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| ICONIC |
If you looked in the spy movie encyclopedia and searched for
James Bond, the first film it would reference would be Goldfinger. It is an ICONIC example of the world
Ian Fleming created all those years ago on the beaches of Jamaica. It is the starting point for all the
other spy movies in this encyclopedia I just made up. It stars the most ICONIC Bond in Sean Connery. It has one of the most ICONIC villains
in Goldfinger. It has one of the
most ICONIC henchmen in Odd Job.
It has the most ICONIC Bond girl in Pussy Galore. The car, the kills, the gadgets, the
catchphrases, the song…all ICONIC.
There have been many great Bond films since, but in my eyes, none have
surpassed the notability of Goldfinger.
I have stressed before my belief that the best kinds of Bond
girls are not just beautiful. They
are not just a pawn for which Bond can casually move around for his own
benefit. They are women who can
hold their own with Bond physically or mentally or both. The larger the challenge they give
James, the brighter he shines.
Bond girls in the beginning were victims of the time. Female empowerment was rarely seen in
cinema in the 60s. Goldfinger, however,
manages to have two girls that bucked that trend. Jill Masterson, who has probably the most ICONIC fate in Bond history, does fall into the pawn category. However, her vengeful sister Tilly does not. She makes it her life’s mission to find
and kill the man responsible for her sister’s demise. Even if that means shooting through 007 to do it. She still pales in comparison to Pussy Galore. Pussy is beautiful, a pilot, proficient
with firearms, and a judo master.
The first time Bond meets her, she pushes him around at gunpoint. The next time they meet, Pussy knocks
Bond on his ass and recaptures him.
The next time, they both have a Judo showdown in a barn. Pussy Galore is the opposite of a
pushover. Even her relationship
with Goldfinger seems more like one of competitive equals than
employee/employer. Pussy Galore
was the benchmark Bond girl for me until Vesper Lynd came along. But that is a conversation for another
day.
Goldfinger and Odd Job shouldn’t work as villains on
paper. A British born, Dutch
sounding, gold obsessed, spoiled sport teamed with an Asian chauffeur who likes
playing ring toss on people’s heads with a lethal, metal brimmed bowler. However, they are two of the Bond
franchise’s most referenced villains.
You’ve never seen a Bond retrospective without seeing THIS…or THIS. But other than ICONOGRAPHY, how do they
stack up as villains? Goldfinger’s
plan is surprisingly sound, even for today’s standard. Hell, a version of it was used in Die
Hard With A Vengeance. He should
also get props for making Sean Connery’s Bond appear actually desperate. That laser scene always reminds me of
this amazing scene in Mission Impossible 3. Goldfinger’s obsession with gold falls short only to his
obsession with winning. If Francis from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure grew up to be a Bond villain he’d be Auric Goldfinger.
A henchman’s scariness and effectiveness usually depends on their commitment to their boss’s
cause. Suffice to say, Odd Job is
committed. So much so, when the
authorities begin to close in to stop a bomb he’s transporting, Odd Job locks
himself inside a vault with the bomb and kills a nearby henchman to make sure
he won’t diffuse it. He’s more
than a match for Bond physically and uses a weapon so implausible that it would
make Q scoff. That is a great henchman.
Goldfinger is literally James Bond 101. If you ever need a refresher course on
what exactly a Bond film should feel like, I advise you to …sing along with Dame Shirley Bassey...buy back all your gold from this guy…watch it…then tell me I’m
wrong.
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