Do you expect us to watch, Goldfinger? We have been for six decades now.
For a film that opens with James Bond wearing a fake seagull on his head, it’s hard to imagine a more iconic outing for 007.
In fact, there’s a good chance this is one of the first films that comes to mind when you think of Bond. Whether it’s the titular villain with his laser, the array of gadgets, or the iconic ‘Bond Girl’ Pussy Galore, this is the film where all the pieces of the character truly fall into place.
Now, 60 years after the release of the third instalment in the Eon Productions series, we can reflect with the weight of 24 other Bond films for comparison. Does it still have the Midas touch or the spider’s touch? We beckon you to enter this web of sin.
Mining the golden source
Following adaptations of Dr. No and From Russia with Love, Ian Fleming’s seventh Bond novel served as the inspiration for director Guy Hamilton’s first Bond film.
Originally published in 1959, the novel reflects the prevailing attitudes towards sexuality and race of its time. Yet, with its three distinct acts and a cinematic finale, Fleming crafted one of the most movie-ready stories in the Bond series. In fact, as Fleming was still alive during the release of the first few films, the influences of Eon Productions certainly were evident on Fleming’s work by Thunderball–a production saga best left for another day.
Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn’s screenplay follows the basics of the book. Following the discovery of a gold-painted body, Bond (Sean Connery) investigates the wealthy and ruthless Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), who is plotting to destabilise the global economy by contaminating the U.S. gold supply at Fort Knox. He teams up with the deadly personal pilot Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) to foil Goldfinger’s plan.
Setting the model
Following the cold open, we’re treated to one of the most sensational musical themes of all time—a song comedian Greg Proops once quipped that Shirley Bassey doesn’t just sing, but attacks (“Gold-FIN-GAH!”). This marked the start of a long tradition of acclaimed Bond title songs. With its striking combination of silhouettes, shimmering gold bodies, and superimposed imagery, the sequence has been endlessly parodied, imitated, but rarely equaled.
Compared with the first two films, both remarkable in their own way, it’s all here: a classic car, the Aston Martin DB5, which has become synonymous with Bond. There’s an imitable henchman in Oddjob (Olympic weightlifter Harold Sakata). There is, of course, a complicated torture device ripe for monologuing – an actual laser that required some lengthy special effects wizardry to pull off.
Pussy Galore’s sexuality has sparked endless critical discussion. While Fleming’s novels are far more blatant in their regressive views on homosexuality—dismissing characters as “unhappy sexual misfits”—the film leans on innuendo and wink-and-nudge references. Regardless of the medium, the idea that Galore ‘turns’ for Bond—with a single, non-consensual kiss, no less—is nothing more than a crude reinforcement of his supposed irresistible heterosexual dominance, reflecting the shallow machismo that defines much of the era’s Bond fantasies.
Another staple that makes its appearance in the gripping finale is the bomb and countdown routine. After an impressively staged assault on Fort Knox and Bond’s showdown with Oddjob, a ticking clock signals that a bomb is about to detonate. US troops arrive just in the nick of time, rescuing our hero with a dramatic ‘007’ seconds remaining on the clock.
Life after Goldfinger
Although Fleming died prior to the film’s release, James Bond did return. He returned another 22 times with five different actors in the role. Nancy Sinatra through Billie Elish have featured on the titles, scoring hits and accolades along the way. Yet it wasn’t until the soft reboot of the Daniel Craig era that the series broke out of the mould formed with GOLDFINGER.
We must also acknowledge the problematic aspects of a film turning 60, ones that occasionally serve as a barrier to modern enjoyment even if they became part of Bond’s foundations for decades to come. GOLDFINGER sets the standard for the ‘Bond Girl’ as a hypersexualised figure, defined more by looks than agency. While Blackman’s Pussy Galore is more independent, her role still ultimately revolves around serving Bond—both in his mission and romantically.
Still, from The Simpsons to Austin Powers and beyond, GOLDFINGER helped cement Bond’s image as the suave, gadget-wielding spy with innuendo-laden witticisms that are entirely inappropriate for the workplace. If you’re not at least humming Bassey’s iconic performance right now, your heart is cold. Plus, if Bond’s terry towelling cloth playsuit isn’t on every Halloween wishlist, then there’s no justice in the world.
Need more of a James Bond fix? Be sure to check out my 007 Case Files, a column where I read all of the James Bond books and short stories, encompassing Ian Fleming and beyond.
