The James Bond Bedside Companion (59 page)

Fourth, the script changes Goldfinger's intention. In the novel, his plan is simply to
rob
Fort Knox. In the film, he plans to detonate an atomic bomb inside the vault, thereby contaminating the U.S. gold supply for the next fifty-eight years or so. Not only would this cause economic disaster for America, it would also increase the value of Goldfinger's own supply of bullion ten-fold. It's a more ingenious plot, for which Maibaum and Dehn share the credit.

Finally, there is a change in the cause of death for both Oddjob and Goldfinger. In the book, Oddjob is sucked out of the airplane window when Bond smashes it with a throwing-knife. Goldfinger dies by Bond's own hands, strangled to death. In the film, Oddjob meets his death in a more spectactular way during the climax of the film. He is electrocuted, thanks to Bond's quick thinking, inside the vault of Fort Knox. And it's Goldfinger who is sucked out of the airplane window, after a gun has been fired in the cabin. This reworking of the ending is more logical in terms of structure, and is ultimately more satisfying.

As usual, there are a couple of sequences that don't quite work. For example, there is the scene in which Goldfinger explains Operation Grand Slam to a room full of gangsters. He promises them one million dollars today if they'd like, or ten million tomorrow if they stay and hear him out. All but one stay and listen to the plan to raid Fort Knox, about which they all seem enthusiastic. But Goldfinger then leaves the room and gives an order for the gangsters to be killed with nerve gas. Why he does this is never explained. Perhaps Goldfinger just wanted to express his megalomanic desires to this group of top American gangsters, then decided he didn't need them after all.

The script contains some awfully funny lines. In one scene, a radio is blaring out that the president is "completely satisfied." Bond's hand turns the radio off at this point, and we see him in bed with Jill Masterson. "That makes two of us," he says with a contented sigh. A little later, as he's taking a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator, Bond tells her that "drinking Dom Perignon '53 at a temperature above thirty-eight degrees Farenheit is like listening to the Beatles without ear-muffs." One of my favorite lines in the film occurs when Bond is strapped down, watching a laser beam in closer and closer toward his groin. "You expect me to talk?" he asks Goldfinger. "No, Mr. Bond," Goldfinger replies, "I expect you to die!"

DIRECTION

T
erence Young began preproduction work on
Goldfinger
before deciding to direct
The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders
instead. To replace him, Broccoli and Saltzman turned to Guy Hamilton, on of their original choices for
Dr. No
.

Honor Blackman (as Pussy Galore) practices her judo on stuntman Bob Simmons in preparation for a scene in
Goldfinger
. (Photo by Loomis Dean, Life Magazine. © Copyright 1964 by Time, Inc.)

Hamilton brought an even faster pace to the rhythm of the film.
Goldfinger
moves rapidly, effecting changes of location so quickly that one can understand why Broccoli calls them "bumps." Less than two hours long,
Goldfinger
is the shortest Bond film in the series, yet there is nothing missing in terms of plot development Hamilton makes sure that all information is emphasized and heard, and his mise en scene is controlled and sophisticated. The only sloppiness in
Goldfinger
is during the raid on Fort Knox, in which the soldiers do not die convincingly, and at the film's end, when the wires holding the model airplane can be seen.

Hamilton's overall style is nowhere more evident than in the brilliant pre-credits sequence. It's the best of the series, and could stand on its own as a short subject. The scene begins with a visual joke: we see a duck in the water, which is revealed to be a rubber decoy attached to James Bond's head! Bond climbs out of the water, dressed in a rubber suit, and scales a wall surrounding a factory in South America. After disposing of a guard, Bond sets a timed explosive inside a strange room filled with heroin poppies. (This sequence is vaguely alluded to in the novel.) Bond then leaves the premises and discards the rubber suit to reveal a fresh white tuxedo underneath. A red carnation is added to the lapel, which provokes another laugh. Bond then visits a nearby nightclub, where he meets a dancer in her dressing room. Bond hangs his shoulder holster near the bathtub and embraces the girl, who is draped only in a towel. But she has set him up—in her eye, Bond sees the reflection of a man approaching him from behind. Bond whirls the girl around to catch the man's blow, and a very tough fight sequence ensues. Bond succeeds in throwing the man into the bathtub. The man grabs for Bond's gun hanging nearby, but Bond tosses an electric heater into the tub. The man is electrocuted instantly. Bond mutters, "Shocking. Positively shocking." It is said with a straight face, and with an inflection containing no amusement. The effect, however, brings the house down. Bond silently leaves the room and shuts the door.

This opening sequence is a terrific exercise in style—there is humor, intrigue, eroticism, violence, sophistication—and Hamilton manages to keep it up for the remainder of the film.

ACTORS AND CHARACTERS

R
ichard Maibaum, in an article appearing in
Playboy
magazine, said that Guy Hamilton "evoked from (Sean) Connery an even surer, brisker, more sardonic Bond than in the earlier films. The effect was to make him more perversely attractive." This is definitely true. Sean Connery gives a performance that is a pleasure to watch. He personifies the meaning of "cool" in this film—he is totally relaxed, yet able to take command of any situation. He retains the tough persona but reveals an even more sophisticated wit than Bond has had in previous films. This is especially true during the golf game with Goldfinger. Connery succeeds in giving Bond an innocent exterior while the character is secretly conning Goldfinger out of five thousand pounds. Pussy Galore is an enemy, and Bond later realizes the value of having the woman as an ally. After relying on an arsenal of gadgets throughout the film, Bond must now trust his ultimate weapon—himself—to use on Pussy. Needless to say, Pussy's tomboy tendencies are vanquished.

Gert Frobe takes the top prize as best villain in a Bond film. This German actor fits Fleming's description perfectly: he is short, round, and redheaded. It is claimed that Frobe's voice was dubbed for the film, but it certainly doesn't appear so. Frobe exhibits Goldfinger's controlled madness superbly, and his obsession for gold is quite believable. The look on Frobe's face when Bond tosses the gold brick down next to Goldfinger's ball on the putting green is priceless. Another great moment is when Goldfinger's gin rummy ploy has been wrecked by Bond. The camera moves in for a huge close-up of Goldfinger's red face after losing, and it is shaking with anger.

Honor Blackman, who became a star playing Cathy Gale in the TV series,
The Avengers
, before the program was shown in America, portrays Pussy Galore. In the film, Pussy Galore is Goldfinger's employee and works as his personal pilot. In the novel, she was just another one of the hoods' congress members who became more actively involved in Operation Grand Slam. Blackman is good in the role, displaying the appropriate "butch" quality required for the character. In the novel, Pussy Galore is a Lesbian, and makes no bones about it until Bond comes along. In the film, these qualities are vaguely hinted at, but at the most, Pussy comes off as just a tough tomboy. Blackman is especially good with the stunts, doing most of her own work without a stand-in. Already experienced in the martial arts from her TV series, Blackman seems to be a natural at judo.

The beautiful Shirley Eaton portrays the doomed Jill Masterson, one of this film's two Obligatory Sacrificial Lambs. Though her role is brief, it is memorable. One can scarcely forget the many pictures of the "golden girl" used in the film's advertising campaign. She was even features on the cover of
Life
. Eaton was convincing as an English "party girl," and it's a shame her role wasn't larger.

The late Harold Sakata (also known as Tosh Togo) became an overnight sensation with his portrayal of the first in a long line of villains' super-strong henchmen. Variations on this character would be created for subsequent Bond films, but none of them have been as successful as the immortal Oddjob. Short, but built like an ox, Sakata is perfect as Goldfinger's Korean bodyguard and chauffeur. The character's dialogue, as in the book, only consists of grunts and inarticulate sounds, but the actor makes these sounds enormously expressive. He has a deadly smile, too. When he beckons to Bond before their massive fight inside the vault of Fort Knox, his accompanying grin makes us laugh and shiver at the same time.

Tania Mallet gives an adequate performance as Tilly Masterson, who is
Goldfinger
's second Obligatory Sacrificial Lamb. In the novel, she too, is a Lesbian, but nothing is made of this in the film. Instead, Tilly is portrayed as a very independent woman who is out for revenge. She is a little reckless, and at one point almost shoots Bond accidentally. She is also stubborn and uncooperative; it is her fault primarily that she and Bond are caught spying on Auric Enterprises. But Miss Mallet's performance still manages to evoke sympathy when Tilly is killed by Oddjob's bowler hat.

Felix Leiter is miscast once again, and this time the unlucky actor is Cec Linder, a Canadian. Linder is too old for the role – he looks like Bond's uncle rather than his best friend. Linder (and the script) depict Leiter as a terrifically nice guy, but a bit short on brains. This character, once again, has been misrepresented in the script and on the screen. And what's Felix Leiter doing relaying instructions from M to Bond? Leiter works for the CIA, not the British Secret Service. Apparently the two organizations have the same Q Branch too, for Leiter's car is also equipped with a radar homing screen.

Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, and Desmond Llewelyn all return for the third Bond outing, and give their usual impeccable performances. Llewelyn, especially, has his moment of glory when explaining the Aston Martin's features to Bond. After a wonderful set-up by Connery ("Ejector seat? You're joking!"), Q delivers a perfectly deadpan line to the camera: "I
never
joke about my work, 007."

OTHER ASPECTS

Ken Adam is back as production designer for Goldfinger, and the film is one of his finest pieces of work. Fresh from designing Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, Adam places his unmistakable stamp on Goldfinger with several fantastic, ultramodern sets. The pre-credits sequence features two interesting settings, including the weird room full of heroin poppies. The test center for Q Branch, Goldfinger's laser room, and Goldfinger's study are all unusual, expressionistic designs. But Adam's most breathtaking accomplishment in the film is the conception of the interior of Fort Knox. After having been denied admittance to the real Fort Knox, Adam was forced to design the vault according to his imagination. The result, in his own words, is "what we
want
the inside of Fort Knox to be like." It is a huge room of several stories, surrounded on all sides by jail-like bars housing piles of gold bricks. The set glitters and glows in the lights and is beautiful to look at. It also serves as a wonderful stage for the fight between Bond and Oddjob. With the help of art director Peter Murton, Adam has established a gold motif underlying the film's designs. As John Brosnan notes, the color seems to saturate every scene in the movie. It is one of Adam's best efforts. Ted Moore's cinematography also benefits from the illustrious designs.
Goldfinger
, as a result, is one of the most attractive films of the genre.

The picture won the series' first Academy Award for best achievement in sound effects. The work of sound recordists Dudley Messenger and Gordon McCullum established a norm for the rest of the series, emphasizing exaggerated effects (especially in fight scenes).