Goldfinger [Blu-ray]

I first saw "Goldfinger" when it first premiered on television on the ABC network in early 1972. I was 16 at the time. Well, I'm 67 now and got it DVD and appreciate it more than ever. This was the first James Bond film I ever saw. I first got it on BETA back in the '80's. Then on VHS in the '90's. This is one of my favorite action adventure movies. Released in 1964, this was the 3rd James Bond flick. "Dr. NO" in 1962 and "From Russia With Love" in 1963 being the first two. Sean Connery returns as Agent 007 and this time his assignment is to go after Auric Goldfinger played by Gert Frobe ,who's plot is to corner the world's gold market by sabotaging the gold reserve at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Goldfinger is considered one of the best Bond villains of all time. The lovely Honor Blackman plays the Bond girl "Pussy Galore." Shirley Eaton plays Jill Masterson, Goldfinger's accomplice in a memorable role. Harold Sakata plays Goldfinger's henchman "Odd Job," another great villain. Bernard Lee returns as "M," Lois Maxwell as his secretary Miss Moneypenny and Desmond Llewelyn as "Q." Director Guy Hamilton does a fine job. John Barry composes a great score and Shirley Bassey sang the popular theme song which reached No. 8 on The Billboard Charts. Bond drives a fantastic Aston Martin. Which was chosen because it is considered England's most sophisticated car. This was the first one to become a big hit at the box-office and the first to win an "Oscar," (for Best Sound.) The tagline for one of the movie posters read...."James Bond is back in action ! Everything he touches turns to excitement !"

So most people probably like this movie because of James Bond and Goldfinger. They probably like the meeting between James and Q. I mean who doesn’t like having a transmitter that fits inside your shoe or an Aston Martin super spy car that has an oil slick defense mechanism along with an ejector seat and rotating license plates? Who could forget James Bond playing golf with Goldfinger and cheating him out of 5000 pounds? Or maybe your favorite thing is Goldfinger’s neon bedazzled industrial laser or his super cool man cave that has more dials and knobs than Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus. But my favorite thing about this movie is Goldfinger’s sidekick, Odd Job. You have to love his classic outfit. You have to love his stoicism. You have to love his taste in gold rings and gold spray paint. You have to love his driving ability. He may have some shortcomings as a caddy but you better tip him anyway because he can crush a golf ball with his bare hands, bounce gold bars off his chest with a smile on his face, and don’t forget his killer hat. Last but not least you have to admire his willingness to take one for the team to make sure that you’re insane plot to irradiate all the gold in Fort Knox comes down to the wire.

GOLDFINGER burst onto the scene in 1964 and the Bond world would never be the same. Though the previous two entries had been well-received, this is the one that touched off the worldwide phenomenon that propelled the series well into our own generation (currently filming Bond movie #21!!) In fact, it would become the Bond movie that all other's would be compared to ("yeah, I liked the latest Bond movie alright, but it wasn't as good as GOLDFINGER!!)GOLDFINGER introduced us to so much of what would become trademarks of the series. It was the first to have an independent opening sequence (yes, FRWL had one, but it was more of a prelude than a stand-alone "mini-movie"). It was the first Bond film to have a title song sung during the opening credits (which would also become a fan-favorite Bond theme). It featured the first souped-up gadget car (hailed by many as still the best). It introduced us to the first "larger-than-life" henchman in the character of OddJob - a silent-but-deadly killer who would be the quintessential Bond henchman until Jaws came along. And, it featured the first main villain to truly stand on his own alongside of Bond. Gert Frobe left a memorable impression as the titular nemesis, and is also a fan-favorite to this day. Finale, it features the first of many double-entendre female characters - Pussy Galore(a very overrated Bond gal, by the way)Unfortunately, the movie also introduced us to that "other" element of the Bond series, and that is the "over-the-top" action spectacle. Sure, it is nowhere near as out-there as Bond in a submersible car, or Bond on the moon, but the genesis of all that followed in the "unbelievable" department begins here. And this is where my criticism of the film really comes in. Having just watched for the umpteenth time this weekend, I was really able to see the flaws of the film. For the first time, Bond is placed in an elaborate "machine-of-death," when a simple gunshot to the head would do. Yeah, it's a lasting image no doubt - that of Connery strapped to a table with a laser inching it's way toward his, ahem, mojo. And yes, it provides us with the first classic Bond line - "No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!" - however, it is a really silly moment compared to the series up to that point, and begins to take us into the more fantastic and out of the more believable.Several other actions by Goldfinger leave one wondering how intelligent he really was. In the above mentioned scene, all Bond has to do is suggest he knows more than Goldfinger thinks he does about his fiendish plot, and Goldfinger gives in and allows him to live. Why didn't he simply ask Bond to prove it - tell him what else he knows? He could easily have exploited how little Bond knew. Later, GF pitches his plan to a room full of mafia bosses (in one of the goofiest scenes with GF opening all kinds of hidden maps and displays in the room and the gangsters responding with lines like, "What is this, some kinda merry-go-round?") When one of the hoods declines being involved, GF has him taken out and secretly shot. However, he ends up gassing all the other hoods in the VERY NEXT SCENE! WHY? Who knows!? If he was going to kill them all, why take the one guy out and kill him seperately? If he was going to kill them all, why even tell them his plan? Yes, unfortunately, the more elaborate the film gets, the sillier it gets as well.Which leads us to a bizarre finale. Having foiled GF's scheme, Bond is sent home on a US Jet, presumably millitary. This is at an airstrip surrounded by millitary - yet somehow, GF and Pussy have gotten aboard, incapcitated the pilots . . . ah, it's just too much!Well, I have alot of complaints, obviously, and it mainly because I see the film in its context as being the first to really bring Bond down. DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE tried very hard to give Bond some street cred as a believable Secret Agent - GOLDFINGER and later films tore that image down and turned Bond into what he is today - another generic action hero. That being said, there is still plenty of charm in this film - and it is still a Bond classic, if only for its score, villain, and Connery's most relaxed and comfortable performance in the role. His first, "Bond, James Bond" in this film is said with such suave dismissal, that you realize for the first time that Connery IS INDEED Bond, James Bond.

I had difficulty with the plot, but the actors and acting carried it along from start to finish. Excellent old-style Hollywood James Bond production. Busting in to Fort Knox, well, I don't know about that. Anyway, the one part of this movie that probably is unimportant to most viewers, female pilots. Women make excellent pilots, and I thought this part of the plot was very believable.

I'm going to watch all the Bond films in order. This is number three. I really enjoyed 'Dr No' the first and also enjoyed 'From Russia with love' the second.This one was equally good. Where have I been? I've never seen them in entirety before. Always a snatch here and there on a bank holiday or over Xmas. Never got to see them all the way through.Anyway I'm putting that right now and so far great fun it is. OK it could be easy to be judgemental with these films. They are very tongue in cheek.But here we are with 'Goldfinger' the DB6 Aston Martin, Pussy galore and nasty lasers.Come on what more do we want? Love it. 'Thunderball' is in the post.

This is very possibly the best film in the Bond franchise. It's got Sean Connery as Bond, it's got a great story (very much the one Ian Fleming wrote), it's got a megalomaniac villain played by a German , a hugely enjoyable and suitably menacing henchman (Oddjob), and with the great Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore the first real kick-ass Bond girl. What's not to like?Definitely a must have for any Bond fan and even if you aren't a die hard fan a film well worth having in your collection. The 2 disc Ultimate Edition has a huge amount of bonus material. If that's your kind of thing, this is the version to go for.

'Goldfinger' is one of my favourite movies and was the first DVD disc I ever played. I put off buying a Blu-ray player until 'Goldfinger' was available on that format. So, putting that disc into my brand new Panasonic DMP-BD35 player was a much anticipated event, fraught with the possibility of either fulfilment or of bitter disappointment.Fortunately, I was served up a large dollop of joy. The reviews of the Blu-ray releases of 'Dr. No' and 'From Russia with Love' were very positive and so it has proved to be the same for 'Goldfinger'However, I can't agree with reviews that say "Set in the '60s but looks as if it was filmed yesterday". It simply isn't going to look as sharp as 'Bourne Ultimatum' (for example) but the Technicolor palette has never looked quite so natural - e.g. the golf match between Goldfinger & Bond. Some scenes are really quite beautiful such as the Alpine, 'Golden Girl', and 'Fort Knox' interior scenes. However the High Def format shows up flaws in the matte and model work. The soundtrack is also greatly enhanced with the title sequence looking and sounding fantastic. Most of the extras have been available on previous DVD releases and have now been enhanced for the Blu-ray release.If you are an HD-loving, long-standing Bond fan and think 'Goldfinger' is THE essential Bond movie, just buy it.

James Bond comes up against Auric Goldfinger, a mad man who plans to rob Fort Knox and his deadly henchman Oddjob who has a deadly bowler hat. The 3rd James Bond movie, this sees the franchise really start to become the franchise we all know and love. For the first time, the credits have a theme song rather than just the James Bond theme or an instrumental version of the theme song as seen in the first two movies, and the gadgets start to become more fantastic with an Austin Martin, the classic Bond car making an appearance. Goldfinger is a good villain but it is henchman Oddjob, a mute Korean that threatens to steal the movie and Honor Blackman is very good as the risqué sounding Pussy Galore, a name that did not go down well in certain parts of America at the time of release while Sean Connery gives his usual excellent performance as James Bond. The series is starting to hit its stride now, and getting more and more confident as it goes along. Felix Leiter from Doctor No returns though this time played by a different actor. The movie looks fantastic as has the series so far on bluray, again completely restored and cleaned up and if you are new to Bond or are trying the early movies for the first time, this is one of the absolutely essential movies to watch.

In many respects this is the most iconic and celebrated on all the Bond films. The opening sequence is not without humour but once the film gets underway "Goldfinger" reveals itself to be a catalogue of the finest 007 moments whether it is the Aston Martin with the ejector seat, the duel on the golf course, the girl covered in gold paint or Bond's encounter with the laser whilst strapped to the table. It is also worth remembering that this is the film with Pussy Galore in too and with Auric Goldfinger (the name is borrowed from a then contemporary architect) and his henchman Odd Job, this film has two of the best Bond villains. For many Sean Connery remains the ultimate Bond yet , in some ways, a film like this very much seems the precursor to the more sophisticated Bond of Daniel Craig. Despite the gap of fifty years, the similarities between the way James Bond is protrayed by the two actors is quite staggering. For a film that is half a century old, "Goldfinger" looks very good in this restoration. Of course there are a few limitations and moments which don't stand up to scrutiny. The surfit of Chinese in Switzerland working for Auric Goldfinger never appears to have been picked up by the locals (although it didn't go unnoticed by the director of the French OSS 117 pastiche that wickedly lampoons Bond!) and the gathering of the mafia bosses at Goldfinger's Kentucky Ranch seems unnecessary when considering their ultimate fate. Despite these errors, I really enjoyed this film which was far better than I recollected. In some cases like the mirror used to deceive Bond in the car chase, I thought there was a degree of imagination that was superior from later editions where a gadget might have been used to the same effect. The final denouement at Fort Knox is handled with a modesty which would be lost by the time of "You only live twice" and the duel with Odd Job in the vault was something that struck me as particularly clever when I first saw this film as a child. In conclusion, "Goldfinger" is really the Bond film to start the collection. Some of the later films with Roger Moore became more of a gentle send-up but these early efforts remain resolutely iconic and valid despite the limitations of 1960's cinema. Essential viewing.