Pros: Connery as Bond; top-notch villain and chief henchman; great theme song; great toys and action
Cons: Scenes utilizing back-projection; mediocre Bond girls
The Bottom Line: This was the first of the Bond films to establish the basic series formula. It is certainly one of the best and perhaps the very best 007 movie.
Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
Goldfinger remains the gold standard among the 007 films. With it, director Guy Hamilton drew the contours of the series that would turn Bond into an unprecedented cultural icon.
Historical Background: English director Guy Hamilton was born in September of 1922, in Paris, France, to British parents. He started out in films as an apprentice in a French studio in Nice, in 1939. When war began, he served in the British Navy, from 1940-45. He then took work as an assistant director, on such films as The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949). His debut film as a director was The Ringer (1952). Hamilton gained a reputation as a technically proficient craftsman through his work on several of the 007 movies, starting with Goldfinger (1964) and continuing later with Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). Hamilton's best non-Bond movies included Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Battle of Britain (1969). Hamilton was married to and divorced from actress Naomi Chance and later married Kerima.
Goldfinger, the third film in the Bond franchise, was the one that first solidified the formulaic approach that has dominated the series ever since. Since Goldfinger, the 007 movies have typically included the following structural elements: a pre-credit adrenaline-rush action sequence, often bearing no relationship to the rest of the film; the credit sequence, opening with Bond turning and shooting his handgun at the audience, as blood drips down the screen and a female vocalists belts out the film's theme song; a suave, witty Bond, supported by Q-furnished gadgets, calmly stalking a cold-hearted, ruthless villain, who is supported by eccentric (even wacky) henchmen and/or henchwomen; leading finally to Bond's solo penetration of the villain's elaborate lair. Sex, in the Bond formula, was something to be hinted at, by innuendo, but not shown. Gentlemen may kiss, but they don't tell. Critics of the series may fault the films for the predictable recurrence of such features, but for fans of the series, each film feels like a reunion with old friends, every few years. Each time Bond articulates, "Bond. James Bond," or "Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred," true fans enjoy a wave of familiar comfort.
For better or for worse, Goldfinger was responsible for the transition of the series from tough and intelligent plots to sometimes outlandish (though still entertaining) ones. The storylines in Dr. No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963) had plausibility. Bond survived by his wits more than by gadgets. He had more of a ruthless edge to him, in those days. In Goldfinger, Bond became more suave and charming. Action began to replace the exploration of character. My personal preference is for the Bond films that include both action and character elucidation. Among the recent Bond films, for example, Licence to Kill and The World Is Not Enough at least took a stab at presenting well-drawn characters and romantic intrigue, whereas Die Another Day made no effort in that direction whatsoever.
Goldfinger was the first film in which Q was given a significant role, though actor Llewellyn appeared briefly in From Russia with Love, identified then only as Major Boothroyd. It's no accident that the advent of Q coincided with the increased emphasis on gadgetry. Goldfinger was a step forward in excitement level from the predecessor films, but, as time went on, the trend toward excitement over depth of character portrayal went too far, from my point of view. The films gradually grew closer to fluff for empty-headed action addicts, with less weight and substance for a more general audience. So, while Goldfinger is arguably the pinnacle of the series (it has been consistently voted most popular in the series at the Internet Movie Database), it also sewed the seeds for the subsequent decline in quality. The credit (and the blame) rests with screenwriter Richard Maibaum, who was elevated from co-writer in the first two Bond films to scriptwriter for Goldfinger and set out to distill and enhance the essence of the predecessor films. The result was more gadgets, more action, more girls, and more one-liners, but less serious drama.
The Story: When the British Secret Service determines that jeweler and bullion-dealer Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) may be smuggling gold internationally, agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery), is enlisted to observe the man. When he discovers Goldfinger cheating at cards, using an earpiece and a conspirator with binoculars, Bond intervenes, spoiling Goldfinger's con game. Meanwhile, Bond makes happy time with the conspirator, the beautiful Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton). In his kitchen, however, Bond is taken by surprise and knocked unconscious by Oddjob (Harold Sakata), Goldfinger's bodyguard. Bond later awakens to discover that his bed partner, Masterson, has been murdered, having been spray-painted from head to toe in gold paint. Bond's pursuit of Goldfinger becomes more urgent.
Bond arranges to meet Goldfinger socially, for a round of golf at a shilling a hole. Bond has brought along a bar of gold bullion, supposedly recovered from a sunken Nazi hoard, to pique the bullion-merchant's interest. Bond stakes the gold bar against £5000 cash on the last two holes. Goldfinger cheats but Bond out-cheats him and wins. Bond also manages to place a homing device in Goldfinger's vehicle, so that it will be easy to tail him from a distance. In the process of following Goldfinger, Bond encounters a would-be assassin, Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet), intent on killing Goldfinger to avenge her sister's death. Bond and Tilly are discovered lurking around Goldfinger's Auric Industries compound. In a cleverly rendered high-speed car chase, Bond gets to show off all the special gadgetry in his Aston Martin DB5, furnished by Q (Desmond Llewellyn). Even so, Bond is captured (and the second Masterson sister killed). Bond is strapped down on a table where he is to be sliced in half with a laser saw powerful enough to cut gold bullion. As the laser beam approaches his crotch, Bond manfully inquires, "Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?" The criminal mastermind calmly replies, "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." Bond plays his last trump card, mentioning "Operation Grand Slam," the name of Goldfinger's big, up-coming criminal operation. Bond is bluffing, of course, but that's what he does best. Bond really knows nothing about the operation, other than the name. Goldfinger is worried enough, however, that he decides it will be best to keep Bond alive, as a hostage, rather than have the rest of the British Secret Service looking for his killer.
Bond is flown to Kentucky and stuck in a cell at Goldfinger's horse farm. He manages to escape long enough to learn about Goldfinger's "Operation Grand Slam," which the villain proudly explains, using some gadgets of his own, to some gangland associates, before killing them. Bond is in a tight pinch, but he still has his charm on which to draw, when Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) shows up with her team of all-female pilots, called the "Flying Circus." Pussy declares that Bond need not waste his time trying to charm her, declaring herself immune (hint-hint: lesbian). A subsequent roll in the hay with Bond, however, may or may not have its intended effect. I won't tell, since Pussy's ultimate allegiance remains a question mark as the story winds to its dramatic conclusion in the vaults of Fort Knox. There, Bond has to attempt to disarm a nuclear device on a short timer, while simultaneously dodging the lethal, steel lined, Frisbee-like bowler of Goldfinger's dedicated and nasty henchman, Oddjob.
Production Values: With the transition from more traditional spy thriller format to fast-paced action film, the success of Goldfinger very much hinged on how well it provided for the various elements that would become the franchise specialties. There's plenty of great action, for example, with car chases and multiple fights. There's also plenty of slower-paced tension-packed scenes, such as the golf game, the laser intrigue, Bond's deceptive escape from a cell at Goldfinger's farm, and the destruction of the homing device at a metal recycling facility. As to gadgets, the series may have since exceeded the Aston Martin DB5, but it was the first great gadget and will always be memorable.
Goldfinger, as a character, is certainly one of the most memorable villains from the entire Bond series, second, perhaps, only to Blöfeld, who has the advantage of being featured in a half-dozen or so of the films. Goldfinger is one of only two Bond villains accorded the honor of having the film named for him. He is simultaneously vicious, obsessed, intelligent, and playful. Gert Fröbe plays the part with the perfect combination of qualities. Fröbe's other work included appearances in The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960), Is Paris Burning? (1966), and $ (Dollars) (1971).
Goldfinger also sports one of the finest henchmen of the series in the form of Oddjob. Harold Sakata is very convincing as the invincible man, as tough and strong as iron, as lethal as strychnine, and often displaying a menacing smile. The very absurdity of his Frisbee-like bowler is part of its charm. In a touch of irony, Bond's learning to wield the thing on his own proves crucial in the film's denouement.
The Bond girls in Goldfinger are not, in my opinion, very near the top among those for the entire series, neither in physical beauty nor personality. I'm not as much of a fan of the character Pussy Galore, for example, as are many other reviewers. I respect her independence and implied sexual orientation, but she just doesn't have the kind of charm or appeal that I look for in Bond's female playmates. The Masterson sisters are rather forgettable as well, especially Tilly, who gets more screen time than sister Jill. Both are treated by the script as disposable commodities, which has been one of the raps against the Bond series from the beginning. Neither Shirley Eaton nor Tania Mallet were actresses of much acclaim. Honor Blackman, who played Pussy Galore, on the other hand, had already established a reputation in both cinema (A Night to Remember (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963)) and television (The Avengers).
Sean Connery remains, in my opinion, the best Bond so far, except in his last outing (Never Say Never Again (1983)), when he was too old for the part. I'm not as much of a snob about Connery's superiority, however, as are some others. He's the best, but I also enjoy Dalton and Moore in the role. Brosnan, Niven, and, especially, Lazenby, lag further behind. In Goldfinger, Connery is at his peak: handsome, self-assured, and with all of the requisite mannerisms and facial expressions.
The locales for Goldfinger are lovely, though far from the most stunning of the series. Goldfinger's "Auric Industries" plant is located in the Swiss Alps and his horse farm in Kentucky. The cinematography is good – except for the awful rear-projections that were popular in the fifties and sixties. They date the film badly, though nothing much else about the movie does. The theme song ranks among the best in the series history. My personal first choice is "You Only Live Twice," but the one for "Goldfinger" is as good as any of the others.
Bottom-Line: In the months ahead, I will be reviewing every 007 movie. I hereby introduce my Overall Certified Gold Bond Rating designed to provide a uniform system of rating the various films against one another. It's a formula-driven series, so why not a formula-driven evaluation? When I've completed the series of reviews, I'll put together a list ranking the films from top to bottom.
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