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GOLDFINGER (1964) James Bond Sean Connery  Svenska Premiär Goldfinger
 

Goldfinger Mission
Agent 007 investigates a smuggling operation run by the obsessive millionaire Auric Goldfinger and uncovers a plot to irradiate the entire gold supply of the United States by detonating an atomic bomb inside Fort Knox.
 

The quintessential Bond movie, of course, had the quintessential Bond theme, as Shirley Bassey belts out what is, arguably, the most recognizable theme song in the entire series: except of course for the Bond tune itself…but that doesn’t count.

As the movie continues, Bond continues to be on his A-game both in terms of the ladies (he hooks up with Dink and Jill before he even leaves the Miami hotel) and in regards to action. Also introduced early on, through the striking visual of his shadow against the wall, is Oddjob: yet another icon in the Bond movie canon. Without saying a word, Oddjob is both menacing and evil; he could send a shiver down the spine with a mere look. That said, his apparent invincibility to everything except raw electricity was a bit absurd and takes away from his character. For example, there’s no way Bond could punch his face with a solid gold bar and not have Oddjob feel a thing.

Moving along the villain arena we come to he of “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” fame: Auric Goldfinger. Due partly to the aforementioned line as well as his voice (even though it was dubbed) and his plot to detonate a nuclear device inside Fort Knox, Goldfinger is one of the most memorable villains of the series. Ken Adams also helped the cause by doing a brilliant job with the sets: especially those related to Auric. His den with rotating pool table and metal window shades truly accentuated Goldfinger’s villainy.

Bad guys aside, Goldfinger features Pussy Galore, the woman with the most sexual name of the entire series. In addition, she was the first of the “bad girls” who would sleep with Bond and all of a sudden convert to the side of good. Heck, according to Ian Fleming’s original source material, Bond even made her turn straight. The movie also featured Jill Masterson laying naked, dead and covered with gold paint: an image so iconic that it landed her on the cover of Life magazine.

The movie also gave us our first look at Q's laboratory with the gags in the background as well as his gadgets for Bond. The crowning glory of Q's lab was the introduction of the Aston Martin DB5 which has become synonymous with Bond. Finally, Connery has achieved the perfect Bond character and along with a great script, supporting cast, and score, he made the best performance of his Bond career.

Date of Release
World Premiere 17th September 1964, Odeon Leicester Square,
London
Running Time
130 minutes
James Bond
Sean Connery
Bond’s Women
Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman)
Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton)
Bonita – the night-club dancer (Nadja Regin)
Dink (Margaret Nolan)

Bond’s Enemies
Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe)
Oddjob (Harold Sakata)
Capungo (Alf Joint)

Bond’s Allies
Felix Leiter (Cec Linder)
Tilly Masterson (Tania Mallet)
‘M’ (Bernard Lee)
Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell)
Q  Llewelyn

Bond’s Car
Aston Martin DB5

Bond’s Gadgets
Aston Martin DB5 with accessories: bullet-proof windscreen, smoke screen, oil sprayer, front-wing machine guns, retractable rear bullet-proof shield, tyre-slashing hub cap blades, homer tracking screen, and front passenger ejector seat.
Homing devices for tracking vehicles / people

Main Title Music
‘Goldfinger’ sung by Shirley Bassey
End Title Music
‘Goldfinger’ sung by Shirley Bassey
Music Score
John Barry
Production Design
Ken Adam
Main Titles Designer
Robert Brownjohn
Editor : Peter Hunt
Screenplay
Richard Maibaum & Paul Dehn
Director of Photography
Ted Moore
Director
Guy Hamilton
Producers
Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli

Film Locations
Pinewood Studios, London, England
Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England
Esso oil refinery, Stanwell, England (opening sequence)
Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA
Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Miami, Florida, USA
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK
Stoke Park House, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England
Switzerland

Budget
$2.5 million

Worldwide Box Office
$124.9 million

Worldwide Box Office Gross Income 2002 inflation-adjusted
$726 million

Mission: Goldfinger
Released: September 20, 1964
Bond: Sean Connery
Director: Guy Hamilton
Budget: $3.5 Million
Worldwide Boxoffice: $124.9 Million
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Villain: Auric Goldfinger
Organization: Red China
Scheme: The detonation of a nuclear 
device inside Fort Knox
Henchmen: Oddjob
Girls: Jill Masterson, Pussy Galore
Allies: Felix Leiter

Locations Goldfinger: MI 6 London, Auric Enterprises Switzerland,
South America drug operation, Fountainblau Hotel Florida,
Fort Knox Kentucky, Auric Stud Kentucky.

Henchmen: Oddjob, Harold Sakata

Colonel Smithers Played by Richard Vernon
Smithers is the distinguished representative of the Bank of England who informs Bond and M about the dangers of Goldfinger's international gold-smuggling operations. As bait for Goldfinger, Smithers lends 007 a rare gold bar which originated from a lost hoard of Nazi bullion.

Felix Leiter Played by Cec Linder
Leiter reappears in Goldfinger, again as Bond's close friend from the CIA. Leiter helps Bond locate and come in contact with Auric Goldfinger

                                                                                                                                  The Laser in Goldfinger

Summary: Special agent 007 has just come face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time. 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's economy!

Review: Over the years, Goldfinger has become known as the gold standard (sorry, couldn’t resist) for Bond movies: so much so that the “Bond formula” is essentially based around this movie. It all started with the pretitle sequence, which was a mini-movie in itself. Bond quickly disrobes his wetsuit to reveal a perfectly-pressed white tuxedo underneath, quickly establishing his as a debonair and suave secret agent. He even gets his first pun in before the title sequence with “shocking, positively shocking.”

The quintessential Bond movie, of course, had the quintessential Bond theme, as Shirley Bassey belts out what is, arguably, the most recognizable theme song in the entire series: except of course for the Bond tune itself…but that doesn’t count.

As the movie continues, Bond continues to be on his A-game both in terms of the ladies (he hooks up with Dink and Jill before he even leaves the Miami hotel) and in regards to action. Also introduced early on, through the striking visual of his shadow against the wall, is Oddjob: yet another icon in the Bond movie canon. Without saying a word, Oddjob is both menacing and evil; he could send a shiver down the spine with a mere look. That said, his apparent invincibility to everything except raw electricity was a bit absurd and takes away from his character. For example, there’s no way Bond could punch his face with a solid gold bar and not have Oddjob feel a thing.

Moving along the villain arena we come to he of “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” fame: Auric Goldfinger. Due partly to the aforementioned line as well as his voice (even though it was dubbed) and his plot to detonate a nuclear device inside Fort Knox, Goldfinger is one of the most memorable villains of the series. Ken Adams also helped the cause by doing a brilliant job with the sets: especially those related to Auric. His den with rotating pool table and metal window shades truly accentuated Goldfinger’s villainy.

Bad guys aside, Goldfinger features Pussy Galore, the woman with the most sexual name of the entire series. In addition, she was the first of the “bad girls” who would sleep with Bond and all of a sudden convert to the side of good. Heck, according to Ian Fleming’s original source material, Bond even made her turn straight. The movie also featured Jill Masterson laying naked, dead and covered with gold paint: an image so iconic that it landed her on the cover of Life magazine.

The movie also gave us our first look at Q's laboratory with the gags in the background as well as his gadgets for Bond. The crowning glory of Q's lab was the introduction of the Aston Martin DB5 which has become synonymous with Bond. Finally, Connery has achieved the perfect Bond character and along with a great script, supporting cast, and score, he made the best performance of his Bond career.

If I had to choose one main negative point about the movie, despite all the wonderful characters, Connery’s spot-on performance and classic sets, it would be that Goldfinger is, at its core, an unbelievable movie. The plot is far-fetched and, though still more realistic than future Goldfinger clones including Moonraker 1979 and A View To A Kill 1985 , was the starting point for the absurdity of later movies. As the film that all other Bond movies would be judged on, it would have been nice to see it more rooted in reality like Form Russia With Love. Still, the movie is classic Bond and not a bad choice for the gold standard of the series.

Jill Masterson: Shirley Eaton

Main Title Music
‘Goldfinger’ sung by Shirley Bassey

• Bond's first visit to America
  
• First Bond movie not to deal with SPECTRE
  
• First appearance of Red China
  
• First time Bond goes to the physical lab known as Q Branch
  
• First use of the Aston Martin DB5
  
• First mention of another Double-O agent (008)
  
• First sexually suggestive female name (Pussy Galore)
  
• First time a henchperson defected (Pussy Galore)
  
• First time a villain's voice was dubbed over in the American release (Goldfinger's was the first and Largo's would be the second in Thunderball)
  
• First extravagant ending fight sequence with hundreds of actors fighting
  
• First "formula Bond" format movie
  
• Tilly Masterson is the first person to drive a Ford Mustang in ANY movie, not just Bond.
  
• First mention of Newfoundland
  
• First Bond film to be nominated for an Oscar
  
• First use of the bulletproof vest anywhere. Featured in Q's lab, this invention was years ahead of its time and long before police officers used them.
  
• First time a laser is used in any movie
  
• First time the Bond girl was a lesbian (Bond turned Pussy Galore straight when he "appealed to her maternal instinct)
  
• First time that Ford Motor Company provided vehicles for use in a Bond film
  
• First time Bond does not use a PPK. Bond uses a Walther P-38 that he took off of Goldfinger's thugs after he stops the Aston-Martin. This is in the same sequence that Tilly Masterson is killed.
  
• First time Bond mentions The Beatles
  
• First time a villain uses a golden gun (Scaramanga was the second)
  
• First time a Bond girl is killed
  
• First henchman that was a former Olympian (Harold Sakata)
  
• First henchman with a psychological disability (Oddjob was mute)
  
• First time that 007 is taken into police custody (M mentions this in his office after 007 was taken into custody of the Miami Beach P.D)
  
• First time 007 plays golf
  
• First time a Bond film was filmed at Stoke Poges Golf Course (the location was also used during the filming of Tomorrow Never Dies , but was based in the hotel complex)
  
• First mention of British United Airways
  
• The golf game is the first action sequence set in Great Britain (previously only set-up scenes were in England)
  
  
• First time a former member of the cast of The Avengers appears in a Bond film. Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore) had appeared as Kathy Cale on the Avengers.
  
• First theme song sung by Shirley Bassey, who would later sing Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker 1979 .
  
• First time Michael G Wilson makes a cameo
  
• First time the film was changed between the theatrical release and the home video release (the timer that stops on 007 seconds stopped on 003 seconds in the theatrical version)
• 

• Gert Frobe's voice was dubbed by an English actor.
  
• Honor Blackman was actually a trained expert in Judo.
  
• Already pushing the lines of decency with Pussy Galore's name, Bond's introduction to her was changed. In the original script the line was:
  Pussy: I'm Pussy Galore.
  Bond: I know, but what's your name?
  However, the scene was later changed to bond's current response of "I must be dreaming!"
  
• When Goldfinger was first released, the public knew nothing of lasers. The movie intrigued audiences everywhere.
  
• The producers got over 300 letters from fans wondering why they were allowed to film in Fort Knox while the president wasn't even allowed in.
  
• A 24 hour guard had to be placed by the Fort Knox set so people couldn't steal the fake gold bars.
  
• Harold Sakata sustained serious injuries from the electrocution of his character because he refused to let go until the director called cut, despite his pain.
  
• Harold Sakata represented the USA in the 1948 Olympics as a weightlifter.
  
• Over 75 percent of all moviegoers worldwide have seen Goldfinger at least once.
  
• Gert Frobe was a child prodigy at the violin.
  
• The famous ending where the bomb is defused in 007 seconds was actually changed. In the original version that ran all over Europe and the rest of the world, the bomb was defused with 003 seconds left; hence Bond's line "Three more ticks and Mr. Goldfinger would've hit the jackpot." When the film came to America, the producers thought it would have a stronger impact to change it to 007 seconds, but the line remained.
  
• When the plane is plummeting at the end of the movie, you can actually see the strings used to film the sequence with a miniature plane.
  
• CIA director Allen Dulles assigned a research team to determine the feasibility the homing system in the Aston Martin.
  
• The "golden girl" idea was based on a real Swiss fashion model who painted herself and died of asphyxiation.
  
• In Fleming's novel, Pussy Galore was a lesbian. This was changed in the movie to appease the social climate of the era.
  
• Sean Connery walked off the set for a couple days and had to be asked to return after Harold Sakata's Oddjob delivered a full contact karate chop during the first take of the "golden girl" scene in the hotel in Miami.
  
• The Falcon pick-up truck Oddjob drives has whitewall tires on it when it takes the crushed Lincoln, but it has blackwall tires when it reached its destination.
  
• Felix Leiter does appear in the Goldfinger book, however, it is only for a short time and does not play a prominent role until the very end, unlike the film.
  
• Auric Goldfinger had the first golden gun, years before Francisco Scaramanga. It was not in the Ian Fleming book, but in the movie in the scene where U.S. soldiers raid the Fort Knox vault, you can clearly see Auric Goldfinger pull put a golden revolver and shoot several people.
  
• Pussy Galore was the name of Ian Fleming's pet octopus. Coincidentally, the Bond girl was named after one of Ian Fleming's pets, and later served as a theme for Octopussy 1983. 

"Goldfinger"  Fort Knox Gold Bar

This  Fort Knox Gold bar was made from a mold taken off a real prop from the film. This bar was used at the scene where 007 fights the arch villian with the deadly hat "Odd Job". 

Henchmen: Oddjob, Harold Sakata
Henchmen in the Goldfinger, Oddjob is a mute Korean working for Auric Goldfinger. Using his steel-rimmed hat as a weapon,  Harold Sakata was a Hawaiin-born Olympic wrestling silver medalist in London 1948.

Henchmen: Oddjob, Harold Sakata
Henchmen in the Goldfinger, Oddjob is a mute Korean working for Auric Goldfinger. Using his steel-rimmed hat as a weapon,  Harold Sakata was a Hawaiin-born Olympic wrestling silver medalist in London 1948.

Making her film debut in A Day To Remember in 1953, Shirley was then in great demand and starred in films such as Doctor In The House (1954), Doctor At Large, The Naked Truth (both 1957), Carry On Sergeant (1958), Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Constable (1960), What A Carve Up (1962) and, of course, Goldfinger in 1964 in which she played the ill-feted Jill Masterson, who died from being painted gold.

Subsequent films include Ten Little Indians (1965), Around The World Under The Sea (1966), The Blood Of Fu Manchu (1968) and The Seven Secrets Of Sumuru (1969).

Her many television credits include The Saint (including the very first episode), Great Scott, It’s Maynard and many James Bond and Carry On tribute programmes and documentaries.

In the late 1960s, she gave up acting to raise her family.

In 1999 she wrote her successful autobiography, Golden Girl.

Best Wishes Shirley Eaton (played Jill Masterson in Goldfinger 1964)  to James Bond 007 Museum in Nybro Sweden and Gunnar James Bond Schäfer many thanks...