Review of Goldfinger: Special Edition (James Bond)

Introduction

In 1959 Ian Fleming published his seventh novel featuring MI6 agent, James Bond, "Goldfinger". Like the other novels he wrote, they were of a sufficient calibre to warrant the attention of producers Broccoli and Saltzman.

After the warm reception from critics and audiences alike (although that term is tautology as every viewer judges what they watch: I am referring to `professional` critics) when Dr. No and From Russia With Love were released, it was up to the newly-established Bond team to maintain the momentum of what was rapidly becoming a cinematic craze.

Ditching director Terence Young, who helmed the first two instalments, and hiring Guy Hamilton, they had already tweaked the formula - would this spell trouble and make people utter the immortal "If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it" line?

In a word: no. To sum up the third Bond outing content-wise, it is a furious mix of gadgets, girls and guns; and the suaveness and savvy levels shoot right through the roof. Sean Connery reprises his now well-developed role, and other familiar faces again return - Bernard Lee as M to name but one.

And now to sum up the third Bond outing plot-wise - Bond has just come face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time: billionaire Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe). And now he`ll have to outwit and outgun this powerful tycoon to prevent him from cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox - and obliterate the world economy.

Video

1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The visuals are nice and well defined, considering the age of the print (1964). Just like the previous two discs, the transfer is good - if a little grubby now and again, most noticeably the appearance of dust and grain from time to time. However, there are no compression signs, and the palette is used well, so all in all no problems.

Hamilton brings with him a sense of joviality and for the first time Bond is truly entering the `fantasy` realms, although that`s not to say that it is all a bunch of implausible crap! He engages in some original camera techniques (the eye reflection at the start of the film is particularly well done), and the set-pieces are the biggest, and boldest, yet.

The first time the `proper` pre-credits sequence is used, after the projected From Russia With Love sequence, here is the debut of the text plus image one. Yes, I know what you`re thinking: worth buying the DVD alone for...

Audio

Dolby Digital Mono (English). This is one of those films that really needs the full surround sound treatment, as the various effects and music would sound so much better in 5.1. But, like I have said in the reviews for the previous two discs, the soundtrack does suffice, as the dialogue is crisp and clear throughout.

The script is packed - packed full of action, witticisms, and everything else that makes a Bond film work. Amongst the highlights of the writing is the banter between Bond and Goldfinger (you would never know that Frobe couldn`t speal a word of English and his character had to be completely dubbed) and the introduction of Bond`s quarry: Miss Galore ("My name is Pussy Galore" she quips..."I must be dreaming" Bond replies).

Shirley Bassey`s poweful title song sets the mood for the film well, and is one of the more memorable Bond themes.

Features

Not just one, but two commentaries are included on the disc - the first from Guy Hamilton and the second by an assortment of cast and crew. The former is good for some continous insight, but if you want the perspectives of various members of the production (if you get bored of Hamilton`s voice then surely this is the answer), check out the latter. In fact, it`d be best to check out both...

Carrying on with the Bond DVD theme, there are two documentaries included. The first, entitled "The Making of Goldfinger", does what it says on the tin - a 23 minute looking at the conception and execution of the production. It features interesting interviews and archived material - great stuff.

The second, entitled "The Goldfinger Phenomenon", is a slightly longer (three minutes more to be precise) look at the entire story: whereas the previous documentary focused mainly on the film itself, this focuses on the casting of supporting roles, Fleming`s novel et cetera. However, it does suffer slightly because of it, and past the 15 minute mark it starts to drag.

Again as usual, there is a stills gallery (housing over 200 images), and is very comprehensive. Ideal for fans.

A black and white featurette from 1964 is also provided, and this opens with Harold Sakata (who plays Oddjob) out of character - in fact it is a shot of him wrestling, as that`s how he first came to the attention of the producers and subsequently landed the role. What follows is a collection of footage from the film (ruined as it has lost its colour and is presented in horrific B&W) with the usual PR fluff.

United Artists asked Sean Connery to do two radio interviews which they would then submit to various stations for transmission. These interviews are included on the DVD, and are interesting, for insightful and nostalgic reasons!

The usual advertising materials are included - trailers and TV spots, and are still pretty darn tacky!

To round off the package there is the 8-page booklet containing production notes and chapter listings.

The menus are animated well, with music in the background and animations plus clips from the film.

Conclusion

From the tongue-in-cheek pre-credit sequence (that bares absolutely no relevance to the film by the way!) to the action-packed end sequence, this is one fine example of how to not only make a good Bond film, but also how to make a good action film.

Sean Connery is great, Honor Blackman is great as the love interest, Gert Frobe is great as the meglalomaniac...in fact everyone and everything is great.

Another star of the show is Bond`s Aston Martin DB5: "The Most Famous Car In The World", and rightly so. Stacked with enough gadgets to make any potential assassin quake in their boots, this is one of the highlight`s of the film.

The DVD itself is fairly strong as always, with the best extras so far in the series, although a more interesting second documentary would have made this an excellent disc in the special features area: but it is still nearly as good as the two-disc sets out there.

Dubbed as one of the best instalments of the series, I can safely confirm this theory. It`s not the best, but damn close - and I can say the same for the disc.