How Goldfinger (1964) Humanizes James Bond
The gold standard in Bond/ spy entertainment turns 60!
Happy 007 Day!
This September 17th marks the 60th anniversary of my very favorite Bond film. It was also the second one I ever saw, after Dr. No.
Goldfinger was heralded for decades as the best of the Bond films, but in recent years, about as far back at the time of the early Daniel Craig films, that reverence has shifted to the (more) down-to-earth, more serious of 007’s adventures, like From Russia with Love, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Casino Royale (2006) and Skyfall.
All great, but Goldfinger’s Midas touch remains untouchable.
It’s a Fort Knox of treasures — Connery is never better as Bond, the main four leads emit a light that at close range can cut through solid metal, the tone is somehow both breezy and tense, the dialogue is endlessly quotable, the story brims with excitement and invention, John Barry’s score is moody and brassy, the main title theme sung by Dame Shirley Bassey is unforgettable, and the action is tough.
