Goldfinger
Directed by Guy Hamilton, 110 minutes, Floor 3 Pink Zone 791.4372 GOL
Spectre
Directed by Sam Mendes, 148 minutes , Floor 3 Pink Zone 791.4372 SPE
The cast have just been announced for Bond 25 – I can’t be the only one who doesn’t want to wait a whole year for the next instalment! This seems like a good time then to look at the Library’s collection of James Bond films. For this review I’ve selected the best film of the first Bond, Sean Connery in Goldfinger, and Daniel Craig’s most recent Bond film Spectre.
Gunmen fire at Bond as he speeds through a forest; unfazed Bond flips a switch releasing oil over the roads causing pursuers to veer off a cliff. After a shootout Bond is captured, he is commanded at gun point to drive on – but his assailant never suspected the car had an ejector seat. Bond’s escape continues with a thrilling high-speed pursuit through an industrial estate, Bond’s car just squeezing between walls. This scene in Goldfinger perfectly captivates the Bond film, it has the gadgets, the suave, the speed, and the iconic beauty of the Aston Martin DB5.
The word iconic is perfect to describe Goldfinger – from the opening title song from Shirley Bassey to the golden woman and Bond’s integration via laser, the film is imprinted on to the minds of Bond fans everywhere. Has anyone not heard the lines ‘you expect me to talk?’ ‘No Mr Bond, I expect you to die!’ If you don’t recognise these lines you must give Goldfinger a watch. It’s the third Eon produced Bond film following Dr No (1962) and From Russia with Love (1963). It was the first film of the franchise that saw Bond rely heavily of technology, but this took nothing away from Connery’s charming, yet tough, character.
The films sees Bond uncovering Auric Goldfinger’s (Gert Fröbe) plan to radiate America’s Gold supply in order to increase the value of his own gold. It’s a simple plot, but serves, and is carried well by an interesting cast of characters, including the henchmen Oddjob (Harold Sakata) and his killer hat (no, really). The film is dated at times, particularly with the treatment of femme fatale, Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) – the name alone hints to the sexism of the time, though she does lead a troupe of highly trained female pilots.
In many ways Spectre is a return to the Bond style of old. The franchise rebooted with Daniel Craig’s first film Casino Royale (2006), gone were the gadgets and cheeky wit; in place were ruggedness and grit – no less impressive, just different. In Spectre, however, the gadgets return – not least in the flamethrowers and machine guns on Bond’s new Aston Martin. The plot also returns to the slight unbelievable narratives of old Bond films, seeing Bond pitted against the global crime organisation, SPECTRE headed by a mysterious villain (Christoph Waltz). The name SPECTRE itself is hugely significant to Bond fans, though I will not reveal why for those who don’t know.
Spectre is not the necessarily the best Bond film, but as much as I love Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall (2015), it’s good to see a Bond film with a bit of a tongue-in-cheek air to it. Not so much as the Rodger Moore Bond films, but more than is found in the other Craig films. This is does not take away from the quality of the Spectre though, the opening sequence at the Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City is fascinating with amazing cinematography. A tracking shot follows Bond from the parade to a roof top firefight in one shot that is over four minutes in length – the James Bond theme suitably entwined with the building score.
Both films, have the correct gun-barrel opening which I find very pleasing. Old and new, Goldfinger and Spectre are great watches, these two films in particular are great for exploring how the Bond films have changed over time, whilst in many other ways they haven’t changed at all.
Why They’re Significant?
Goldfinger brought gadgets to the Bond film, as wells as the iconic DB5. It consistently ranks among the best, if not the best, Bond films and defined the narrative structure of the films in the franchise. Spectre is very much a return Bond’s oldstyle following the grittier narratives of the rebooted franchise.
If You Like This, You May Also Like From the Library:
Marnie, dir. by Alfred Hitchcock (Universal Pictures, 1964) – released in the same year as Goldfinger, Sean Connery and Tippi Hedren star in this psychological thriller, advertised as ‘Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspenseful Sex Mystery’. (791.4372 MAR).
American Beauty, dir. by Sam Mendes (DreamWorks Pictures, 1999) – Sam Mendes’ film directorial debut. Admittedly this film couldn’t be further from Skyfall or Spectre, but it’s has a great twisting plot about midlife crises. Sadly, the quality of the film is slightly dampened following the news of Kevin Spacey – but this should not take away the work of the cast and crew. (791.4372 AME).
Did you know Leicester’s Prof. James Chapman is a James Bond expert; his book Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of James Bond Films is available at Floor 3 Pink Zone (791.430909 CHA).
Written by Phil Wintle
