Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Goldfinger - 1964

Directed by Guy Hamilton. Obviously considered the essential movie of the cannon. Unlike the previous Russia w/Love this movie had plenty of silliness. A car exploding for no reason after going off a cliff, check:


The ejection seat in Bond’s car, check. As a side note the dummy ejected is so obvious I laugh every time. It reminds me of the dummies that would fall off the roof on Married With Children. Grandma with a machine gun! And of course the old favorite Oddjob, probably the most famous henchman of all time. Let's take a look at Mr. Job enjoying his handiwork:


Oddjob walks over to check the car. Something catches his fancy and he slowly turns around to face the mirror. Finally smiles and poses next to the destruction he's caused. Oddjob looks like a sculptor standing next to his latest masterpiece.
His death by electrocution is perfect. His favorite weapon, the black bowler hat, being his foil. That is actual irony.
They did a great job of editing the bomb sequence. Cutting back and forth between Goldfinger’s escape and James trying to defuse the bomb creates not just tension, but a comparison between the two enemies. Goldfinger is written to be on Bond's level intellectually and the editing here exemplifies their duality. Remember Bond disguises himself as a duck to blend in at the beginning of the film. Now here at the end Goldfinger disguises himself to blend in with the American military. This is what makes Goldfinger such a great villain, him and Bond are the same coin.

Highest recommendation.