For me, the art direction has never been bettered either. Every scene seems to radiate gold, and Ken Adam's sets - from Goldfinger's Kentucky Ranch to Fort Knox - are perfect for the heightened 'adult fairy tale' GM mentions. -{
While I clearly like other Bond films more, there are many stand-outs to GF that stick in my mind:
- The PTS is perfect - the reflection in the eye is a classic moment.
- The golf game, it's patient - the only other film that does this at this level is CR
- Introduction to Pussy Galore and the chemistry - then followed by another patient scene in the bathroom.
There's just something to these scenes that are so unique.
Slightly off-topic, but this is one instance where the film improves on the book IMHO. Richard Maibaum was very conscious of the book's strengths (Goldfinger himself as a character, for instance, and the symbolic duel (Maibaum's word) between him and Bond) and weaknesses (stealing all the gold from Fort Knox isn't technically possible; Goldfinger's reason for not simply killing Bond at Enterprises Auric is stronger in the film; etc).
I couldn't agree more. I only recently read the books and Goldfinger turned out into a bit of a letdown. The golf scene goes on way too long, as does Bond's pursuit of Goldfinger/Tilly which turns into a very boring travelogue. And the whole thing of Bond and Tilly working as Goldfinger's secretaries was pretty silly. Goldfinger's scheme was much more interesting in the film and provides a nice twist. I also thought FRWL slightly improved on the novel, although the novel was much better than Goldfinger. Throwing SPECTRE in the mix playing the UK and USSR against each other made for a much better story I thought.
Thanks for the stories so far. What annoys me the most in the entire movie, and maybe im being controversial as hell, but that is the gold painting scene. Absolutely stupid ) it never returns in the entire movie, he never kills someone in the same fashion again, its never mentioned...just absolutely stupid ) but the whole movie would never make it in my top 10, think not even in the top 20 but really love all the stories from fellow bond fans
By the way, welcome Elvedetto Out of curiousity, what are your top 3 Bond films?
To me that would be 1. For your eyes only 2. License to kill 3. Thunderball
Thanks for the stories so far. What annoys me the most in the entire movie, and maybe im being controversial as hell, but that is the gold painting scene. Absolutely stupid ) it never returns in the entire movie, he never kills someone in the same fashion again, its never mentioned...just absolutely stupid ) but the whole movie would never make it in my top 10, think not even in the top 20 but really love all the stories from fellow bond fans
By the way, welcome Elvedetto Out of curiousity, what are your top 3 Bond films?
To me that would be 1. For your eyes only 2. License to kill 3. Thunderball
I've always had a strange viewing relationship with Goldfinger. As one of the last films of the series I watched, it felt very underwhelming the first time I saw it. Yet even then I recognised its charm and quality.
GF stradles a strange position in the Bond cannon, resting in between films very much in the vein of classic films (DN, FRWL) and the larger than life variety the series became reknown for (TB, YOLT). GF draws more from the former style with its slower, more deliberate pace, yet sets up some larger scale scenarios that fuel the rest of the series (the Fort Knox battle, for instance).
Gassy Man really encaptulates the essence of the film in his post. After just rewatching the film, I concur with his observations. The film has a real sense of playfulness in it, especially with the way Bond continually taunts Goldfinger. Connery really seems to enjoy this aspect of the role too.
In past viewings, I always found Goldfinger gassing the mobsters to be an overly dramatic plot point but this viewing I recognised it is simply the sort of character Goldfinger is. Bond tells Pussy that Goldfinger is mad and it's true.The film is littered with little tells and I'm surprised I missed them previously. All of this is expertly portrayed by Gert Frobe too.
Pussy Galore was never a favourite Bond girl of mine, but in this viewing I appreciated the tomboyishness of the character, making her an excellent foil for Bond.
One thing I never liked in previous viewings was the passiveness of Bond in the second half of the film. While there are still a few moments when he seems like a pawn in the plot, there remains other moments of playfulness, like Bond breaking out of his cell, figuring out Goldfinger's plan, and his roll in the hay with Pussy, that are a joy to watch. Connery seems to relish these too.
I still have my gripes with the film. Cec Linder's Felix Leiter is far too casual to be believable as a CIA agent, Goldfinger's death is too comical, and seeing Mr Solo get crushed seems unnecessary. But these are not enough to detract from the quality of the whole. While Goldfinger will probably never be my favourite Bond film, I acknowledge its quality and charm and have a greater respect for it now.
The thing about Goldfinger is usually any iconic scene that's talked about from the Golden girl to the laser table happens around the first hour or so, its the last hour in Kentucky that I think tanks the film in my opinion.
I really love GF, its in my top 3, but I do agree with this.
The best parts of the movie are definitely up until Bond gets caught and strapped to the laser table. The scene afterwards on the plane is ok too, with Bond shaving and having fun while knowing he is being spied upon.
But after that it loses momentum rapidly, and doesn't really pick up again until the Oddjob fight at Fort Knox, which is probably the last iconic moment in the film.
I always found the book to mirror this too. After The Question Room chapter the book starts to lose pace, so the film really does reflect the novel fairly accurately in every way.
Goldfinger has one of the strongest storylines of any Bond film. It's character-based rather than merely fill-in-the-blanks plot formula. The ego of the villain, Goldfinger, drives the entire story. He is so inadequate as a man, that only his insatiable desire for gold lifts him out of whatever depression makes his life otherwise miserable. That James Bond is exactly the kind of man he will never be explains why he is so infuriated with Bond.
This is reinforced all throughout the film, from Bond's joke about having an inferiority complex to Goldfinger's murderous rage over being cuckolded to Goldfinger's constant need to cheat in order to measure up against Bond (and then still failing) to his gassing of his rivals only after basking in their admiration of his plan.
Speaking of his plan, it's one of the few in a Bond film that actually is clever. Goldfinger isn't holding the world for ransom or stealing anything -- only he is. In one fell swoop, he stands to completely destabilize the economic systems of the western world. If that isn't inspired, I don't know what is. Moreover, he's aiding the communists in doing it.
The film's iconic characters and playful aesthetic also make it rise well above its contemporaries, as well as every other Bond film. It may seem easy to do jokiness, but it's not. Actors and writers will tell you it's far easier to do drama than comedy. But Goldfinger does both, ablly. It's an adult fairy tale, and in this sense, it captures the spirit of a lot of Fleming's books, which walked that find line between reality and fantasy.
The score is simply pitch perfect, and the directing is right on target -- so much so that Guy Hamilton would never eclipse it in his career.
The actors knock it out of the park, and though I don't care for Cec Linder's Felix Leiter all that much, he serves the purpose of the story.
Lastly, it is sophisticated. It doesn't take sophistication to make something brutally real. That's just copying reality. But to create the world in which Goldfinger takes place and to give it dimension and expression from start to finish is no easy task. One misstep, and the whole thing unfolds, yet Goldfinger -- from its jokes to its clothes to its set ups -- stays on point all the way through. It's a truly adult film, when that word means "for grown ups" rather than pornographic.
My Number 1 Bond movie and I couldn't have described the reasons better than you have, Gassy. Kudos! {[]
To truly grasp the majesty that is GF you really had to be there when it was released. There was only two others to compare it to at that time and the third outing eclipsed both of those in style and adventure. Aside from Felix the casting was impeccable, the plot was brilliant, the action was terrific, the DB5 sublime, the music astounding and Sean was so masterful he was coolness personified.
After 50 odd years it is still a joy to watch, as are all the 1960's Bond's, they really can't be matched by anything that came afterwards.
This was what I was going to say. Basically, you had to be there (even though I wasn't!)
A young girl told me recently that she saw 'Jaws' and thought it was terrible. I tried to explain the impact it made in 1975, and how Speilberg's tricks had been copied and duplicated ever since, but she had stopped listening long before I could make my argument.
I've heard something similar about 'The Exorcist'.
We just have to somehow accept that so many revolutionary, ground-breaking films (Psycho, Citizen Kane, On The Town, The Godfather, and yes, Goldfinger) lose a lot as the years go on. It doesn't however stop any of them from being acknowledged as masterpieces of their respective cinematic genres.
The 'you had to be there' argument extends to those who turn the colour down on their set so they can watch it as they did on the black and white telly in the 1970s!
) I think many of us will be checking it out again .
quickly had a look, the car looks undamaged during his chase with the Mustang, but is there in the
shooting sequence. So as suggested it must have been damaged in the chase section.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
I certainly had a YOLT (fully laden there, empty here) moment when I saw that. Truly astonishing how you can learn so much trivia on these films that you would never even dream of. I already knew that they also had some engine trouble during filming, as a result, using little of the car's power.
ive tried , I will have to attempt it on my laptop one day.
On Goldfinger, I notice the Aston looks pristine when Tilly looks at it after 007 wrecks her car. Always makes me laugh how the mustang has a huge rip down the side but Tilly just remarks on the state of her tyres !!
I wonder what Fleming's reaction Goldfinger would have been. I think Fleming's Goldfinger is one of his weakest efforts and the film makers actually came up with a better plan for Goldfinger and a better reason for Goldfinger to keep Bond alive. I think having Goldfinger get sucked out of the jet rather than Oddjob also worked better.
Comments
- The PTS is perfect - the reflection in the eye is a classic moment.
- The golf game, it's patient - the only other film that does this at this level is CR
- Introduction to Pussy Galore and the chemistry - then followed by another patient scene in the bathroom.
There's just something to these scenes that are so unique.
"Better make that two."
I couldn't agree more. I only recently read the books and Goldfinger turned out into a bit of a letdown. The golf scene goes on way too long, as does Bond's pursuit of Goldfinger/Tilly which turns into a very boring travelogue. And the whole thing of Bond and Tilly working as Goldfinger's secretaries was pretty silly. Goldfinger's scheme was much more interesting in the film and provides a nice twist. I also thought FRWL slightly improved on the novel, although the novel was much better than Goldfinger. Throwing SPECTRE in the mix playing the UK and USSR against each other made for a much better story I thought.
To me that would be 1. For your eyes only 2. License to kill 3. Thunderball
-For Your Eyes Only-
Ahh a fellow Thunderball fan -{ Jolly good
Great to see a Moore film as your #1. Please post your rankings in the ULTIMATE thread when you've got time! http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/22305/the-ultimate-bond-ranking-your-120/page/49/
"Better make that two."
GF stradles a strange position in the Bond cannon, resting in between films very much in the vein of classic films (DN, FRWL) and the larger than life variety the series became reknown for (TB, YOLT). GF draws more from the former style with its slower, more deliberate pace, yet sets up some larger scale scenarios that fuel the rest of the series (the Fort Knox battle, for instance).
Gassy Man really encaptulates the essence of the film in his post. After just rewatching the film, I concur with his observations. The film has a real sense of playfulness in it, especially with the way Bond continually taunts Goldfinger. Connery really seems to enjoy this aspect of the role too.
In past viewings, I always found Goldfinger gassing the mobsters to be an overly dramatic plot point but this viewing I recognised it is simply the sort of character Goldfinger is. Bond tells Pussy that Goldfinger is mad and it's true.The film is littered with little tells and I'm surprised I missed them previously. All of this is expertly portrayed by Gert Frobe too.
Pussy Galore was never a favourite Bond girl of mine, but in this viewing I appreciated the tomboyishness of the character, making her an excellent foil for Bond.
One thing I never liked in previous viewings was the passiveness of Bond in the second half of the film. While there are still a few moments when he seems like a pawn in the plot, there remains other moments of playfulness, like Bond breaking out of his cell, figuring out Goldfinger's plan, and his roll in the hay with Pussy, that are a joy to watch. Connery seems to relish these too.
I still have my gripes with the film. Cec Linder's Felix Leiter is far too casual to be believable as a CIA agent, Goldfinger's death is too comical, and seeing Mr Solo get crushed seems unnecessary. But these are not enough to detract from the quality of the whole. While Goldfinger will probably never be my favourite Bond film, I acknowledge its quality and charm and have a greater respect for it now.
8. TMwtGG 9. AVtaK 10. TSWLM 11. SF 12. LtK 13. TND 14. YOLT
15. NTtD 16. MR 17. LaLD 18. GF 19. SP 20. DN 21. TB
22. TWiNE 23. DAD 24. QoS 25. DaF
I really love GF, its in my top 3, but I do agree with this.
The best parts of the movie are definitely up until Bond gets caught and strapped to the laser table. The scene afterwards on the plane is ok too, with Bond shaving and having fun while knowing he is being spied upon.
But after that it loses momentum rapidly, and doesn't really pick up again until the Oddjob fight at Fort Knox, which is probably the last iconic moment in the film.
I always found the book to mirror this too. After The Question Room chapter the book starts to lose pace, so the film really does reflect the novel fairly accurately in every way.
My Number 1 Bond movie and I couldn't have described the reasons better than you have, Gassy. Kudos! {[]
Get into the ultimate ranking thread and post your rankings mate. According to last year's analysis GF is no one's #1...
"Better make that two."
A young girl told me recently that she saw 'Jaws' and thought it was terrible. I tried to explain the impact it made in 1975, and how Speilberg's tricks had been copied and duplicated ever since, but she had stopped listening long before I could make my argument.
I've heard something similar about 'The Exorcist'.
We just have to somehow accept that so many revolutionary, ground-breaking films (Psycho, Citizen Kane, On The Town, The Godfather, and yes, Goldfinger) lose a lot as the years go on. It doesn't however stop any of them from being acknowledged as masterpieces of their respective cinematic genres.
The 'you had to be there' argument extends to those who turn the colour down on their set so they can watch it as they did on the black and white telly in the 1970s!
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Wonder who did that and how Guy Hamilton's reaction was to it.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
No, we don't really want that!
He'll also blast about TLD and LTK, his praise for GF here is annoying enough
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
But I agree, I've never noticed the damage before! Must watch GF tonight
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
I might join you in that, virtually speaking of course
quickly had a look, the car looks undamaged during his chase with the Mustang, but is there in the
shooting sequence. So as suggested it must have been damaged in the chase section.
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
I'm doing paperwork while watching so it's on on the small TV
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
On Goldfinger, I notice the Aston looks pristine when Tilly looks at it after 007 wrecks her car. Always makes me laugh how the mustang has a huge rip down the side but Tilly just remarks on the state of her tyres !!