Credit: Alamy

Watch Michael Caine behind the scenes of ‘Funeral in Berlin’

Mon 2 January 2023 8:00, UK

In 1966, Michael Caine starred in a British spy film by the name Funeral in Berlin, based on Len Deighton’s 1964 novel of the same name. Caine starred as Harry Palmer, having also portrayed the character in the previous film of the series The Ipcress File.

Thanks to archival footage on YouTube, we can view behind-the-scenes footage of Caine in Berlin whilst he was shooting the film. Discussing his visit to the German city, Caine said, “I must have gone to The Wall, during the time I was there, about 25 times. It’s an awful thing, but somehow it’s fascinating. You find yourself walking around in a sort of atmosphere of ghosts.”

That atmosphere is perfect for a spy drama, and Caine admitted to there also being a constant state of tension when walking through the city in the 1960s. “It’s a sort of white knuckle city; you always sit with your hands clenched, even when you’re ordering breakfast,” he said. “You get the feeling of violence at any time.”

Narratively, the film tells of British secret agent Palmer being sent to Berlin by his boss, Colonel Ross, in order to help the defection of a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. He enlists the help of an old German friend, Johnny Vulkan, who now works for the British intelligence service in Germany.

Giving praise to Funeral in Berlin’s director, Caine said, “The picture is directed by Guy Hamilton; he directed Goldfinger. That is eminently suitable because, during the war, he was a member of military intelligence. Guy would throw out something that would seem quite fantastic and say, ‘this is the way it’s normally done’, and put in something that was even more fantastic.”

Discussing two particular locations that Hamilton and he shot at, Caine said, “We shot in a place called Augsburger Strasse, which in New York would be 42nd Street. We found a very seedy area, a marvellous location for Funeral in Berlin. We used this nightclub and the streets surrounding for where Harry Palmer is picked up by this neo-Nazi organisation.”

He added, “At Checkpoint Charlie, we had cameras with telephoto lenses. There was no trouble; I was walking about as though I were an ordinary citizen. We shot the intriguing sort of meetings that one gets in East Berlin.” Checkpoint Charlie was the best-known crossing between East and West Berlin while the Berlin Wall was still erect.

For Caine, the German capital left quite an impression on him. “Berlin had an extraordinary effect on me,” he said. “Most locations are fairly uncomfortable, but Berlin is very comfortable; a very efficient place. It’s rather intriguing, the feeling that you can’t really leave, except by aeroplane.”

Check out the behind-the-scenes footage of Michael Caine below.