Posted 09:07 by Grote 0 comments

The Great James Bond Project:

Goldfinger (1964)

1. Pre Credits: Bond sneaks onto the shore of a Latin American country (Wikipedia says it’s Mexico, I think it’s Cuba but the point is moot) and proceeds to destroy the drug lord’s base of operation. Bond returns to a nightclub where he goes and meets the local dancer for some after mission enjoyment. He’s ambushed and scuffles with the assassin only after using his girlfriend as a shield from the attack. 007 then throws the assassin into the girl’s bathtub and tosses the portable electric heater in after him. As he leaves he quips, “Shocking. Simply shocking.” 4

2. Credits: First to use a pop star (Shirley Bassey) and a lyrical song over the opening credits. We have bonus of seeing clips from Goldfinger, and From Russia with Love displayed on a girl’s body painted with gold. 4

3. Villain: Auric Goldfinger. “All my life I’ve been in love with it’s color, it’s brilliance, it’s divine eminence. I welcome any enterprise that increases my stock.” 4

4. The Plan: Using an “atomic device” delivered by the Chinese, Goldfinger plans to detonate it in Fort Knox, thus rendering the U.S. supply of gold useless for 58 years. He gets an increase ten times in worth, the Chinese get economic panic in the West. 3

5. Other Bond Girls: Jill and Tilly Masterson. Jill works for Goldfinger when Bond steals her away. While he was retrieving Champagne from the fridge, Oddjob knocks him out. When 007 comes to, he discovers Jill dead, covered in gold paint. An iconic scene. Tilly is Jill’s sister; she knows Goldfinger had her sister killed and is out for revenge. Unfortunately she isn’t a good shot and gets killed by Oddjob and his derby while sneaking around Goldfinger’s Swiss estate with 007. 5

6. Titular Line: It’s the villain’s name. Easy enough. 3

7. Bond: As with the previous two films, Connery is on top of his game. Here’s the only thing that keeps him from getting another 5. Depending on your point of view he seduces/date rapes Pussy Galore about three-quarters into the movie. My senior year of college, I was over at a friend’s room and we were watching Goldfinger (I think that was when TNT still had the rights) and the barn scene came on. We got into a discussion of whether it was seduction or date rape. Then she pointed out that if I did that to her, no matter how willing she seemed after the initial contact I’d probably would get a visit from the campus police the next day. I got the point, so I’m taking one from Mr. Bond. 4

8. The Office: M berates Bond for “borrowing” Goldfinger’s girlfriend and not watching him. The flirting with Moneypenny commences soon after, which she is put off that she can’t cook him dinner because he has a dinner date… with M (insert comical horn here). Bond is filled in about Goldfinger and his dealings and given a rare Nazi gold bar to use as bait. 3.5

9. Q and his gadgets: Q gives Bond 2 “homers” one for in his shoe and one that is magnetic for tailing a car that syncs up with a map inside the car. Nothing spectacular most of Q’s goodies are in the car. 3

10. The Car: Aston Martin DB 5. Has rotating license plates, smoke screen, ejector seat, wheel scythes to shred tires, oil slick valves, bullet proof rear windshield, and front firing machine guns. Plus did I mention it’s an Aston Martin DB 5? 5

11. Allies: Felix is back. This time portrayed by Cec Linder. Too bad it’s mostly exposition. 2

12. The Deathtrap: There are two in this film. The first after Bond is captured by Goldfinger and is strapped to a table made of gold. Goldfinger turns on a “laser” and begins to cut the table in two. The laser slowly moves up the table threatening to cut dissect our hero. Bond talks his way out of it just by mentioning Operation: Grand Slam. The second is the actual operation. Bond is handcuffed to the “atomic device” and left in the vault with Oddjob and another henchman. Oddjob kills the henchman when he tries to escape, and Bond then frees himself and fights Oddjob. After defeating Oddjob, Bond tries to disable the device but Felix saves the day by throwing the correct switch. 5

13. The Chase: After Tilly sets off the trip wire, they run back to Bond’s car and the chase is on! Bond uses every trick in the book (or at least the car) to lose his captors. Sadly, Tilly gets killed by Oddjob’s hat (although unlike the statue, her head stays attached) and Bond is forced backed into his car with a guard. He uses the ejector seat and drives off. Unfortunately he’s tricked by a simple mirror and captured by Oddjob. 4

14. Henchmen: Oddjob is the classic Bond villain. Silent, hulking and nigh indestructible in hand to hand combat against Bond. In fact Bond gets lucky disposing of Oddjob. When inside the vault, Bond throws Oddjob’s hat into the steel bars of the depository, Oddjob goes to retrieve it, and Bond uses a previously severed high voltage line to electrify the bars and Oddjob. 5

15. HQ: I might be a little too hard on Mr. Goldfinger’s base of operations but it’s a stud farm that has a bar/game room that displays all the machinations of Operation: Grand Slam. It’s nothing really special 2

16. Quips: ”Do you expect me to talk?” “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” I really don’t think anything else needs to be said. 4

17. Good Girl: Pussy Galore. Well, let’s start with name. Pussy, or as Connery would say it, Pusshy it’s so fun to say. It’s only topped by a Roger Moore film later. (I think I just committed sacrilege). Second, we have Honor Blackman of the Avengers fame. That and besides her implied lesbianism, not that there’s anything wrong with that, she’s quite a capable woman and more than a match for Bond. 5

18. Disposal: Bond is being flown from Kentucky to Washington to have lunch at the White House with the President. Except that Goldfinger, having escaped from Ft. Knox, has commandeered the plane, with Pussy at the controls. Bond and Goldfinger struggle and Goldfinger’s golden gun goes off (say that 5 times fast). The plane loses altitude and all semblance of control, and Goldfinger gets sucked out of the tiny window. Except that’s not how it works in real life. I picked a bad time to nitpick didn’t I? Oh well 2

19. Last Line(s) : “After bailing out of their doomed plane, Pussy waves her jacket in order to get the attention of rescue helicopter. Bond pulls her down and says, “Oh no, you don’t. This is no time to be rescued.” The make out and credits roll. 3.5

20. Extra Credit : This film gets 5 extra credit points for setting the gold standard (pun intended) for future Bond films. Pop singer sings title song, over the top villain, gadgets, overtly sexual naming practice (Honey Ryder was a good name but not compared to future names). It loses one point because late Moore through Brosnan take it way, way too far. 4

Total Score: 75 points.

There you have it folks. They just keep getting better. Even if this proves to be the high watermark, and I don’t think it will, remember that when all is said and done we’ll compare on a curve. I doubt we’ll see films peak into the 90s, just because they all have their little flaws. Still, I think that Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, and Casino Royale will all easily get into the mid to high 80s. I’m not sure though, where Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, View to a Kill, or a few others are going to land. I’d like to say they will all break 50. I’m not so sure now…