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Author Topic: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)  (Read 75927 times)

edgar00

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #70 on: June 20, 2010, 08:17:49 AM »
Later today James Bond will return in...

-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

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edgar00

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-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

https://twitter.com/Betweentheseats
http://crabkeyheadquarters.wordpress.com/

tinyholidays

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #72 on: June 20, 2010, 11:39:25 AM »

Okay, I might be mostly attracted to this marathon for the pictures.

edgar00

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #73 on: June 20, 2010, 07:34:55 PM »
MI6 Classified Document: Mission Dossier
Codename: Goldfinger

007, following an encounter of the most extraordinary kind in Miami, USA with multi-millionaire and entrepreneur Auric Goldfinger, was given the task of investigating the man’s suspected practice of smuggling gold bullion around the world for as of yet unknown purposes. Following a less than quaint match of golf with Goldfinger, 007 followed the shrewd business man to his largest factory in Switzerland via a homing device. It was there that our man learned that not all was what it seemed with Goldfinger. In league with the Chinese, Goldfinger had in fact been smuggling gold by clever means, but before 007 could do anything, he was kidnapped.

It only once in the clutches of his new foe that 007 could finally unravel the entire plot: an extraordinary attempt at contaminating the entire reservoir of gold bullion at Fort Know in Kentucky, USA through a nuclear bomb. But Goldfinger was not the only antagonist in this operation. Bond was also forced to deal with the millionaire’s personal body guard and assassin, a mute but sturdy Asian named Oddjob as well as his personal assistant, a charming but unforgiving woman named Pussy Galore.

In order to spoil the criminal’s scheme, 007 opted to... (sensitive information. Please refer to video document  Goldfinger (1964, Guy Hamilton) for more).

Locations: Miami, Enlgand, Switzerland, Kentucky.
Q Branch equipment: Modified Aston Martin DB5, complete with revolving licence plate, smoke canister, machine guns, bulletproof shields and an ejector seat.
Allies: Felix Leiter, Tilly Masterson
Foes: Goldfinger, Oddjob, Pussy Galore

End


Review
B+


With Goldfinger, the game changes. Guy Hamilton is brought aboard and brings with him a flare for thrills, fast and energetic pacing, and a sense of the wondrous.  The filmmakers had created somewhat of an odd hybrid of detective story and high-tech action with Dr. No. They then brought things back to a more grounded reality with From Russia With Love. The sky seems to be the limit with Goldfinger, which sets the tone for so many of the future instalments in the series. The world of film looks and sounds like the real world, but around every corner there is something that looks and sounds unique and different. The villains are larger than life, the gadgets are ultra sophisticated (even by today’s standards) and the woman have that extra pizzazz* that most Bond girls are famous for. Even Bond himself (Connery) seems to have extra kick about him which propels him to unquestionable iconic status. The dialogue snaps  more in this chapter, with some real zingers being thrown out and about between many of the characters. Bond and the supporting characters had some good lines in the previous two movies, but this is where the real game of one liners which people love or hate really all began.

Yes, if you are among the casual fans or even the uninitiated but possess some sort vague knowledge about who Bond is (knowledge, which I can attest to, is typically limited to rather silly exaggerations about what Bond does and doesn’t do), the source of what you know, or what you think you know, probably originated from Goldfinger. The world of Goldfinger, as I touched on above, breathes in a heightened reality. It isn’t a science fiction movie, far from it, but there are many elements which make it feel bigger than what we’ve seen before. Guy Hamilton and screenwriter Richard Maibaum took some liberties from the Ian Fleming novel and really pushed the envelope in terms of action and flare. The film simply drools of cool. Connery talks with a smoothness and is equipped with brains and wits that many future film protagonists have attempted to emulate, but few have truly succeeded. Everything in Goldfinger is click, super slick. The cars, the locations, the action, the sexy women. Absolutely everything people associate with Bond is found in this movie and virtually all of those elements are at their finest as well. 


There is a reason why the pre-title sequence is often cited as being a great sequence. Those opening five minutes alone contain most of the iconic 007 ingredients:
-Bond arrives at his mission check point via disguise, a disguise which also permits him swim, hence showing off his athleticism.
-Bond infiltrates the enemies compound, cool as a cat. He even takes out a guard with a single wicked kung-fu chop. Hiya!
-Bond plants the explosive device and leaves the enemy compound. Once outside the walls, he removes his wet suit, only to reveal the perfectly tailored white tux underneath.
-Bond goes to nightclub, where a sexy dancer makes eye contact. They’ll be making out in just a bit.
-Bond calmly, almost aloofly observes his watch and just at that moment, the enemy compound disintegrates in a humungous explosion in the background.
-Bond walks up to a stool to meet his contact, the latter which tells him to get on the next plane.
-Before doing so, Bond returns to his hotel room, where the sexy dancer lady awaits. They make out.
-In the girl’s eye’s reflection, Bond notices someone sneaking up from behind.
-The two brawl fiercely. His opponent is quite good, but Bond eventually throws him in the tub.
-From the tub, the enemy reaches out for Bond’s pistol, but before the villain can fire, Bond, quick thinker that he is, tosses a lamp into the bathtub, thus electrifying the man to death.
-Bond leaves the room, but not before casually saying: Shocking. Simply shocking.’
-Cue Shirley Bassey.

Violence, a clever one liner, a sexy girl, a well prepared and equipped super spy, and a mini-story line to boot. 5 minutes. The essential Bond. What’s amazing is that the rest of the bloody film actually lives up to the hype created by that pre-title sequence. Director Hamilton infuses the movie with a remarkable brisk pacing. I mean, this thing moves along like a high speed train. I can’t really think of a boring moment per say, any moment that plainly and simply does not work for me at all. In fact, I’d say the film has a better pacing than the original novel, and I’d wager that a lot of that has to do with Hamilton’s direction. He really understood the sense of adventure and how quick pacing is often required to preserve the momentum in films of this nature.


There is also a sense of grandeur which makes Goldfinger feel a bit like an epic. The pre-title sequence alone can take care of the epic feel, but then we have the Miami sequence (which leads to one cinema’s all time great deaths), the drive through Switzerland, the introduction to Pussy Galore, the introduction to Oddjob, the chase involving Q branch’s Aston Martin DB5, the finale which has the U.S. army fighting the Chinese, etc. There are some huge things going on in this movie. I even think the villain, who for all intents and purposes shouldn’t come across as more than an angry fat man, is quite interesting as the antithesis to everything Bond is and does.

So why is this not my all time favourite Bond? Just a few little details I suppose. As a serious fan, I can nitpick quite a lot when it comes to this franchise, and there are some elements which, while I certainly don’t hate them (far from it in fact), they don’t quite measure up to what I take as ‘great Bond’ elements. One of them is Oddjob (Harold Sakata). Yes, he is definitely iconic for many reasons, but I like my right hand men to be more like Grant: imposing with a clear sense of cunning and at least somewhat grounded in reality. After all, Bond swings a huge metal pipe onto his chest and the dude just smiles. That’s maybe, just maybe, a bit too much for my tastes. I think Oddjob is an interesting character, I just don’t hold him to the incredible standards most do. Red Grant is my all time henchman.

Another thing that succeeds in bugging me ever so slightly is the treachery of Pussy Galore. She has it made with Goldfinger, she really does. Her turning to the side of good, while I suppose it must happen ultimately, occurs too quickly. I can sort of imagine the filmmaker’s argument as to why she switches sides so suddenly: ‘Well, he’s Bond!’ Yeah, he is Bond but I need a bit more than that. In fact, you can call me crazy, but when we get to Thunderball, I’m going to explain my theory as to how the filmmakers actually make up for this little hiccup. I swear, it’s almost as if they knew that had mishandled Pussy Galore and wanted to correct themselves.

A word of caution: let no one come to think I don’t think of Goldfinger highly because of those two issues. If you somehow still doubt that, read everything I’ve written thus far. If you’re still doubting me, read what’s coming next: Goldfinger is damn fine entertainment and I’ll take it over almost any other (non-Bond) action movie.




I Spy: -In the book, Pussy Galore is in fact a lesbian. This makes the line she utters to Bond: ‘You can turn off the charm. I’m immune,’ all the more interesting.

-Gert Frobe does physically take on the role of Goldfinger, but his lines were dubbed by another actor.

-Early in the movie when Bond has foiled Goldfinger’s practice of cheating at cards, he lowers the binoculars right before the villain snaps is pencil in frustration, as if Bond had anticipated that his foe would react like that...

-This is the first time a laser beam appeared in a film. The original script followed the novel more closely, with Goldfinger threatening to slice Bond with a buzz saw.

-Cec Linder played Felix Leiter this time. He is the second of 7 actors to portray the character.




*Goldfinger (showing off one of his racing horses): Beautiful animal, isn't she?
Bond: Certainly better bred than the owner.

Zing!








James Bond will return in...
-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

https://twitter.com/Betweentheseats
http://crabkeyheadquarters.wordpress.com/

Beavermoose

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #74 on: June 20, 2010, 10:14:31 PM »
I pretty sure Bond's penis charm has managed to turn a bad girl good in more than one Bond film. Pussy Galore might have been the first though.

Corndog

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #75 on: June 20, 2010, 10:28:58 PM »
Welcome to your briefing 007. Your mission: Goldfinger. It has come to our attention that English businessman Auric Goldfinger has been smuggling gold illegally across the borders. We want you to investigate and see if this is the case. We also think that perhaps he has some larger, more evil plan ahead for you. Good luck Bond.

The Beginning:
The pre-title sequence here has nothing to do with the main plot, which is sometimes the case sometimes not. It is evident right away that this one may be slightly different than the others in the series, at least up to this point. When we first see Bond he has a pigeon attached to his head. He also makes one of the coolest moves when he takes his wetsuit off to reveal a white tux. So classy. And he has the calm nerve to stand there nonchalant as the bomb he placed explodes off in the distance. We then get treated to an early fight scene between our man James and an unknown foe. Again Bond shows great ingenuity in defeating him. And we get one of his great witticisms: “Shocking. Simply shocking.”

The title sequence itself is very similar to that of From Russia With Love, with the credits streaming against the bodies of beautiful women. The difference here is that the bodies are painted in gold. Also different is the theme song. For the first time in the series the James Bond Theme is not played during the credits, but rather the theme song for the film itself is played, “Goldfinger” as performed by Shirley Bassey. “Goldfinger” has long been one of my favorite theme songs from the Bond series. It is nothing really too special, but it is just so strong and fits perfectly into the legend that is James Bond. Although “From Russia With Love” came before it, I personally consider “Goldfinger” to be the first true Bond theme song, and it is a great one.


Location:
Miami FL, England, Geneva, Kentucky

Allies:

M:
M is seen slightly more here, but again his role is limited, simply giving Bond his mission. This does, however, mark the first instance that we see M outside of his office, as he meets with a man who presents them with a brick of Nazi gold to tempt Goldfinger with.

Felix Leiter:
Again Bond meets up with our CIA buddy Felix while in America. Although Felix helps fill us in on Goldfinger somewhat, he does not help much past that, except in the end to execute Bond’s plan to bring Goldfinger down. We also see that Jack Lord has been replaced by an older, less dashing Cec Linder, perhaps to give Bond more of the limelight, perhaps not.

Enemies:

Auric Goldfinger:
The title character of the film, Goldfinger is definitely evil. When we first meet him he is duping a man into playing Gin Rummy with him while he has his hired minion helping him always win. No fun sport, and definitely not fair, in my opinion. From there we learn that he is a decent golfer, but not good enough to beat our man Bond, without cheating that is. And in the end he is the mastermind behind one of the greatest bank robberies of all time: Fort Knox? But did he pull it off? And was it truly a bank robbery, or some other genius plan? You’ll just have to follow along if you want that part spoiled. See for yourself chump. Watch the dang movie. It’s good. I swear.

Oddjob:
Next we have Goldfinger’s right hand man Oddjob. Oddjob is an interesting character. He is a giant Korean man who throws a lethal hat (see any connection to Austin Powers yet? Yea, these things are chock full of references). Oddjob, in addition to being short, but intimidatingly stout, is also mute, which adds to the evil of his character. And he is fully devoted to the task of Goldfinger, even to the point that he would die for him. We never learn why. Perhaps Goldfinger saved him from an evil in Korea, perhaps he was otherwise closely connected and in debt to our main foe Goldfinger?

Q Branch:
This marks the first instance that we actually get to see into the Q labs and see some of the great gadgets that Q and the boys are working up, like exploding parking meters and bulletproof vests.

Weapons:
The standard PPK is the weapon of choice here.

Gadgets:
The main gadget here is Bond’s car, the Aston Martin DB5, full with machine guns, rotating license plate, and counter measures. The other main feature of the car is a homing device that tracks the whereabouts of Bond and whatever Bond chooses to follow. In this case, Bond utilizes it on Goldfinger’s car.

The Girls:

Unknown:
In the pre-title sequence, we get a dose of girl whom Bond presumably has slept with in the past. He is quite pretty, though not really memorably so, and in the end, tries to betray Bond and get him killed.

Jill Masterson:
Masterson is Goldfinger’s eyes in the sky for his game of Gin and is quite beautiful. Played by Shirley Eaton, Masterson is best known for her death in the hotel by means of paint poisoning. You see, she is the one that ends up painted gold on Bond’s bed. But all of this happens after Bond woos her and sleeps with her, of course. What is funny here, is that Bond is going to the fridge to get cool wine, making a disparaging remark about the Beatles of anybody, when he gets conked on the head. I am always amazed by the enemies ability to disable, but never kill Bond. Here is a good example.

Tilly Masterson:
The sister of Jill, Tilly is out for revenge and we see her only in Geneva and only as part of the chase that includes Bond. Her role is small and Bond thinks her first an enemy.

Pussy Galore:
One of the most famous Bond girls, Pussy Galore, played by Honor Blackman, is also a right hand man of Goldfinger. And when I say right hand man, I mean man, because honestly, the way the character is handled, I have long wondered about the sexual orientation of Pussy. She is a fighter, a pilot, and seemingly immune to Bond’s charm. She hangs around other women a lot and even dresses much like a man, and only changes at the request of Goldfinger in order to distract Bond. Whether she is or is not is not really that important apart from the fact that a film released in 1964 dealing with homosexual characters is a progressive idea, even if it was a British film, as the Brits have seemingly always been faster at achieving progressive things than the Yanks. But in addition, it is somewhat insulting when, in the end, she is “turned” by Bond and finally does give in to his charm.
As for her character, she is evil and cold hearted, but then she experiences a change in the hands of Bond that is indescribable. You’ll just have to see the film to understand, but she does represent a good idea of an independent, free will kind of girl.

The Car & the Chase:
The car we have here, as mentioned before, is a beautiful Aston Martin DB5. Aston Martin will become a popular choice for Bond in the missions to come. Here, there are actually two car chases. He has one in Geneva with Tilly Masterson, who we do not know her intentions at the time, and Bond gets the chance to use the tire spikes to disable her car.
We also get another car chase in Geneva at Goldfinger’s compound. Here is a very exciting chase through the forest initially and then through the warehouses of the plant. Bond gets to use all his countermeasures, including the spikes, smoke screen, bulletproof panel, and yes, the ejector seat, Q was not joking. This second chase scene is spectacular and a lot of fun. And the way it ends is quite jarring.

Mission Debriefing:

Goldfinger is a great addition to the Bond series and has long been one of my favorites, but one of the things I noticed this time around was how cheesy it was. There were plenty of cheesy lines and even plot twists, but what was more was the names. We have Auric Goldfinger, the gold loving villain. I mean come on. That is like James Cameron calling the unobtainable element “Unobtainium”. And then Pussy Galore. There was not funny Bond girl names before this…well Honey Ryder I suppose, but c’mon, Pussy Galore. Wow. So cheesy. But the funny thing is I love it. That is part of the charm of these films to me: the tongue and cheek wit that is sued throughout the film in the things Bond says and in some of the characters names.

That being said, I think Guy Hamilton brings some interesting things to the table as a new director in the Bond series. Yes, in addition to some of the cheesiness there was some bad acting (Bond’s caddy in the golf game for instance) and the editing, in my humble opinion, was generally terrible, but this film also had moments of perfection. Like the scene where Bond is captured and being shown Goldfinger’s new laser. Perfection and the delivery of the line, “No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!” by Gert Frobe is amazing, best part of the movie. It just gives me chills. And Gert Frobe is great throughout. The golf game is a lot of fun to watch too.

And once again we have spectacular set design from the filmmaking crew. The sets are always something great to look at in Bind films and something that is always top notch. Here is no different. It is just something that is consistently great about these films and something that has me coming back to them again and again. The action scenes were also fairly good here. Not great or game changing, but good and a lot of fun to watch.

Some of the proceeding may have been extremely implausible, but that is part of the fun and part of the charm of a Bond film. I will admit that the film is not perfect,  I will also admit that it is not my favorite Bond film, but Goldfinger will remain a stand alone film that I will always enjoy revisiting and something, despite it obviously being aged, will never be irrelevant in my own personal film history.

Next up: Thunderball!


Will most certainly return with screenshots to add to the review once screencap capabilities are restored.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2011, 04:56:17 PM by Corndog »
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

edgar00

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #76 on: June 21, 2010, 08:48:06 AM »
There is cheese indeed in the film, and while one can't necessarily blame Goldfinger (I think that would be unfair), it is annoying when I think sometimes about how the even cheesier cheesiness of certain future chapters emanated from this one which is deemed perfection by so many people.

I completely agree about how the chase scene in Goldfinger's compound ends. It's quite abrupt and looks genuinely painful. 007 really gets it good when this chase comes to a close.

What did you think of the finale at Fort Knox?
-Le Chiffre: You changed your shirt, Mr Bond. I hope our little game isn't causing you to perspire.

-James Bond: A little. But I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.

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http://crabkeyheadquarters.wordpress.com/

Corndog

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #77 on: June 21, 2010, 02:14:19 PM »
I really liked the finale at Fort Knox and the one thing that sticks out in my mind is the music score, or should I say lack there of. I thought that was brilliant. In the past I hadn't noticed it but it makes Bond seem that much more isolated and in peril. And then the aftermath of the scene there is pretty unnerving, realizing that Goldfinger in still on the prowl and has Bond right where he wants him.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #78 on: June 21, 2010, 05:55:48 PM »
Dr. No (1962)

I know I don't get women, I think I might not get men either.


My response to Edgar's Dr. No review:

And so the official cannon begins with this outing. A interesting choice in that the film seems divided into two clear halves. The first has our hero perform his duties like any simple detective would. The importance to infuse the film with constant action, a strategy that would play a greater role in future installments, was not felt as heavily, at least not in the early going of the movie. Bond is essentially talking to a bunch of people, trying to figure out what exactly is going on. This certainly makes for a ‘different’ kind of Bond, even this is actually the first one.
I actually liked that this was more dialogue focused. I was more interested in following the clues than all the action pieces which I felt came regularly enough to give a break from the many conversations. Then again, I've always been more of a talkie man myself.

One should remember however that at this stage in the yet to be franchise the producers and directors haven’t quite gotten the mixture of ingredients even the most casual of Bond fans have come to recognize.
So you're saying that all the ingredients are there, they just don't have the right blueprint yet? I liked the structure of this one, so I'm not liking the sound of the change of plans...

The second half of the film (sorry, did I hurt some people by typing ‘film’ when talking about Bond?)
Yea, that stung a bit. I'll get over it.

For these reasons Dr. No can easily be seen as a strange film, unsure as to what route it wants to take. Is this a detective story/ a spy story or a sci-fi and action story? Well, I answer by saying that Dr. No encompasses all of the best elements of the franchise, it just uses them in two perfect halves as opposed to sprinkling both ingredients evenly throughout.
I, like you, enjoyed the fact that they were two separate halves and different worlds. I just wish the second half could have been all the sci-fi stuff instead of that strange jungle romping bit that didn't do much for me.

Ian Fleming, who devised a the kind of female character that really could only exist in a male fantasy: young, unmistakably sexy, and a something of a wild thing. She lives life on her own terms and takes crap from no one at all. Essentially, she is like the wild animal waiting to be tamed by a man. Sounds sexist? Probably is, but these are the early 60s people, so don’t get your hopes up too much.
I actually thought she was the best Bond Girl of this movie. The rest felt like sex playthings, while this one actually came across as a strong willed woman that Bond and the audience actually got to know as oppsed to simply admiring their more, shall we say, well rounded features.

Were there many films back then in which the central character either bedded or flirted with a total of 4 women in the same film (Miss Moneypenny, Miss Taro, Sylvia Trench from the casino club early in the film and Honey Ryder). I have to admit that there is something about Dr. No that is undeniably sexy. It just seems like every second scene in the film has an undertone of sexual connotations.
I'll have something substantial on this in my review.

My response to Corndog's review:
Dr. No (Terence Young, 1962)

I liked it.
So did I.

My response to Corndog's real review:

I like it.



So wait, you've both seen all of them? And I've seen almost none of them...interesting. I feel somehow unequipped...did someone take my Berretta?

Corndog

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Re: Definitive Bond marathon (Corndog and edgar00)
« Reply #79 on: June 21, 2010, 06:04:13 PM »
So wait, you've both seen all of them? And I've seen almost none of them...interesting. I feel somehow unequipped...did someone take my Berretta?

You'll be fine. And anyways, Edgar has me because I have never read any of the novels.
"Time is the speed at which the past decays."

 

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