“You like a close shave, don’t you?”
Goldfinger was an important film. This was the film that kicked Bond mania into overdrive and was the movie that helped start the film going public’s love affair with espionage. It’s also remembered fondly by many as the greatest Bond film, and with good reason. Golfinger set the template for Bond films for the next 50 years. It was the first to contain the pre-credits sequence that all Bond films must now have. It had Bond’s first proper back-and-forth with Q (“Ejector seat? You must be joking!“) and it has Bond asking for his now iconic signature drink; a Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred.
Goldfinger is a departure from Dr No and From Russia With Love in that it isn’t linked. Auric Goldfinger has nothing to do with SPECTRE but that’s ok, because he’s an awesome bad guy in his own right. Gert Frobe is menacing as Goldfinger despite his lines being dubbed afterwards. You imagine this man is very clever, if not completely sane. The golf match between him and Bond is especially great with Bond acting the gentleman and Goldfinger being a sore loser. Goldfinger is aided by his mute Korean manservant; Oddjob. Everyone knows Oddjob, he’s the man with possibly the most famous hat in cinema history. The fight between Oddjob and Bond in Fort Knox at the end is still really cool to watch, I really love it. The fighting in these old movies is much more brutal and psychical and surprisingly tense.
The locations are as exotic as ever, Miami and Geneva followed by a quick trip to B’More. Ok, so maybe Baltimore is not THAT exotic, but James Bond makes it seem beautiful somehow. The sets are downright stunning, especially the inside of Fort Knox at the end. It’s even more stunning when you realise that no knew what the inside of Fort Knox looks like so that set was built from scratch. With James Bond everyone always seems to bring their best. The Bond Girl in Goldfinger is tough and can stick up for herself, which is even more amazing considering she’s called Pussy Galore. The chemistry between Honor Blackman and Sean Connery is great and it seems like the two of them are really having fun filming it. The famous laser scene remains as intense as ever, even the on the hundredth re-watch. The Blu-ray remastering, like Dr No and From Russia With Love, is one of the best quality restorations that I’ve ever seen.
My final sum up is this; If I were to show someone a film that showed them everything I love about the Bond series of movies, I’d show them Goldfinger.
Up next – Thunderball
Reviewed by Jack 😛
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