From Russia With Love vs. Goldfinger; which is the best Bond?

chrisisall · June 2014

My favourite Connery Bond is TB, but if I step away from myself for a moment and try to be truly objective...
DN was fabulous, but just a tad underfunded and still finding its way with Bond.
TB was grand, but plodding at times.
YOLT was more fun than humans normally should be allowed to have, but it veered away from Fleming in favour of spectacle a little too much IMO.
OHMSS wasn't Connery.

So I have boiled it down to FRWL & GF as the two most golden Bonds from the Golden era (The Sixties, baby!).
Which do you think is a better movie/film experience/Bond?

Blackleiter · June 2014

I don't think you need my answer to your query!

)

chrisisall · June 2014

Blackleiter wrote:

I don't think you need my answer to your query! )

Yes, it's a given.

And I tend to agree with you.
However, I find FRWL to be a very 'Hitchcockian' experience. One can make the case that it rises above all other Bonds for that reason alone....

Blackleiter · June 2014

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

I don't think you need my answer to your query! )

Yes, it's a given. And I tend to agree with you.
However, I find FRWL to be a very 'Hitchcockian' experience. One can make the case that it rises above all other Bonds for that reason alone....

I wholeheartedly agree that FRWL has a "Hitchockian" feel about it and is no doubt in the very top tier of Bond films.

chrisisall · June 2014

But GF has a laser. -{
IT's all about the lasers.

)

Thunderpussy · June 2014

I have to agree, I know many say FRWL is the better film, but
Given the choice I'd watch GF every time.

)

Tecolote · June 2014

I'm in the FRWL camp. I think it is the best. However, GF is the prototype for the rest of the films, and I actually prefer the idea of contaminating Ft. Knox over the novel's actual robbery. I will watch either,along with DN and TB, any time they come on.

Regards,

Tecolote

welshboy78 · June 2014

FRWL for the pure Fleming Bond experience maybe? Goldfinger for the EON interpretation?

Thunderpussy · June 2014

Good explanation, {[]

Kabraxal · June 2014

Of those two... probably Goldfinger. I still think that TB is still the overall better Bond film. I just find the pacing, action, story, bond girl and even the villain to be better. I will say Oddjob was definitely a great henchman though.

chrismanc · June 2014

Goldfinger for me just has so many iconic moments which never seem to become boring, unlike some other films in which the most memorable moments often tend to become tedious due to the sheer amount of times they've been viewed! (Though this may be nostalgia-tinged for me as it was the very first bond I ever saw - on ITV as a five year old!!)

FRWL is fantastic in its own ways, so different from the large majority of the films and in that sense it is hard to compare with GF. As is the thing with Bond, it all depends what kind of mood you are in..

superado · June 2014

welshboy78 wrote:

FRWL for the pure Fleming Bond experience maybe? Goldfinger for the EON interpretation?

Yes, along with TP, I agree. If I had to choose though, it's FRWL for me, for the cold war and classic secret agent aspects and the modest use of gadgets. I also like the villains, and Grant though being tough, he wasn't ridiculously OTT strong like Oddjob.

DaltonFan1 · June 2014

I consider FRWL a much better film than GF, which I've always found to be a bit over rated.

That said, I think LALD, OHMSS and CR are all better films, and I can never decide how good GE and Dalton's films.

Firemass · June 2014

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

I don't think you need my answer to your query! )

Yes, it's a given. And I tend to agree with you.
However, I find FRWL to be a very 'Hitchcockian' experience. One can make the case that it rises above all other Bonds for that reason alone....

FRWL should be praised because it copies "North by Northwest" ?

Hey, by the way, I thought you HATED lasers. (Moonraker)

My vote for Goldfinger as the pure cinematic Bond. FRWL as the best literary/Fleming Bond.

Although….Goldfinger (film) followed the novel fairly closely, so there! Maybe FRWL is just boring.

MooseWithFleas · June 2014

chrismanc wrote:

Goldfinger for me just has so many iconic moments which never seem to become boring, unlike some other films in which the most memorable moments often tend to become tedious due to the sheer amount of times they've been viewed! (Though this may be nostalgia-tinged for me as it was the very first bond I ever saw - on ITV as a five year old!!)

FRWL is fantastic in its own ways, so different from the large majority of the films and in that sense it is hard to compare with GF. As is the thing with Bond, it all depends what kind of mood you are in..

Great post and well said. I enjoy both immensley, but FRWL has much higher replay value for me. I love the stealth elements, everything with Kerim Bey who is absolute gold, the villains are tremendously done and work so well together. The Orient Express sequences are some of the best in the whole series.

No doubt Goldfinger set the bar for Bondmania and forever changed the game. The formula that came for years after was set by the Gold standard that is Goldfinger. Both are in my top 10, but FRWL is my preferred and the ultimate Connery for me.

chrisisall · June 2014

Firemass wrote:

Hey, by the way, I thought you HATED lasers. (Moonraker)

They weren't LASERS, they were BLASTERS. 8-)
'Real' LASERS are in GF, DAF, TLD & DAD (plus NSNA if you count that one).

Gassy Man · June 2014

From Russia with Love is a better film. Goldfinger is a better movie. In this, I can watch From Russia with Love when I want to see something tasteful, suspenseful, and romantic. I watch Goldfinger when I want fun escapism -- and given that that doesn't require as much from me, it's what I am more likely to turn to.

chrisisall · June 2014

Gassy Man wrote:

From Russia with Love is a better film. Goldfinger is a better movie.

Simply and nicely put. -{

Charmed & Dangerous · June 2014

Goldfinger just has this fantastic feel-good element, which makes me want to reach for it more than many other other Bonds.
The slightly more lighthearted approach by Guy Hamilton, plus John Barry's wonderful soundtrack (he started his golden period with the GF score IMO), Connery's relaxed and urbane presence, the DB5... -{

Thunderpussy · June 2014

.... and don't forgrt the Pussy................ Galore that is.

)

always shaken · June 2014

FRWL for me , this film started my love affair with all things Turkish

AlphaOmegaSin · June 2014

FRWL was a more traditional Espionage Adventure. GF had more Action in it -{

DieAnotherDay · June 2014

I re-watch Goldfinger far more which must mean I find there's more to enjoy in it. Although FRWL is an excellent espionage thriller - Some parts are painfully slow imo.

Dalkowski110 · June 2014

FRWL, without question. It was the third Bond film I ever saw (ironically, right after GF!) and has been my favorite to this day. In spite of horrific editing (possibly the worst in the series), the on-location filming in Turkey is just terrific. The plot is great, Kerim Bey is a great ally, and Bond's reaction to his death is arguably the most Flemingesque of any Bond losing a friend.

Is GF the greatest "escapist" Bond? Without question. But if you want a Cold War espionage thriller, even if you're not really in the mood to see a Bond film, FRWL generally fills the bill.

AlphaOmegaSin · June 2014

For me, it's a toss up between MR and GF for the Title of Greatest Escapist Bond

Peppermill · June 2014

chrisisall wrote:

Firemass wrote:

Hey, by the way, I thought you HATED lasers. (Moonraker)

They weren't LASERS, they were BLASTERS. 8-)
'Real' LASERS are in GF, DAF, TLD & DAD (plus NSNA if you count that one).

Don't forget the laser watch in GE.

On topic: I enjoy FRWL more than GF. However, I can understand why GF is considered the ultimate Bond movie.

AlphaOmegaSin · June 2014

GF was the first Bond Film to gain the most Recognition.

DEFIANT 74205 · June 2014

From Russia With Love.

For me, it is the best Bond bar none. It's an accurate interpretation of its literary source, which always gets top marks from me, not to mention that it was a beautifully directed, beautifully written, and well acted. Pedro Armendariz as Kerim Bey was superb, as was Connery's Bond. The only thing that could have improved From Russia With Love, in my view, would be a cliffhanger ending: rather than seeing Bond and Tanya in a gondola in Italy, the last scene should have been from Bond's point-of-view, collapsing after being struck by Klebb's poison tipped shoes - the way it was in the book.

Goldfinger was too formulaic, but nevertheless a very good film. Just not quite to the standard of From Russia With Love.

MadMaxZorin · August 2014

Goldfinger was the first Bond to achieve blockbuster status on a Grand Scale. The budget was a lot bigger and it looked and felt like a huge production. With that being said From Russia With Love is the better film IMO. I have it in my top 3 simply because I love the film's atmosphere. Bond goes about his business as an MI6 agent, unaware that Red Grant is quietly stalking him in the background the entire time. As a viewer, You really get the sense that Bond is in grave danger and the final confrontation between Bond and Grant on the train is one for the ages. FRWL sits firmly at # 3 on my personal list and my top 3 never really change. Goldfinger usually shifts back and forth from anywhere at #4 through #7 or 8 depending on my mood. This is mostly because as great as the film is, it is somewhat of a victim of it's own hype. Still- GF is a great film in it's own right. I just love FRWL and will toot it's horn at any turn lol

Richard--W · August 2014

From Russia With Love, obviously. It's literately written, superbly performed, meticulously produced and adroitly directed. It strikes the right balance between straightforward drama and tongue-in-cheek humor. It's sexy, suspenseful, and exciting. It conveys a sense of danger; we can believe that Bond is at risk. The film is rich in atmosphere and style. It's also about espionage, not superhuman feats and mad doctors. It's a first-rate cold-war thriller and the definitive Bond film.

The only improvement that could have been was if the gypsy girls fought topless and sank their teeth into each other's tender flesh, like Ian Fleming wanted them to.

In comparison Goldfinger is tedious self-parody, and only exciting in a few set-pieces which are memorable but not everything. Guy Hamilton just didn't get it. I really don't like his work. He steered the series in the wrong direction. Think how much edgier Goldginer would have been if Terence Young had directed it.

Thunderpussy · August 2014

Having recently sat down and watched both films again. I have to agree
With many of Richard--W's points. I used to love GF but feel FRWL is a
Better film keeping Fleming's Bond before he became EON's Bond in GF.

From Russia With Love vs. Goldfinger; which is the best Bond?

Comments