Goldfinger (1964) is a classic James Bond movie produced by Eon Productions and starring Sean Connery as agent 007. It is considered a classic of the spy genre and remains one of the most successful movies from the Bond franchise.
Shirley Bassey recorded the iconic theme song for the movie Goldfinger. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This was the third James Bond movie, and the first time Honor Blackman appeared as Pussy Galore. It was also the first time the series introduced the famous catchphrase, “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!”
The movie also included elements of what became a recurrent theme in James Bond movies: the megalomaniacal villain with a superb plan. Goldfinger himself was one of the most memorable Bond villains.
The film included two classic action sequences: the gas chamber scene, in which Bond escapes suffocation, and the golf course fight, between Bond and Oddjob.
The film introduced Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DB-5 car, which featured gadgets like an ejector seat, machine guns, and a smokescreen.
Goldfinger’s henchman, Oddjob (Harold Sakata), also became famous for his iconic bowler hat, which could be thrown with lethal accuracy.
Goldfinger was also the first Bond movie to use realistic special effects; the Aston Martin was equipped with real-life gadgets, and the destruction of Fort Knox was done with realistic models.
The movie is also highly regarded for its set design; Auric Goldfinger’s headquarters, the Fontainebleau Hotel, and Fort Knox, among others, were all built with extraordinary detail.
Goldfinger was the first film released in the Super Panavision 70 widescreen process, with a soundtrack recorded in the original four-track stereo.
It was the second-most successful film of 1964, behind Mary Poppins, and became the highest-grossing movie in the Bond franchise until Thunderball in 1965.
