Funeral in Berlin (Guy Hamilton, 1966)

Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is sent on a new mission to get a Russian defector out of East Berlin.

What seems to be a tough assignment only gets more complicated when other parties become involved.

Will Palmer succeed?

Will Palmer survive?

Will Palmer care?

With Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton at the helm and most of the same production team, Funeral In Berlin may not have the uniqueness of its predecessor, but it is not a major step down.

In fact, there is much to recommend Funeral.

For one thing, Palmer is much funnier in this film - it might be a product of Guy Hamilton’s touch, but unlike his Bond movies the humor does not deflate the movie.

In some ways Funeral is even more of a traditional espionage story than Ipcress. Palmer’s mission is familiar Cold War stuff, and he is forced to juggle multiple agents with conflicting loyalties. 

The film falters slightly in the middle with a lot of double crossing and plot reveals, but makes up for it with a tense, atmospheric climax at the Berlin Wall.

As far as the new players, Oscar Homolka is the standout as the would-be defector, a Russian colonel who is in charge of security on the Berlin Wall. He  brings a welcome sense of fun to the proceedings.

Otto Heller returns as DoP but the film bears almost no resemblance to the Dutch angles and use of foreground objects of Ipcress (apart from a brief reprise of said style for Palmer’s office briefing with Ross, which feels like an in-joke). The Berlin exteriors are beautiful, and the film makes use of some great locations. 

One feature of the Palmer movies is that all of the villains are refractions of the central character. They are all in the same twilight world - they are the possible futures Palmer could face.

In Ipcress File, Dalby (Nigel Green) is considered ineffective, Funeral in Berlin’s Hallam (Hugh Burden) the forger is being retired, Billion Dollar Brain’s Leo (Karl Malden) thinks he can escape from his family.

It is a fascinating feature of the series, and I wish there had been a few more entries to build on it.

Despite the increased levity, Funeral in Berlin is a darker, more bittersweet film than The Ipcress File - it is easier to watch in some ways, but lacks the vitality and sense of purpose of its predecessor.