Goldfinger - 2-Disc Ultimate Edition

The Bond film that really set the style of most of the films that would follow: gadgets, gimmicks in aces. At under two hours -- the best Bonds generally are -- it moves at a lightning pace from the pre-credits sequence to the battle at Fort Knox. Sean Connery gives an assured performance as 007, Gert Frobe (who really didn't speak a lick of English) perfect as Auric Goldfinger, Harold Sakata as Odd-Job sets the standard for future henchmen and Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore -- probably the best female lead in any 007 film. At 37 she was the oldest femme fatale in the series history. A great John Barry score and Robert Brownjohn's last title sequence -- from THUNDERBALL until LICENCE TO KILL those chores would return to Maurice Binder. On the downside, Cec Linder is WAY TOO OLD to be Felix Leiter -- Jack Lord failed to reappear when he demanded as much money as Connery was receiving.

Many will argue over which is the best bond movie in the franchise . If you like gadgets, cars with impressive arsenals and catchy names with double entendre than more than likely you're favorite Bond movie might be "Goldfinger". As for me, I prefer "From Russia with Love (1963)" over Goldfinger, just for the quality that From Russia with Love is more plausible and realistic. Now that does not mean I dislike Goldfinger, on the contraire I think its #2 in the bond franchise, leaving # 3 to "Casino Royale".

Goldfinger is the first Bind film to introduce gadgets to the series, aside from the storable rifle in "From Russia with Love" here in "Goldfinger we see for the first time the Aston Martin DB5; equipped with all the necessary gadgets for traffic alleviation, enemy destruction, and why not, impress the girls on the way. Goldfinger is also the first 007 movie to have a title sequence with actual lyrics in it; neither two previous films had words in the music, just orchestra. The famous title song is performed by Shirley Bassey, who would perform songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). She is the only singer to have recorded more than one James Bond theme song.

The movie begins with an unforgettable entrance, a pre-title sequence that..Honestly really had nothing to do with the rest of the movie, but hey it works fabulously. Anyways, Auric Goldfinger is a gold smuggler, and a fanatic of gold..Hence Goldfinger. Bond is sent by M to investigate how Goldfinger manages to smuggle gold internationally; Bond later discovers that he is preparing a diabolical plan called "Operation Grand Slam" consisting of eradicating all gold in Fort Knox by A-Bombing it, leaving all the gold radioactive for 58 years and useless...except Goldfingers which he plans to keep and let it duplicate or triplicate its value.

While the plot is a bit fantasy, newcomer to the franchise Guy Hamilton, he brings a magnificent touch of believable fantasy. Unfortunately subsequent Bond films tried to cash in on Goldfingers success by borrowing ideas and redoing the plot. Of course all attempts were futile, they were incomparable with Goldfinger. A perfect example would be "A View to a Kill (1985)" it presented a reminiscent plot, only difference instead of gold it was silicon, and instead of Fort Knox it was Silicon Valley. It didn't work, Goldfinger is a timeless classic that works perfect and is in my opinion the best of the extravaganza entries.

SPECIAL FEATURES

DISC 1:
> feature film re-mastered in high definition, using the original negative to bring the image to its best possible quality, eliminating any dirt or flickering.
> Audio Commentary featuring Guy Hamilton
> Original Mono Track
> 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
> 5.1 DTS Theater sound

DISC 2

> Sean Connery on the set of Goldfinger
> Screen tests
> On Tour with the Aton Martin DB-5
> Honor Blackman Open-Ended Interview
> Interactive Guide into The World Of Goldfinger
> The Making of Goldfinger
> The Goldfinger Phenomenon
> Original Publicity Featurette
> Original Trailers, T.V. Spots & Radio Communications

James Bond Will Return In "Thunderball"

MY PERSONAL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5

Appropriately enough the first of the series to have a really imaginative use of colour, Goldfinger is in many ways the most visually sensual of the films, the unforgettable image of Shirley Eaton's golden girl reflected in a golden glow to much of Ted Moore's cinematography. It's oozing with striking and surreal imagery, from Oddjob's menacing shadow on the hotel room wall, to the little old lady with machine gun or Bond making his entry by unzipping his wetsuit to reveal an evening one underneath. Ken Adam's production design is his possibly his finest hour, genuine architecture of the imagination that is at once both fantastic and strangely credible, maintaining a sense of scale and verisimilitude by his use of ceilings on the smaller sets.

It's also the one that set the Bond formula in stone, something that would later become more a hindrance than a help to the series before something more radical was attempted with Casino Royale. Aside from establishing the trend for irrelevant but enjoyable pretitle sequences, it is from here on that the gadgets begin to assume a more prominent role. However, unlike most of the Roger Moore efforts, they are no match for Bond's own wits - even the famed Aston Martin DB5 does not save him. After putting it through its paces, he is left to his own initiative.

There is no getting away from the overtly sexist approach here ("Dink, say goodbye to Felix - man talk."). Even Blackman's villainy seems inextricably linked to her lesbianism ("You can turn off the charm, I'm immune") but one good one from Bond and she's on the side of the angels.

As with all Bond films, many of the cast are dubbed - in this case, Frobe was dubbed by actor Michael Collins. Regardless, his Auric Goldfinger is easily the best of the Bond super-villains, and comes equipped with the best line in the series as Bond, strapped down in front of the laser beam (in the novel it was a chainsaw), asks if he expects him to talk: "No Mr Bond, I expect you to die." And for possibly the only time in the series, you think that maybe Bond really has had it. Incredibly enjoyable and one of the best-paced entries in the series, it's not hard to see why this is many people's favorite Bond film. It may be formulaic, but then the formula still worked wonders.

While all the extras from the previous release have been carried over, there are not as many new features as you might expect. Most interesting are Theodore Bikel and Tito Vandis' screen tests as Goldfinger, but there are also somewhat awkwardly presented archive interviews with Connery and Honor Blackman as well as a featurette about the Aston Martin DB5, though perhaps the most enjoyable remain the radio spots from the original release.

Sean's in the zone and for the first time the female lead is voiced by the actress playing her. (Not so Gert Frobe, that's not his voice.) Finally, the picture looks great -- the earlier DVD was awful. For all these Bond DVDs make sure that you take in all the fascinating extras.

Not the complete success of its predecessor,Dr. No,but aided by terrific photography and one of the best movie theme songs of all time, this film can certainly hold its head up in polite society. The plot is simple enough,to the point of being totally absurd. Mr.Goldfinger would like to increase his world gold deposits' values 1000% by rendering Ft. Knox"s supply useless for 58 years (using a small atomic device). Also, the script puts our hero James Bond (Connery) in a series of situations, including one on a table with a laser headed straight for his scrotum, in which he could easily be killed. Indeed, in a movie that features agent 007, we find a careless agent, one whom Matt Damon as Jason Bourne would eliminate today with a mere hiccup. Bourne is almost always the master of his fate,Bond relies too much on luck, fate, and the adage that good will triumph over evil. Have you read a newspaper lately? What was great entertainment in 1964, is still a good view today.But, as in golf, one is watching Arnold Palmer here, not Tiger Woods.