From rom-coms to horror films
Set in West Berlin at the height of the Cold War, this spy thriller directed by Martin Ritt stars Richard Burton as British MI6 agent Alec Leamas.
Berlin's Reichstag building features briefly in this biographical thriller about the news-leaking website WikiLeaks. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as whistleblower Julian Assange.
A Cold War thriller set in 1960s Berlin, 'A Dandy in Aspic' captures the sinister and secretive atmosphere pervading the city during the period. Laurence Harvey and Mia Farrow star.
David Bowie, Sydne Rome, Kim Novak, and Marlene Dietrich (in her final film) star in this black comedy set in post-First World War Berlin. Bowie had long enjoyed a fruitful association with Berlin having recorded the albums 'Low’ (1977), 'Heroes' (1977) and 'Lodger' (1979) during his residence in the city.
West Berlin's Kurfürstendamm, Olympiastadion, and Tiergarten feature prominently among other city landmarks in this gripping spy thriller set in the mid-1960s and starring George Segal and Alec Guinness.
This Bob Fosse-directed musical drama stars Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles, a performer at a Weimer Republic-era Berlin cabaret hall that's increasingly frequented by uniformed Nazi officers and officials as the National Socialists tighten their grip on the city and the country.
Michael Caine reprised his role as Harry Palmer in this spy drama, set almost entirely in Berlin. Landmarks seen throughout include the Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's acclaimed drama starring Hanna Schygulla as the titular character is set during and after the Second World War, and filmed both in Coburg and Berlin.
John Frankenheimer’s thriller, based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, stars Michael Caine as the son of a German general who becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy. West Berlin locations were used for part of the movie.
A television miniseries set in 1920s Berlin, 'Berlin Alexanderplatz' was adapted from Alfred Doblin's 1929 novel of the same name by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who also directed the 14-part production. The series was released theatrically in the US, screened in extended segments.
Taking place in 1950s Berlin during the Cold War era, 'The Innocent' stars Anthony Hopkins and Isabella Rossellini. The film is based on the real-life project initiated by the CIA and MI6 to build a tunnel under the Russian sector of Berlin, a daring exploit that was codenamed Operation Gold.
John Malkovich stars as Tom Ripley in this thriller, which is partly set in Berlin. The city's Gendarmenmarkt, and the aquarium in Tiergarten were used as locations.
In telling the true story of Claus von Stauffenberg (played by Tom Cruise), who led the July 20 plot in 1944 to assassinate Hitler, 'Valkyrie' filmmakers requested and eventually were given permission to shoot at Berlin's former Reich Air Ministry Building and, crucially, Bendlerblock, where the conspirators were executed in real life.
Berlin is featured at the end of the Second World War and during the 1980s in this mystery thriller which stars George C. Scott and Marlon Brando. Fun fact: both actors are noted for refusing to accept Academy Awards for Best Actor.
Interpol detective Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan assistant district attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) follow a violent trail of money laundering, terrorism, and arms trading, in an investigation which starts in Berlin.
East and West Berlin provide a suitably grim and secretive post-war backdrop for Carol Reed's espionage-laced thriller starring James Mason and Clair Bloom. Authentic locations include the ruined Reichstag building.
Tom Hanks stars as James B. Donovan, who was tasked with negotiating the release of captured US Air Force pilot Gary Powers in exchange for a KGB spy. Steven Spielberg directed the film, which used real-life Berlin locations, including the Glienicke Bridge, where the secret trade-off took place.
Sources: (CIA) (Deutsche Welle) (Time)
See also: Beautiful and strange locations made famous by movies
'The Big Lift' was made in 1949 just as the Soviet blockade of Berlin was lifted, and incorporates newsreel footage of the actual airlift. The story is told through the experiences of two US Air Force personnel (played by Montgomery Clift and Paul Douglas).
Shot simultaneously in German- and English-language versions, 'The Blue Angel' was directed by Josef von Sternberg and stars Marlene Dietrich as Berlin cabaret singer Lola-Lola. The film is noted for launching Dietrich's international career and also provides audiences with a snapshot of Europe at the moment Germany's Weimar Republic finally expired.
'Octopussy' opens in East Berlin with the death of a British agent, which prompts 007 James Bond (Roger Moore) to make his way to West Berlin and investigate. The city’s famous Checkpoint Charlie features early on in the plot.
A German silent drama that follows a group of Berlin residents on a summer's day outing during the Weimar years, 'Menschen am Sonntag' ('People on Sunday') features a screenplay by Billy Wilder and cinematography by Fred Zinneman, both of whom would later find success in the US. The film serves as a nostalgic reminder of what Berlin looked liked before Adolf Hitler became chancellor.
Billy Wilder had fled Hitler's Germany in 1934 and returned in 1961 as a successful film director to make this political comedy, shot as the Berlin Wall went up. James Cagney stars as a Coca-Cola executive chaperoning his boss's teenage daughter.
Soviet East Berlin in the early 1980s provides an authentic setting for this disturbing drama about an East German Stasi agent conducting surveillance on unsuspecting citizens. Incredibly, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck managed to gain permission to film in the Stasi archives.
Bruno Ganz stars in this Wim Wenders-directed fable about an angel drifting over a divided and traumatized Berlin who eventually falls in love with a mortal.
Produced just three years after the end of the Second World War, Roberto Rossellini's 'Germany Year Zero' was filmed in the rubble-strewn streets of an almost completely ruined Berlin.
This clever black comedy directed by Wolfgang Becker follows the story of an East German woman who falls into a coma in October 1989 and wakes up in June 1990 after the Berlin Wall has fallen and communism has collapsed.
Uli Edel's harrowing fact-based drama is about a young narcotics-addicted prostitute, and it's largely set around West Berlin's Bahnhof Zoo.
Matt Damon reprises his role as Jason Bourne in this second instalment of the Jason Bourne film series. Much of the Paul Greengrass-directed movie is set in and around Berlin.
Berlin is one of Europe's most colorful and vibrant capital cities. But it's a destination with a turbulent past. Seat of the Third Reich during the Second World War, Berlin was later at the heart of the Cold War. Divided by a wall and a hotbed of secrecy and espionage, the city cultivated fear and fascination in equal measure. Long used as a backdrop by filmmakers, Berlin has starred in numerous movies, from early silent productions to the latest Hollywood blockbusters.
Click through and enjoy some screen time in Berlin.
Liam Neeson plays a doctor who's lost his memory. He's chased all over Berlin as he attempts to retrieve it and uncover the truth. The car chase along Friedrichstraße is an action highlight.
Battle scenes for the third instalment of the 'Hunger Games' film series were filmed at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport and the Berlin Messedamm.
The best movies made in Berlin
Berlin as a movie backdrop
MOVIES Germany
Berlin is one of Europe's most colorful and vibrant capital cities. But it's a destination with a turbulent past. Seat of the Third Reich during the Second World War, Berlin was later at the heart of the Cold War. Divided by a wall and a hotbed of secrecy and espionage, the city cultivated fear and fascination in equal measure. Long used as a backdrop by filmmakers, Berlin has starred in numerous movies, from early silent productions to the latest Hollywood blockbusters.
Click through and enjoy some screen time in Berlin.