Goldfinger (1964)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay) &
Paul Dehn (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 January 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Miss Honey and Miss Galore Have James Bond Back For More!

Plot:

Investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Fort Knox | Pilot | Hat | British

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Sean Connery	...	James Bond
Honor Blackman	...	Pussy Galore
Gert Fröbe	...	Auric Goldfinger (as Gert Frobe)
Shirley Eaton	...	Jill Masterson
Tania Mallet	...	Tilly Masterson
Harold Sakata	...	Oddjob (as Harold Sakata 'Tosh Togo')
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Martin Benson	...	Solo
Cec Linder	...	Felix Leiter
Austin Willis	...	Simmons
Lois Maxwell	...	Moneypenny
Bill Nagy	...	Midnight
Michael Mellinger	...	Kisch
Peter Cranwell	...	Johnny
Nadja Regin	...	Bonita

Also Known As:

Gold Finger (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Ian Fleming's Goldfinger (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Iceland:12 | Ireland:PG | West Germany:16 (nf) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 (video rating) | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #20808) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1971) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Andermatt, Uri, Switzerland

Company:

Eon Productions

Trivia:

Terence Young, the director of the first two James Bond movies, worked on the film during the very early stages of pre-production, including early drafts of the screenplay. However, an agreement could not be reached regarding the terms of his contract, and he left the production.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When we see Pussy Galore's private jetliner in the long shots, the strings that are suspending the model plane are visible. This was corrected in the 2006 digital restoration.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sierra: Congratulations.
James Bond: Thank you.
Sierra: Mr. Ramirez and his friends will be out of business.
James Bond: At least they won't be using heroin flavored bananas to finance revolutions.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Creepy Tales: Girls Night Out (2003)

Soundtrack:

Goldfinger

'64 Classic Elevates 007 to Pop Phenomena!

Forty years after it's initial release, the third 'James Bond' film, GOLDFINGER, remains the quintessential 007 film for many fans, with a level of hysteria upon it's initial release that younger fans may not fully appreciate. It set records at that time as the fastest-grossing film in history (making back it's $3,000,000 production cost in a mere 2 weeks, on only 67 screens), spawned the first massive 007 merchandising 'blitz' (with everything from jigsaw puzzles, dolls, and lunchboxes, to shoes and cologne, and even Aston Martin DB5 automobiles offered as 'collectibles'), launched a whole new genre of 'spy thrillers' to TV and film (with the debut of the Ian Fleming-approved TV series, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." in America, and the increased popularity "Danger Man" and "The Avengers" would enjoy in Britain), and gave the franchise it's first worldwide #1 hit song, sung by Shirley Bassey. Everyone was crazy about 007, with a resulting pandemonium that rivaled the adoration of the Beatles in it's intensity!

The story, pitting the British secret agent against a megalomaniac whose master plan was to explode a 'dirty' nuclear device at Fort Knox, thus poisoning the American gold supply, and making his own gold reserves infinitely more valuable, would benefit from 'perfect' casting. German actor Gert Frobe (his voice dubbed, as he barely spoke English), was an ideal Goldfinger, a rotund, piggish monster who always 'cheated' to win, at cards, golf, or dealing with adversaries. His 'right-hand man', Oddjob, played by Hawaiian wrestler Harold Sakata, became the prototype of every subsequent villainous henchman; silent, nearly invulnerable, with an evil grin and a steel-edged bowler hat he would toss that could cut the head off a marble statue.

Bond's women were never sexier; Shirley Eaton, 27, created a sensation in a 5-minute appearance as 'Jill Masterson', who betrays Goldfinger for a tryst with 007, and ends up a nude corpse covered in gold paint; and 27-year old "Avengers" alumni Honor Blackman, as the lesbian pilot 'Pussy Galore' (yes, the name DID cause problems with American censors), who discovers the joys of male lovers after Bond pins her in a fight. Sean Connery, at 34, was simply irresistible in his third outing as 007!

Director Guy Hamilton, making his first Bond movie, said that the character of 007 only needed a 'push' to become a Superman, and he provided it, by increasing the humor and ever-present gadgets, most memorably the prototype Aston Martin DB5, complete with armor plating, machine-gun turrets, rotating license plates, and an ejector seat.

Unforgettable moments abound, from the "shocking" pre-title sequence, to the golf match between Goldfinger and Bond (introducing Connery to the sport that would become his lifelong passion), to the famous laser torture scene ("Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to DIE!"), to the climactic fight between Bond and Oddjob (during which Connery was actually injured, and Sakata burned his hand, badly).

007 author Ian Fleming passed away during production, after a last visit to the Pinewood set (although the story takes place in Florida, Switzerland, and Kentucky, nearly all of the film was shot in England). He was very pleased at the success his creation had achieved, thus far, thought Connery made an ideal Bond, and was confident in the future of the series, in the hands of producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman.

And speaking of the future...A few months later, in Ireland, twelve-year old Pierce Brosnan would view GOLDFINGER (the first Bond film he'd ever seen), and decide to become an actor, fantasizing about playing the spy, someday...