Released: 1964

Dir. Guy Hamilton

“Champaign Leader to Grand Slam Task Force Leader. The Baby is asleep!”

              When I first saw Goldfinger, I was unaware I was watching an ‘edited for television’ version. In early 1986 we got our first VCR, and sometime in those first six months I rented Goldfinger on VHS. It came as a wonderful surprise when I discovered there was stuff that I had been missing out on. Mainly the now iconic pre-title sequence, and what I believe to be a more complete version of the air raid on Fort Knox. I really enjoyed this proper version, and who wouldn’t, I rewound it and watched it all over again, appreciating it just as much. Yes, I rewound it again before returning the tape to the video store.

              Directed by Guy Hamilton and adapted by Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn from Ian Fleming’s original novel, Goldfinger improves Fleming’s novel in two keyways. In the novel, Goldfinger’s plan is to physically remove the gold from Fort Knox and transport it to a waiting Soviet cruiser several hundred miles away. This is highly improbable, and the plan fails miserably. The film solves this issue, with the brilliant notion that Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) will explode a nuclear device deep inside Fort Knox, irradiating the gold supply, and substantially increasing the value of his own wealth of gold.

              The second key point in Fleming’s story is, for Goldfinger to make good his escape with such a substantial haul, he plans to poison the water supply of the area surrounding Fort Knox, killing thousands of innocent people. A horrifying prospect. The film version’s solution introduces Delta-9 nerve gas, to be delivered by the Flying Circus of Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) code named Operation: Rockabye Baby. In their little Piper aircraft Pussy’s five gorgeous angels of death will still kill thousands, conservatively 60,000, but in a more stylish way. Certainly, the film’s version is far more cinematic, and still in keeping within the spirit of Fleming’ writing.

              Goldfinger is famous for so many iconic elements, images, and moments, not just for a James Bond film, but in cinema as a whole. James Bond(Sean Connery) strapped to a table about to be bisected by a laser beam(and cunningly talking his way out of it rather than relying on fancy gadgets), Oddjob the prototype of the villains henchman and his stylish yet lethal hat, the fantastic Aston Martin DB5, with all it’s incredible improvements, Mr. Solo’s pressing engagement, the golf match between Bond and Goldfinger, John Barry’s incredible score, Shirley Bassey with the most famous Bond opening theme, Goldfinger himself, that unforgettable name Pussy Galore, Sean Connery at arguably his best as 007, and of course, Shirley Eaton as the ill-fated Jill Masterson and becoming the Bond series most tragic yet beautiful images as the ‘golden girl’.

              What is often overlooked, however, is Operation: Rockabye Baby. Yes, we often see clips of Pussy’s team of beautiful blonde pilots gracefully marching across the airfield to greet their leader. But what of the operation itself? As the first stage of Operation: Grand Slam, the plan is integral and simple, five planes spread the lethal nerve gas over the military installations surrounding Fort Knox, removing the military threat to Goldfinger’s scheme, with no regard of the human cost, paving the way for Operation: Grand Slam to waltz straight into Fort Knox.

              While watching the implementation of Operation: Rockabye Baby, with friends and family, I’ve witnessed snickers and laughs as the soldiers collapse into lifeless heaps in a rather unrealistic fashion as the Piper Cherokees fly over. And yes, it does look awkward. However, something occurred to me, that caused me to look at the sequence from a different perspective.

              From the audience point of view, we don’t know that the Delta 9 has been replaced with a harmless substitute, in the same way that Goldfinger and Pussy’s pilots don’t know. But, yes, it’s true, there is no deadly gas being sprayed into the air. So, to accomplish the rouse, the soldiers are therefore under orders to ‘drop-dead’ when the little planes fly over. To further ensure the success of the masquerade, it is in the militaries best interest to not rehearse the gassing of the troops. Obviously, this would tip off Goldfinger, and the jig would be up. So, the soldiers must wing it as best they can. After all they’re not an army of Brandos or Oliviers, they only need to convince Goldfinger, and I don’t think he’s a theatre critic. The planes are all the motivation the troops need to play dead. It’s pure improv on a grand scale. Like, come on, how good are you going to be on the first take? If it looks good from the air, Operation: Rockabye Baby is a success, and Goldfinger is one step closer to considerably increasing the value of his gold. Or so he thinks.

              My most recent viewing of Goldfinger I had this logic in mind, and you know what? The scene plays much better, making for an even better overall experience, so what if I’m in on the gag. I can just think, man, is Mr. Goldfinger gonna be pissed when he finds out he’s been double crossed. And of course, this leads us to an awesome, and yes iconic, climax on the Lockheed Jetstar, and Goldfinger entering Cuba the hard way.

              You’ll be happy to know I brought along a clip; I don’t think it needs any set up:

              It’s unfair to compare Goldfinger to modern Bond films.  I can say that Sean Connery’s early turns as 007, and Daniel Craig’s Bond films are very much in the spirit of Ian Fleming’s creation. Having said that, Goldfinger does stand alone as the quintessential James Bond film, for all the elements that make this series great are on full display. It’s not my favourite Sean Connery Bond film, that title goes to From Russia with Love (1963), but Goldfinger is a very close second.

James Bond will return.

Goldfinger is available for streaming, as well as on Blu-ray and DVD.