Filmed on location in Berlin and Mexico, the project included a large international cast with 3,000 extras and a budget of $8 million. While critically acclaimed, the ratings for the series were a disaster. It was adapted by John Howlett and directed by Ken Grieve and Patrick Lau. It has not been officially released on VHS or DVD. The novel contains an early promulgation of the myth that President John F. Kennedy's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" remark actually translated to "I am a jam doughnut". In "Berlin Game", the character Bernard Samson is told that he is "berlinerisch":  In the preface to the reprint edition, Deighton notes that the novel is told in the highly subjective voice of the character of Bernard Samson, "who is inclined to complain and exaggerate so that we have to interpret the world around him". The author adds that "Readers who take Bernard’s words literally are missing a lot of the intended content". In the prequel to the trilogy, "Winter" (1987), Deighton reminded his readers that the views of the characters were not necessarily those of the writer. The book's epigraph is a quote from James Jones: "...readers should remember that the opinions expressed by the characters are not necessarily those of the author..." In Quentin Tarantino's film "Jackie Brown", Robert Forster's character, Max Cherry, can be seen with a copy of this novel. In Arthur Penn’s film "Target", Gene Hackman’s character, Walter Lloyd/Duncan (Duke) Potter, can be seen with a copy of this novel.