GOLDFINGER
UK, 1964, 110 minutes, Colour.
Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Frobe, Shirley Eaton, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Cec Linder.
Directed by Guy Hamilton.
Goldfinger was the third in the James Bond franchise, coming after Dr No and From Russia with Love and preceding Thunderball (also directed by Guy Hamilton).
Commentators say that this scenario remains closest to Ian Fleming’s novel. By this time Sean Connery had been established as Bond, the suave manner, appearance, clothes, cocktails shaken not stirred, announcing his name. He had become something of an icon.
Gert Frobe is Auric (from the Latin word for gold) Goldfinger, a more genial villain than usual but also most ruthless. He has his henchman, Oddjob, with his lethal steel hat which he throws towards his victims. There is also Pussy Galore, played by Honor Blackman, with her squad of women pilots who finally succumbs to Bond’s charms and helps him solve the problems. Bernard Lee is once again M, Lois Maxwell Miss Moneypenny and Desmond Llewellyn Emerges more strongly as Q with his armory, his special Aston Martin car – and he was to continue until 1999 in The World is Not Enough. Cec Linder takes over from Jack Lord as Felix Leiter.
The plot is fairly straightforward. Goldfinger cheats at cards to get money, MI6 puts Bond on his trail. He encounters Bond, keeps him alive so that he can observe his plan: to rob Fort Knox. However, his main aim is to make the gold radioactive and therefore unusable. He has a nuclear reactor from the Chinese (a change in Cold War enmity from the previous film, the Russians). However, Dr No was also of Chinese origin.
The screenplay is sometimes witty, sometimes ironic and corny. It has its usual quota of action, chases, confrontations, explosion, last-minute solutions to problems.
1.The early James Bond, close to Ian Fleming?
2.The 1960s, the popularity of James Bond, Sean Connery as an icon, his style, language, dry irony, announcing his name, cocktails shaken not stirred, his relationship with women, espionage, his technical skills? Timing?
3.The credibility of the plot? Farfetched? The credits and the introduction by Shirley Bassey, the lyrics of the song, its mood? The images? Auric Goldfinger as the villain? His plan, love of power, English officials after him, Bond and the confrontations?
4.Bond and the discussions with M, flirting with Miss Moneypenny, the mission, the other officials? Q and the apparatus and the car? The friendship with Felix Leiter, contact with him, Leiter coming to the rescue at the end?
5.Goldfinger cheating at cards, his hearing aid, Jill and her giving him the information, Bond following the lead, confronting Jill, asking Goldfinger to lose? The liaison with Jill, his being attacked, finding her covered with gold? Oddjob and his hat? Goldfinger and his personality, affable as well as megalomaniac?
6.The plan, the gold, the Chinese with the nuclear reactor, his own army, advisers? Pussy Galore and the girls, their planes? Keeping Bond alive?
7.Bond and the various conflicts, chases, car explosions, the planes, at Fort Knox, Pussy Galore and the fights with her?
8.The plan, radioactivity of the gold, Goldfinger’s power?
9.Bond contacting Felix, getting the backup, romance with Pussy, changing her mind? Helping?
10.The planes flying over, the girl pilots (and the bizarre sexuality)? The gas, the troops collapsing – and later coming to life again?
11.The bomb, James Bond chained to it, the timer, the confrontation with Oddjob, defusing the bomb, the attack by the troops, the physicist at the last moment and the bomb not going off?
12.Oddjob, the final fight, his being electrified? Goldfinger, the military disguise, shooting the troops?
13.Bond to go to Washington, to see the president, Goldfinger on the plane, the shooting, Goldfinger being sucked out? Pussy as pilot, the crash?
14.Mission accomplished? The blend of the serious and the jokey?
