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DVD Brief: Goldfinger |
           
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Description: The third outing for big-screen 007 (after "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love") and for our money the best in the series, "Goldfinger" brought together succinctly all the hallmarks of the James Bond persona -- fast action, dry wit, sexy women, monstrous villain and a gadget laden production. The story line is pure fantasy -- unbeatable British spy 007 is called upon to stop a plot by evil millionaire Auric Goldfinger to take over Fort Knox and contaminate the U.S.'s money supply -- and much of the dialogue is by now corny -- or has so drifted into common parlance as to make it cliche. Who can forget the delectable scene when Bond looks into the eyes of a seductress and sees a villain poised to attack him, or when he kills that same villain by throwing an electric fan into a bathtub of water and electrocuting him, with the retort of "Shocking." Or who can forget the female villain's line when she meets Bond: "My name is Pussy ... Pussy Galore." And can one ever forget the repartee between Bond and Goldfinger as 007 lies on a table about to be emasculated by a laser beam: Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?" Goldfinger: "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die." There's so much more: the unforgettable Shirley Eaton, painted in gold; the massive sidekick Oddjob with his razor-edged hat; and, of course, Bond's Aston Martin, fitted with rear deck bullet-proof shield, machine guns, computer navigation system, nozzles to send out a smoke screen or oil slick and, of course, the famous passenger ejector seat. John Barry's great and everlasting score and Shirley Bassey's rendition of the title song add to the atmosphere. Tongue-in-cheek, witty and wry -- full of suave acting and gentlemanly murder -- and sexy women -- this Bond is forever.
MGM has put together a nifty package here for Bond fans. In addition to the
theatrical trailers and TV spots we've come to expect, there's an audio
commentary by director Guy Hamilton, original radio interviews with Connery, a
publicity featurette, a behind-the-scenes still gallery, and two documentaries:
"The Making of Goldfinger," a wonderful look at the film with a host of
interesting, behind-the-scenes info (Frobe spoke no English and was instructed
to speak in German -- slowly -- so that later all his lines could be dubbed in
by another actor; Eaton's scene in which she was found dead, her pores clogged
with gold paint, had to be shot quickly because it was felt that she might be
made ill by the makeup) and "The Goldfinger Phenomenon," which traces the
cultural impact of the film.
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