Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton), 1964
The definitive Bond film, third in the series, makes
it look so easy that you wonder why the producers have got it so wrong
so often in the years since. It's the first really funny Bond yarn, and
while I would have liked to have seen the series retain the tough edge
present in the preceding films (Dr No and From Russia with
Love), it must be said that the lighter touch works really well
here. Most of the credit probably goes to Richard Maibaum and Paul
Dehn, who wrote a fine screenplay that introduced many classic elements
(this film features the definitive "Q briefing," for example) and works
up to a great final sequence inside Fort Knox. Yet all production
credits are above average, with Ken Adams' sets particularly impressive
and John Barry's score possibly the best of the series. Not
surprisingly, Goldfinger has several of the best remembered
Bond moments, including Shirley Eaton's gold-coated demise, the metal
rimmed hat that is used to behead
enemies, and Bond strapped on a table waiting to be cut in half by a
laser.
It's interesting to note that despite Sean Connery's suave attitude,
Bond's
investigation is actually extremely unsuccessful - he gets two women
killed,
is taken prisoner, and is unable to defuse the villain's atomic bomb.
Comments? Click
here
© 2005 by Stephen Rowley