In December 1964, Goldfinger exploded into American cinemas, having made its British debut three months earlier. Although it was the third film in the series, Goldfinger’s style, humour, and over-the-top action established themes that the franchise would embrace for the next half century. The first time Bond ordered his martini “shaken, not stirred,” the first appearance of an Aston Martin, and the first naughtily named femme fatale (Pussy Galore) are among Goldfinger’s many innovations. Read on for how Goldfinger became the Bond-iest film of them all…
The Pre-Title Sequence
From Russia With Love was the first to have a sequence before the opening song, but it was still tied directly to the plot, featuring Robert Shaw’s stone-cold assassin, “Red” Grant, in training as he prepares to hunt Bond. Goldfinger shifted the focus away from the movie’s main plot, with a sequence that crammed scantily clad girls, bad guys, waterfowl-based headgear, tuxedos, explosions, and a bathtub electrocution into just over four minutes of breathtaking action. This became a staple of the series, with some of Bond’s most famous moments taking place before the film really even started. Absolute classics include the Soviet chemical-weapons-plant bungee jump (GoldenEye), the Union Jack parachute–employing ski chase (The Spy Who Loved Me), and Daniel Craig’s black-and-white bathroom beatdown (Casino Royale).
The Sense of Humour
Bond’s blasé attitude toward murdering baddies really begins here, as he electrocutes a thug and casually mutters, “Shocking. Positively shocking.” (The post-kill quip would soon be synonymous with the franchise, but the first is still the best.) The entire tone of Goldfinger is far more playful than the Bond movies that came before it.
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