|
|
 |
|
Review
by
Brian Lindsey
|
 |
|
9
|
|
 |
|
10 |
|
10
= Highest Rating |
|
|
The
third 007 film, 1964's Goldfinger,
was not only one of the first true international
movie blockbusters but also established the basic
template for the 17 (and counting) James Bond
adventures to follow. Dr.
No, the first Bond flick, introduced the character
and his famous theme music but was otherwise an
unexceptional (though fanciful and well-crafted)
adventure yarn. From
Russia with Love was pretty much a straight
spy thriller true to the Fleming spirit, rooted
more in Cold War intrigue than comic book-style
excess. Goldfinger
took signature elements of the first two films
and constructed a larger-than-life icon, one powerful
enough to fuel the longest-running, most successful
movie franchise in history. The ultimate survivor,
Agent 007 has weathered decades of change in the
pop culture zeitgeist without so much as mussing
up his hair. It's astonishing to think that the
Bond series has been around for as long as I've
been alive... through the Swinging '60s to the
Computer Revolution, from the fall of the Berlin
Wall to the fall of the World Trade Center towers.
(Not to mention five different actors in the role.)
There have been high and low points in the franchise
to be sure. Yours truly — a massive Bond fan since
I was knee-high to Nick Nack — tends to see the
Roger Moore era as the least satisfying period;
he was much too jokey and not terribly believable
in many of the action scenes, culminating in the
absolute nadir of the series, 1979's absurdly
bloated Moonraker.
Moore also overstayed his welcome, resulting in
the geriatric 007 of Octopussy
and A View To a Kill.
His successor, Timothy Dalton, was a welcome breath
of fresh air and a return to the character's literary
roots, but unfortunately his Bond only got to
live twice — after Licence
To Kill (1989), the British superspy wouldn't
reappear for another 6 years. The Pierce Brosnan
era, to my mind, has so far proven a very mixed
bag. Based on the promos currently airing for
the upcoming Die
Another Day, it would seem the series might
be reverting to the ridiculous excesses of the
Moore films. If so, too bad. At least we'll have
the classic Bonds to enjoy again and again via
home video. And Goldfinger,
starring the original 007, Sean Connery, remains
the best of these.
Concern for the stability of
world gold prices puts James Bond on the trail
of a suspected international smuggler, the eccentric
industrialist Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe, The
Testament of Dr. Mabuse). Having first encountered
Goldfinger at a Miami hotel, Bond is aware that
the man is a pathological — and very dangerous
— opponent. Though fabulously wealthy, Goldfinger
stoops to cheating at cards for piddling stakes;
he also has his mistress, Jill Masterson (bodacious
Shirley Eaton), murdered for sleeping with Bond.
The girl is killed in a truly unique way, dying
of skin suffocation once her body's been completely
covered in gold paint. Bond next confronts Goldfinger
at an exclusive golf course in England, where
he's challenged to a high stakes game for a bar
of rare Nazi gold. In what has to be cinema's
most famous round of golf, 007 turns the tables
on his adversary when he detects him attempting
to cheat. Goldfinger may be a sore loser but he's
certainly not stupid. The meddlesome Englishman
has twice now crossed paths with him, each time
with unfavorable results. A warning to Bond is
delivered by Goldfinger's hulking Korean manservant,
Oddjob (Harold Sakata), who uses a throwable,
steel-lined bowler hat to slice the head from
a statue. Our hero, of course, is not one to be
easily intimidated. Armed with a gadget-filled
Aston Martin courtesy of Q Branch, Bond tails
Goldfinger to the continent, tracking the industrialist's
Rolls Royce on a road trip through Switzerland.
By sneaking into a factory complex owned by Goldfinger,
Bond uncovers his quarry's simple but ingenious
method of smuggling large consignments of gold.
He also learns that Goldfinger has something significantly
bigger planned, an operation code-named "Grand
Slam" which somehow involves Red China. But
before he can report back to HQ, 007 is captured
and held prisoner. Only later will he truly discover
just how grandiose Grand Slam really is... and
the dire fate this gold-obsessed madman has in
store for him.
Goldfinger
represents the well-oiled Bondmobile firing on
all cylinders. Everything just seems to click
— the characters, the plot, the pacing, the dialog,
the music, everything. While certainly
dated as far as film techniques go (particularly
in the use of rear projection for driving scenes),
it nonetheless remains a timeless adventure yarn
featuring a roguish hero equally appealing to
both men and women. Sure, the James Bond of the
'60s is a sexist, misogynist dinosaur by today's
standards but Sean Connery is, quite simply, cool
enough to get away with it. (He's in his prime
here and not yet bored with being 007, as is so
evident in You Only Live Twice
and Diamonds
Are Forever.) Fröbe's reptilian master villain,
with his alchemist's glee for the very molecular
substance of gold ("It's color, it's divine
heaviness..."), is rightfully considered one
of Bond's greatest adversaries. The same goes
for Sakata's Oddjob, the henchman with the lethal
chapeau. His fight with Bond within the bowels
of the Fort Knox bullion depository is one of
the highlights of the entire 007 series. And who
could forget Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore? The
character's name alone guarantees her role will
be remembered as long as anyone's still making
movies. The script, a near-perfect balance of
tongue-in-cheek wit and serious thriller conventions,
is loaded with quotable dialog. Then there's composer
John Barry's superb, iconoclastic score — including
the bold, brassy main title song that's become
one of the most famous movie themes in history
— and the fantastical, almost sci-fi sets of designer
Ken Adam.
These
elements combine to make Goldfinger
one of the greatest action-adventure films ever
made.
|
|
|
|
After
withdrawing its 007 discs from the market almost
two years ago, MGM has just reissued seven of
its 'Special Edition' James Bond DVDs as part
of the marketing push for this month's theatrical
release of Die Another Day.
(The other titles should follow when the latest
Bond flick hits home video in 2003.) These discs
are certainly worthy of the 'Special Edition'
nomenclature —
slickly presented and jam-packed with extras —
with Goldfinger being
one of the best of the bunch.
While not flawless, the DVD's
1.66:1 (anamorphic) widescreen transfer is the
best I've ever seen the movie look. The main audio
track, alas, is in Dolby 2.0 mono but is perfectly
acceptable. Extras include: the theatrical trailer,
radio and TV spots; 1964 radio interviews with
Sean Connery; a huge photo gallery; a contemporary
publicity featurette; two —
count 'em —
two excellent documentaries created especially
for the DVD (The Making of Goldfinger and
The Goldfinger Phenomenon, both narrated
by Patrick MacNee); and two separate audio commentaries,
one with director Guy Hamilton, the other featuring
various members of the cast and crew (but not
Connery). For Bond fans, this DVD is easily worth
its weight in gold. 11/06/02
|
| UPDATE
OOP for a couple of years, Goldfinger
was reissued in November 2006 by MGM (now controlled
by Sony). This completely remastered 2-disc edition
— with new, additional extras — is a part of The
James Bond Ultimate Collection Vol. 1, which
also contains four other 007 films. (A/V quality
is stunning!) |
HOME
| REVIEWS
| TOP
|
