Cinema Revisited: Goldfinger (1964)
Directed by Guy Hamilton. Starring James Bond, Gert Frobe, Shirley Eaton, Honor Blackman, Bernard Lee, Harold Sakata. Released December 21, 1964. Running time: 110 minutes
"Goldfinger" is the quintessential James Bond movie featuring the quintessential James Bond actor. However, screening it over a half-century after its initial release, it also holds up as an example of quintessential 1960s movie "product." Many scenes are replete with the sharp brightness of Technicolor. Early in the movie Bond asks a pretty girl massaging him to leave the area while he engages in "man talk." He swats her on the behind as she leaves. Bond refers to something undesirable as being "like listening to The Beatles without earplugs." Honor Blackman's character name is Pussy Galore (as per the original Ian Fleming book). The Civil Rights act had just passed in 1964, they had not gotten around to political correctness. This adds a greater campiness to the movie when screening it during the 21st century.
The villains are delightful. Pro wrestler Harold Sakata manages to resonate without dialog as the henchman Odd Job, while German actor Gert Frobe, as the title character, offers womderfully imposing bluster not unlike Sydney Greenstreet. And Sean Connery, already wearing a toupee at age 34, has already defined the James Bond character by his third Bond movie, and coasts through the role with both commitment and confidence.
The plot has bond, vacationing in Miama Beach, being called into action to investigate a gold smuggling operation. What he finds is is a plot to raid Fort Knox. And within that context, director Guy Hamilton manages to carefully fit in fight sequences, car chases, and other dollops of action that maintain the narrative while quickening the pace. Hamilton's excellent use of cross-cut editing effectively increases tension.
The structure of "Goldfinger" became the standard by which all subsequent James Bond films were done. The pre-credits scene showing Bond with a woman (or women), the use of gadgetry, the tongue-in-cheek approach to courage and bravery, and the villain with a particular trait were all established here.
Odd Job might be the most interesting of all the Bond villains. It allowed Sakata a second career as an actor The idea of his being able to sever a person's head by throwing his derby like a Frisbee became especially attractive to youngsters of the era, this Bond film bleeding into popular culture all the way to the marketing of toys.
"Goldfinger" was the fastest grossing movie of all time, and is even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for that feat. The most expensive Bond film to date, "Goldfinger" recouped its budget within two weeks. This became the James Bond film that catapulted the character from its literature-to-movie status in to a cultural icon, assisted by the aforementioned marketing ideas. From this point, lunch boxes and toys were commonplace for each Bond movie, even though the films were not intended for children. And Shirley Bassey's hit theme song was another portent to subsequent Bond movies. Sadly, Bond author Ian Fleming died shortly before the movie's premiere.
The impact of "Goldfinger" resulted in a slew of espionage films during the 60s, even with the unlikely Dean Martin playing the Bond-esque character Matt Helm, along with the more believable James Coburn as Flint in a couple of movies. "Goldfinger" also obviously inspired the Beatles' second movie, "Help!"
A classic of its time at a level that transcends "great cinema" and rests comfortably as a skilled entertainment vehicle, "Goldfinger" remains -- well -- quintessential.