With the success of Dr. No and From Russia With Love, it was no surprise that the James Bond movie series was going to continue. Goldfinger continued the successful series while also introducing a few new elements into the series.
Goldfinger was the third movie to feature James Bond, but it can stand alone well. The plot wasn't connected in any way to the previous movies. The only connection to the previous movies were the few returning characters. Since the plot stands alone, there shouldn't be any spoilers for the first two movies in this review.
James Bond was in Miami Beach for a vacation. He was interrupted when Felix Leiter of the CIA arrived with a message for James from M. Auric Goldfinger was also in town and James was supposed to watch him. Things got complicated when James had his way with Jill Masterson, the women working with Goldfinger and she ended up dead. Once back in England, James learned that it was believed that Goldfinger was smuggling gold and James was to find out how the gold was being transported between countries. James had a more personal encounter with Goldfinger on a golf course where he also met Oddjob, Goldfinger's servant who wore a deadly hat. James eventually ended up in Kentucky where he met Miss Galore (the content filter will not let me use her first name), Goldfinger's personal pilot. She was also involved in Goldfinger's ultimate plan.
Goldfinger was based on the book of the same name by Ian Fleming. I haven't read the book, so I don't know what might have been changed for the movie. This was the first Bond movie not to feature SPECTRE and have a specific country funding the actions of the villain. Some things that had been established in the first two movies were used again and some new things were introduced as well. This was the first Bond movie to feature a car loaded down with a lot of gadgets. The Bond theme wasn't played as often during the movie. Instead, an instrumental version of the song Goldfinger was played.
The plot to Goldfinger worked well without being overly complicated. I thought it was interesting even though certain things about it were predictable. There were one or two small surprises that helped to keep things interesting. The plan that Goldfinger had for his ultimate goal was a bit elaborate and it was stretching things a bit with how everything worked out, but it still made for an entertaining movie. There was a small amount of mystery connected to exactly what Goldfinger was up to. There really wasn't much suspense in the movie, which could bother some viewers.
Goldfinger had more gadgets for James to use, including the car with the interesting features. The gadgets used in this movie were a bit more practical and normal than some of the ones that have been used in some of the later movies. When James got his equipment for the mission, he went to see Q in his lab and several other gadgets were shown in the background during the scene. That is something that has been done in many of the other Bond movies. The car was used in a few entertaining chases, and the different features did come in handy for James. The car chases as well as a few fights added a decent amount of action to the movie as well as some non graphic violence. Special effects were used during a few sequences. They really stood out during the one sequence and did look dated even though I'm sure they were considered well done at the time the movie was made. The mood was lightened several times by things that James said which added a bit of humor to what was going on.
James had his way with two different women in Goldfinger, so he continued to be a womanizer. He had known Jill for a matter of minutes before he made his move with her. They were only shown kissing and laying in bed together, but it was clear that they had sex. He flirted with a few other women, including Miss Moneypenny, before he and Miss Galore hooked up. She really wasn't interested in him when they first met and she didn't waste time in letting him know that. However, that didn't stop James from changing her mind. He was a bit forceful in getting to her, but she ultimately gave in. There were no sex scenes in the movie, but some of the women, like Jill especially, showed off a lot of skin.
James was much like he had been in the previous movies. He was good at his job and didn't mind getting into fights or using his gun to get things done. He was able to deal with some unusual situations without losing his control. He did have a way with women and he seemed to think he was irresistible. Sean Connery remained really good in the part. Felix was barely in the movie and didn't add anything to what was going on.
M and Miss Moneypenny were only briefly shown again, so neither of them played large parts in what was going on. Miss Moneypenny still had her crush on James and continued to flirt with him. This was the first movie that Q was actually called Q. He only had a short scene, but it established the relationship he and James would have in the future movies. Q was irritated that James didn't show the gadgets the proper respect or take them seriously.
Jill was the young woman who had been involved in helping Goldfinger early in the movie. When James sabotaged that arrangement, she ended up dead in a unique way. Her sister made a few short appearances later in the movie. Neither one of them were developed. Auric Goldfinger had a legitimate job that he used to cover his criminal activities. The man was obsessed with gold and getting richer. He was evil but not crazy and is probably one of the better Bond villains. Gert Frobe handled the part well, though the voice for the character was dubbed in by another actor because Frobe's accent was so strong.
Oddjob worked for Goldfinger as some sort of servant or bodyguard. Oddjob seemed to just lurk around and he never said a word. He was very loyal to Goldfinger and he didn't mind taking care of people with his hat. The thing was actually a deadly weapon, able to cut the head off of a statue. He was very menacing and not someone you would want to encounter. Miss Galore was Goldfinger's personal pilot and she was also going to play a part in his big plan. She seemed to be a very independent woman. She is also probably the most well known of the Bond girls because of her name, which can also be a slang term for a certain area of a woman's body. I did read that the makers of the movie considered changing her name to Kitty. Honor Blackman was fine in the part.
Main Cast
Honor Blackman - Miss Galore Sean Connery - James Bond Shirley Eaton - Jill Masterson Gert Frobe - Auric Goldfinger Bernard Lee - M Cec Linder - Felix Leiter Desmond Llewelyn - Q Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny Harold Sakata - Oddjob
Guy Hamilton - Director
DVD Information
Goldfinger was first released on DVD several years ago. Another version of the DVD was released a few years ago as part of the Ultimate James Bond DVD Set, which is the version I have. I have the entire set after waiting for the price to drop. The DVD for Goldfinger has two discs and a booklet that had information about the movie. There was a commentary on the first disc that I haven't listened to. The rest of the extras were on the second disc.
From the Set of Goldfinger was a short interview with Sean Connery done during the filming of the movie by an unidentified woman. All the Bond movies were discussed and Connery talked about how he first got into acting. Some other people working on the set could be seen in the background. The footage was in black and white and it was interesting even though it was short. There were screen tests for two actors who tried to get the part of Goldfinger. They were fine, but I think Frobe fit the part better than they could have.
On Tour With the Aston Martin DB-5 explained how the car went on tour around the world to help promote the movie. Pictures and footage from that tour was shared while the man who traveled with the car talked about the experience. There was also some newsreel footage from a few of the places that the car was taken to. All of the gadgets in the car, including some that weren't shown during the movie, were pointed out more than once. The different toy versions of the cars that had been made were shown as well. There had been a few of the cars made to use in the movie and another two made to use for the promotion. Some of the cars have been sold at auctions over the years. This featurette ended by saying that the original version of the car was stolen in 1996 and as of the time this featurette was made, it hadn't been recovered.
The Honor Blackman Open-Ended Interview featured interview footage of Blackman. There was a voice over at the beginning explaining how the studio had filmed Blackman answering questions and then sent the footage along with the list of questions to different television stations. The stations could then dub in one of their reporters asking the questions before they aired the footage. The footage was in black and white and very rough and didn't have many questions. The Interactive Guide into the World of Goldfinger had a list of items, like women or villains, and when one was selected, a clip from the movie associated with the item would play.
The Making of Goldfinger focused in on the making of the movie and featured some of the cast and crew talking about the movie. It looked like clips had been pulled from different interviews and compiled together for this featurette. Decisions about casting and other things, like all the features in the car, were talked about. Ian Fleming visited the set of the movie, but he died a month before the movie premiered. The filming of certain scenes was also talked about.
The Goldfinger Phenomenon talked about the publicity for the movie and how reporters were allowed on the set while filming was going on. Several pictures from the set and some clips from the movie were also shown. This was the first movie to feature a laser and it was very new technology at the time. It was discussed how the producers considered changing Miss Galore's name to Kitty and how Blackman enjoyed using the name when talking about the movie because it bothered some people. The car was talked about again, including how it was the director's idea to have the revolving license plate. A lot of the merchandise that was created connected to the movie was shown. There were all sorts of games and even James Bond shoes. The original trailers and television spots were also included.
Goldfinger was a very entertaining movie and a good addition to the James Bond movie series. People that enjoyed the first two movies, or who have enjoyed the later movies, should give this one a chance.
Special agent 007 (Sean Connery) has just come face to face with one of the most notorious villians of all time. And now he ll have to outwit and outg...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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