The Ipcress File is a 1965 British spy film directed by Sidney J. Furie, from a screenplay by Bill Canaway and James Doran, based on Len Deighton's 1962 novel The IPCRESS File. It stars Michael Caine as Harry Palmer, an intelligence officer from the War Office investigating the disappearances of high-level scientists. This film and its sequels were a deliberately downbeat alternative to the hugely successful James Bond films, even though some of the production team were previously involved with the 007 films, including producer Harry Saltzman, production designer Ken Adam, and composer John Barry. The Ipcress File was released by Rank Film Distributors on 18 March 1965. It received positive reviews and won three BAFTA Awards, including for Best British Film. In 1999, it was included at number 59 on the BFI list of the 100 best British films of the 20th century. A sequel film, Funeral in Berlin, was released in 1966.