Goldfinger (1964)

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

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay), Paul Dehn (screenplay),

Stars:

Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Bond is back and his next mission takes him to Fort Knox, where Auric Goldfinger and his henchman are planning to raid Fort Knox and obliterate the world economy. To save the world once again, Bond will need to become friends with Goldfinger, dodge killer hats and avoid Goldfinger's personal pilot, the sexy Pussy Galore. She might not have feelings for Bond, but will 007 help her change her mind?

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Plot Keywords:

gold | fort knox | pilot | hat | machine gun | 

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Taglines:

OO7 is paid to take risks. YOU ARE NOT (1964 British Safety Council poster)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Chinese Spanish

Release Date:

9 January 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

007 - Contra Goldfinger

Filming Locations:

Andermatt, Uri, Switzerland

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$51,100,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the second most popular Bond movie with paying audiences, racking up 130 million ticket sales. The next Bond film, Thunderball, surpassed it in popularity, with 140 million paid admissions. The success of Goldfinger and Thunderball, propelled Sean Connery to the top of Quigley Publications' annual Top Ten Money Making Stars poll in 1965, the only British male star to be #1.

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Goofs

In the opening scene, just after Bond shoots off a grappling hook, its clearly not his. It comes off-camera, from the bottom of the screen.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits include footage from Goldfinger, as well as an unused cut of a helicopter scene in From Russia with Love (1963) (helicopter). One of the Goldfinger scenes shown (Bond visiting Q Branch) isn't actually in the movie. Additionally, a putt shown is from a different POV than actually used.

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Connections

Referenced in I Am Not an Animal: A Star Is Hatched (2004)

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Soundtracks

"James Bond Theme"
Written by Monty Norman

User Reviews

The superlative James Bond film

First of all, I must state for the record, Sean Connery is THE James Bond. Even though the first Bond film I ever saw was "For Your Eyes Only" with Roger Moore. I was very young and very much drawn in. I have seen every one of the Bond films and without a doubt, "Goldfinger" is the finest the 007 saga has to offer.

Before I had begun an appreciation of the Connery films, i.e. before I'd seen them, a good friend and cartooning mentor, Ross Paperman, sorted me out. He helped me see how Connery's Bond was suave and sophisticated but also demonstrated a quality the other Bonds do not portray: fear. Not a panicky soil-your-pants kind of fear, mind you. But Connery's Bond actually has a few anxious, sweat-soaked-brow moments. A perfect example is when Bond is strapped to a table as Goldfinger's captive with a laser beam primed to cut him in half. 007 has to think fast. "Do you expect me to talk?" "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!" A famous scene and line from Bond's most enjoyable film.

Perhaps what makes the earlier films more enjoyable is that they had fresh, innovative elements that have now become cliché and gimmicky. The new films are often stale and already covered ground and they don't even appear to be trying anymore.

But it's more than that. Even watching "Goldfinger" today, having seen all the latest in special effects and technology that Hollywood has to offer, it still is riveting and thoroughly entertaining. That is also without the added advantage of being overly nostalgic about "Goldfinger". How could I? I hadn't even been born when it first hit theaters, and it was far from my first 007 experience. The story, the characters and the fun of "Goldfinger" is timeless and if given a chance could probably rope in a whole new generation of fans. It just doesn't seem likely to happen.

Much of the satire from the Austin Powers films is directly derived from the Connery films, especially "Goldfinger" and "Dr. No", proving their lasting effect on popular culture. As well, John Barry's scores from the Connery films are finding their way into the ears of a new generation through pop music as snippets from his soundtracks are sampled by such artists as Robbie Williams, Mono and Curve, to name a few.

But if by some fluke you read this and you haven't seen "Goldfinger" yet, do yourself right and acquaint yourself with the real James Bond. You'll probably be hooked by the time you hear Shirley Bassey's voice in the famous opening theme.