
Heinz Schubert	...	Aaron Levine
Wolfgang Völz	...	Werner
Thomas Holtzmann	...	Reinhardt
Günter Meisner	...	Kreutzman
Herbert Fux	...	Artur
Rainer Brandt	...	Benjamin
Rachel Gurney	...	Mrs. Ross
John Abineri	...	Rukel
David Glover	...	Chico
Sarah Brackett	...	Babcock
Charlotte Brummerhoff	...	Black Widow
Ira Hagen	...	Monica
Erhart Stettner	...	Old Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ursula Heyer	...	Bar Girl (uncredited)
Marthe Keller	...	Brigit (uncredited)
Edward Meeks	...	East-German Guard (uncredited)
Nikki Van der Zyl	...	Samantha Steel (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Guy Hamilton

Writing credits
Len Deighton		(novel)
Evan Jones		(screenplay)

Produced by
Charles D. Kasher	....	producer (as Charles Kasher)
Harry Saltzman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Konrad Elfers

Cinematography by
Otto Heller		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Production Design by
Ken Adam

Art Direction by
Peter Murton

Set Decoration by
Vernon Dixon
Michael White		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Benny Royston	....	makeup artist
Freddie Williamson	....	makeup artist
Ivy Emmerton	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Karl Heinz Elsner	....	production manager (as Karl H. Elsner)
Clifford Parkes	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Bracknell	....	assistant director
Peter Medak	....	second unit director
Nigel Wooll	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harry Arbour	....	construction manager
Vernon Dixon	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Peter Davies	....	sound recordist (as Peter T. Davies)
Gordon K. McCallum	....	sound recordist (as Gordon McCallum)
Ken Nightingall	....	sound
Ben Rayner	....	sound editor
Terry Sharratt	....	sound
Otto Snel	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Elvin	....	camera operator
Bernard Ford	....	camera assistant
Godfrey A. Godar	....	additional photographer (as Godfrey Godar)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara Gillett	....	wardrobe
Brian Owen-Smith	....	wardrobe (as Brian Owen Smith)

Editorial Department
Lesley Walker	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Harry Rabinowitz	....	conductor

Other crew
Frank Ernst	....	location manager
Eileen Head	....	continuity
Harry Saltzman	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Jovera S.A.
• Lowndes Productions Limited
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount British Pictures (1966) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1972) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Pictures (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (Spain) (2001) (Spain) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount-Films (1967) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Esselte Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Finnkino (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1987) (Greece) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1995) (1999) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Ireland:PG | Spain:18 | Singapore:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | Brazil:12 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Jovera S.A.

Trivia:

Hugh Burden replaced Max Adrian.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the border inspection of the hearse, a senior officer hands some documents to a junior who is carrying an AK47 with telescoping stock. In the next shot, the junior is carrying a solid-stock rifle. In the following shot to that, the rifle is once more a telescoping stock.

Quotes:

[after a plan goes wrong]
Harry Palmer:Let's get out of here. I've got some fiction to write.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bullet to Beijing (1995)

" Admit it Russian, . . . I scared you ?"

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. ****