Re: Universal Exports - The James Bond Thread

[Rich Flair]

From Russia With Love; For Your Eyes Only; Octopussy; Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; Licence to Kill; Tomorrow Never Dies; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day

I'm saving Thunderball - it's not brilliant, but it's better than any of the others, none of which are worth saving!

[Starfighter Pilot]

From Russia With Love; For Your Eyes Only; Octopussy; Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; Licence to Kill; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day

I remember quite enjoying Tomorrow Never Dies when I saw it in the cinema so I will save that.

[Patrick]

For Your Eyes Only; Octopussy; Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; Licence to Kill; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day

I'm saving From Russia With Love. A solid cold-war espionage story with a great villainess in Rosa Klebb.

[The Co=Ordinator]

For Your Eyes Only; Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; Licence to Kill; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day

Today I'm going to save Octopussy. Because you can't beat Vijay Amtriraj!

[Johnstone McGuckian]

For Your Eyes Only; Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day

Licence to Kill saved. Possibly the most underrated film in cinematic history.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Johnstone, you live in a totally different Bond Universe to me!

[Johnstone McGuckian]

Probably not to be honest. We're in agreement over Patricks reviews so far really. I'm just saving the crap pones that should be saved that no one else will save.

Then again, some fool saved The Spy Who Loved Me

[stanmore]

Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; The World Is Not Enough; Die Another Day

Bits of For Your Eyes Only are great, mainly the bits with Topol and Julian Glover. Moore's looking knackered by this point and I'm staggered that he managed three more Bonds.

[Patrick]

Only two more Bonds after FYEO, Stanmore.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Probably not to be honest. We're in agreement over Patricks reviews so far really. I'm just saving the crap pones that should be saved that no one else will save.

Then again, some fool saved The Spy Who Loved Me

Reasons fully explained and stood by. Plus, on top of them, you've got The Pyramids, Nadim Sawalha getting jawsed and the submarine car. Plus 101 other great things. Awesome movie. But still not quite as good as Moonraker

[Johnstone McGuckian]

Moonraker is another very very underrated film.

[Patrick]

But still not quite as good as Moonraker

Moonraker is another very very underrated film.

Moonraker? Underrated? I defer to my namesake for the appropriate commentary here:

[The Co=Ordinator]

I didn't know your name was Stewart.

[barnaby morbius]

Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; The Living Daylights; Die Another Day

The World Is Not Enough- sophie marceau and robert carlyle do enough to make this watchable. plus the pre credits bit is really good- maybe the best one?

[stanmore]

Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill; Die Another Day

The Living Daylights survives. It's a bit underrated, the best here and certainly the better of the Dalton Bonds. I like things with a cello.

[Rich Flair]

Never Say Never Again; A View To A Kill

Die Another Day will indeed die another day because it's being saved for being off it's trolley bonkers.

[barnaby morbius]

never say never again- for the bit when bond throws his urine sample in someones face.

unlucky view to a kill

[The Co=Ordinator]

never say never again- for the bit when bond throws his urine sample in someones face.

That was Big Pat Roach, wasn't it?

So Goldeneye is the best Bond movie, and A View to a Kill the worst - well according to this bit of fun anyway!

[Patrick]

Goldfinger
UK Release Date: September 17, 1964
US Release Date: January 9, 1965

This is a bit of an intimidating movie to review. In a lot of people's minds, this is THE most iconic Bond movie ever produced. Save the possible exception of a time-travelling DeLorean, it had THE most iconic car ever introduced to a movie franchise. It made its production costs back within two weeks of its release, earning it a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. And its popularity not only launched Bond-mania world-wide, it ensured that popularity would remain through the 1960s. So it's with a bit of trepidation that I delve into the third installment of the Bond franchise...



What would it take for you to see things my way?

As we do with every review, we start with Bond himself. If Sean Connery appeared more relaxed in From Russia With Love, here he completely owns the role. Even with the wonderful bit of pre-credit nonsense, Mr. Connery's portrayal of Bond leaves you convinced this man is a professional who's been on many assignments and is a full blown agent. In Goldfinger, his charm and polish are being pushed a bit more to the forefront, while some of the more brutal aspects of his character recede into the background just a bit (likely a conscious directoral choice by Guy Hamilton, making his debut behind the cameras for a Bond film.) Mr. Connery is shown far more frequently in a suit and tie, or even a tuxedo, and those suits even seem to be a better, classier cut. There's also a certain quality of playfulness going on this time around (put a bookmark on that thought, as I'll expand on that in a moment.)

One thing that strikes me about how Bond is characterized this time around is that he seems a bit more human. Let's remember, in Dr. No, he had no real reason to save Honey Ryder. She clearly meant nothing to him beyond the adventure in Dr. No's lair they shared. That made his rescue of Honey down to a motive of "chivalry with a bit of recreational sex on the side." In Golfinger, however, he clearly feels responsible for the death of Jill Masterson. After discovering her helping Golfinger cheat at cards, she decides to betray old Auric, and Bond seduces her. Later, after Oddjob kills her (in one of the most spectacular visuals ever put on film), M has to confront Bond about his ability to do his duty with some objectivity. The subtext of this conversation in M's office is that Masterson's death weighs heavily on Bond's conscience. What makes this interesting to me is that it suggests that Bond can be motivated by revenge, and off the top of my head, the only other occasions where this seems to happen are License to Kill and Quantum of Solace. Later, when Bond also briefly teams up with Jill's sister Tilly Masterson, only to see her beheaded by Oddjob's hat, we have to conclude he now has a double case of guilt to deal with.



Let's keep this thought in mind as we move forward into the Bond franchise. It will be interesting to see how Bond reacts to the women he seduces. Is his post coital protectiveness a result of actual true feelings he has for these women? Or does he feel guilty for having seduced them in the first place? We shall see.

The man with the Midas touch



Auric Goldfinger, at least for me, stands apart from the vast majority of Bond villains. The aspiration of most Bond baddies is to either A) rule the world, B) destroy the world, or C) cause global havoc. At least on the surface, all Goldfinger wants is gold. But layered into this is the behavior and eccentric performance of Gert Frobe (later dubbed by Michael Collins) which suggest there's something deeper going on in the psychology of the character. This psychology suggest that in Auric Goldfinger, we have a small and petty man who is desperately attempting to seek respect.

Think about it a second: he cheats at cards, when he could certainly apply what is a formidable intellect to simply win honestly. He punishes Masterson's rather minor betrayal with murder. Why so harsh a punishment? Because the act of betrayal itself, and being forced to lose all that money at cards shattered his fragile ego.

He cheats at golf, when Oddjob "finds" his golf ball laying in the rough. He even cheats at his own master plan, murdering all the mobsters who helped him assemble all the pieces he would need to pull off "Operation Grand Slam," including the one who simply wanted to be paid and part company with Goldfinger.

Goldfinger surrounds himself with beautiful women, but apparently isn't sleeping with them. Jill Masterson makes it clear she's only paid to be seen with him. Pussy Galore makes it clear she's only paid to be his pilot.



No scene typifies what a big man Goldfinger has aspirations to be than the rumpus room scene. I may be in danger of reading too much into the visuals here, but as Goldfinger struts around, pompously laying out the details of his big plan, he's using a billiards cue to point at a model of Fort Knox. As phallic symbols go, that's about as obvious as it gets. Indeed, his ranch in Kentucky isn't a ranch at all-- it's a stud. A sign out on the road shows this, and Goldfinger greets bond with "Welcome to Auric-stud, Mr. Bond." I'd better stop there, before I go into Goldfinger's large laser pointed between Bond's legs, and the tall columns that ornament the front of Goldfinger's Kentucky house.

Goldfinger is a show-off, a quality which many people with a fragile self-esteem share. In the design and wardrobe, just about everything we see having to do with Goldfinger is gold: his car, the inside of his rumpus room, even the interior of his plane.




I've heard arguments made that the famous laser scene actually represents a bit of plot hole: Bond is tied to slab that slowly being cut by the laser, moving inexorably toward Bond's gentleman region. Bond bluffs his way through this, attempting to convince Goldfinger he knows all about Operation Grand Slam. Whether Bond knows about the Operation or not, there really isn't any reason for Goldfinger to keep him alive. Or is there? My own interpretation of this is Goldfinger's reason for keeping Bond alive is that he wants to be Bond. He wants Bond's respect. In James Bond, Golfinger sees a proper British gentleman, the pinnacle of spies, who dresses in excellent suits and ties, wins at golf and drinks Dom Perignon.

Contrast this with Goldfinger's wardrobe. It's all rather drab and boring, with lots of yellows, tans, browns and tweeds. It's bland and has an air of lower class to it. Even his first appearance on film, wearing swim wear at the Fontainbleu Hotel in Miami contrasts starkly with Dr. No's first on screen appearance. Dr. No was filled with mystery, a clinical detachment and an air of absolute control. Goldfinger first appears on film looking like an obese Pac-Man, and wearing clothing that would more at home in a Florida retirement home.



Understanding Goldfinger's character comes down to paying careful attention to the scene where Goldfinger and Bond talk about Operation Grand Slam over mint julips. Goldfinger is gently teasing Bond to try and figure the plot out for himself. Why? Because Goldfinger LOVES his big plan. And when Bond calls it "inspired," he LOVES that Bond has admitted that. He LOVES that he's finally earned Bond's respect. He's flattered that despite his fragile ego and compulsive need to win, he's garnered the attention of MI-6 and the CIA. This is a nice twist on the normal method of having the villain of the piece deliver some lengthy monologue of exposition about the plot, it's a character driven moment that not only gets the audience to the same place, it does it in a way that reveals Goldfinger's own character flaw. Indeed, the whole plot of Goldfinger is centered around the character flaw of the villain, which is why he is such an engaging bad guy. You don't see that very often in a Bond movie.

Let's have a little fun with Mr. Goldfinger.



If the central theme of From Russia With Love was chess, in Goldfinger, the theme is a much more playful one: games. Bond and Goldfinger have an almost genial rivalry, which is in obvious contrast with the Cold War manipulations of FRWL. Goldfinger is introduced playing gin rummy, and Bond quashes his victory by playing with his cheating partner. We move to the golf course, where a game of ball-swapping goes on within the golf match itself. In the laser sequence, Bond bluffs his way out of being turned into a eunich by bluffing, as if it's a poker game.



The audiencce is introduced to Auric-stud as several horse-riders go by in harness race. Goldfinger's presentation of Operation Grand Slam (a baseball term) includes a life-size game board of Fort Knox. On Goldfinger's jet, the flight attendant tries, three times, to spy on Bond while he's in the bathroom, and each time Bond playfully foils the attempt. Locked in his cell, Bond plays a game of "peek-a-boo" with the guard as a means of escape. And then the big game: Felix Leiter, the CIA and the Army play an elaborate game of "pretend," when they feign being dead from nerve gas to allow Goldfinger to think his plan worked.

Even the way the film is shot draws a line of contrast with From Russia With Love. Whereas FRWL has a more dirty, earthy feel to it, Goldfinger feels far more polished. The camera often puts characters in wide, sweeping shots. Examples: Bond on a mountain road in Switzerland:


Oddjob against an open sky:


Pussy Galore against a flat landscape:


Bond and Goldfinger against a huge golf course:


The shot composition and lighting really works to create a visual pop. Foregrounds are nicely separated from backgrounds. The individual elements the film makers want the audience to focus on in each shot are delineated crisply. This works to visually emphasize the difference between the characters of Goldfinger and Bond. In sum, what this does is give Goldfinger the mood of a sweeping adventure, which contrasts nicely with the relative claustrophobia of From Russia With Love, particularly in the scenes on the train.

But the denoument of this film has to be the gold vault at Fort Knox. In the DVD extras, it was described that Cubby Broccoli wanted to see a "cathedral of gold." Since the number of people around the world who've actually seen the inside of Fort Knox is extremely small, it gave Ken Adam the chance to really let his imagination go. He achieves the cathedral effect by filling the vast space with lots of contrasting horizontal and vertical lines, and then sets those in opposition to shapes (the round vault door, as opposed to the rectangles of the vault). Even the cylindrical bars which serve to electrocute Oddjob are, themselves, stacked vertical lines. What Sir Ken has done is fill the vast space with contrasting shape, and he does this to create a subconscious feeling of dissonance in the viewer- a creative decision which nicely underscores the fact that this is where the climax of the movie is to take place.



I see you like a close shave.



A word here about Honor Blackman. Given that she came into the role after a successful stint on The Avengers, she was quite well suited for the part. She plays Pussy Galore as a formidable woman. Not only is a professional pilot who has trained her own cadre of beautiful women pilots, she's also an expert at Judo. Add to this that as Bond women go, she really is one of the best, with a stunning figure, intriguing blue eyes and great physicality. Quite a potent combination. A lot of women in Bond movies make it a point to let Bond know they are not going to be used as sex toys, but Pussy's frosty exterior presents Bond with a really tough shell to crack. And in this case, he has to crack it before he can win his (literal) roll in the hay. And what's more, in this instance, it works to serve the film as well. By seducing Pussy, Bond is able to win her over to the good guys' side, and in so doing, quash Operation Grand Slam.

Oh no you don't. This is no time to be rescued.

The only significant plot hole I can find in this movie comes down to the scene with the mobsters in the rumpus room. Goldfinger goes to elaborate efforts to convert the room from a seemingly innocent game room into a war room replete with models and maps so as to demonstrate his big plan to his gangster audience. Now, we know at some point in the movie, a bit of exposition has to be put forth to explain to audiences what the plot's main conflict is, and Goldfinger is certainly engaging as he goes into his monologue about how the only field of human endeavor that hasn't seen a truly daring moment is crime. But after doing all this, he simply has these gangsters gassed. What was the point? Apparently, the point was so that Bond, hiding under the model of Fort Knox, could overhear the whole thing. And since Bond's attempt to warn the CIA goes wrong when the mobster whose pocket he's slipped a note into gets crushed. Again, what was the point?

On balance, though, Goldfinger really does hold up as a fine example of a Bond film. It's part genre spy movie, part heightened reality, and completely satisfying as pure entertainment. It's complete with some memorable characters, fantastic visuals, and another fine performance by Mr. Connery. Which is why I'm giving it five beheading bowlar hats out of a possible five.



James Bond will return in Thunderball.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Excellent review Patrick. A work of near genius, Goldfinger is a stonewall 5/5.

[Patrick]

Thanks, C=O.

I plan to post my review of Thunderball right around June 24th. Unfortunately, this is where the weight of trying to do bigger, bolder stuff starts not to work so well.

[Zoltar]

Excellent review Patrick. A work of near genius, Goldfinger is a stonewall 5/5.

What the Cyberfellow said.

[Patrick]

Thanks, Zoltar. If you're interested, scroll back to page 1 of this thread where you'll find reviews of Dr. No and From Russia With Love.

[Zoltar]

Thanks, Zoltar. If you're interested, scroll back to page 1 of this thread where you'll find reviews of Dr. No and From Russia With Love.

I've seen them, I imagine I was just feeling poorly at the time you posted them and didn't get around to commenting. All good stuff, very detailed. I'm looking forward to your next one.

[Patrick]

How about a little Bond trivia contest for bragging rights? We'll start with an easy one.

Q1: From this list of names, which one does not belong, and why?

Christopher Walken, Yaphet Kotto, Tommy Lee Jones, Sean Bean and Robert Shaw.

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