RW324 - James Bond Rewatch - Goldfinger

In this episode of the James Bond 007 Rewatch, Cory and Nathan face a formidable foe as they discuss "Goldfinger."

Trailer:

The Music of Goldfinger:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Goldfinger had what was then considered a large budget of $3 million, the equivalent of the budgets of Dr. No and From Russia with Love combined, and was the first Bond film classified as a box-office blockbuster. Goldfinger was chosen with the American cinema market in mind, as the previous films had concentrated on the Caribbean and Europe.

Sir Sean Connery never travelled to the United States to film this movie. Every scene in which he appears to be in the U.S. was filmed at Pinewood Studios outside London. This explains why Bond flips a light switch down to discover the golden corpse of Jill, as British light switches are generally turned on by flicking them down instead of up.

Gert Fröbe spoke very little English, so British actor Michael Collins dubbed his voice. Director Guy Hamilton instructed Fröbe to speak his lines (in German) quickly, which would assist the dubbing.

The producers wanted Orson Welles to play Auric Goldfinger, but Welles was too expensive.

The role of Oddjob was the first screen role for Japanese-American weightlifter and professional wrestler Harold Sakata. It was such a success that it started a second career in movies, television, and commercials. For some of these appearances, he would be billed as "Harold "Oddjob" Sakata". He also appeared in Poppies Are Also Flowers (1966), which was based on an Ian Fleming story and directed by Bond director Terence Young. 

Sir Sean Connery hurt his back during the fight sequence with Harold Sakata (Oddjob) in Fort Knox. The incident delayed filming, and some say that Connery used the injury to get a better deal out of the producers for the next 007 movie.

Worried studio executives from United Artists considered changing the name of Pussy Galore to Kitty Galore. The name Pussy Galore was not included on any trading cards during the movie's original release, as they were aimed at youth. However, later released cards such as those as part of the "007 Spy Files" in 2002 do specify the name "Pussy Galore". 

The opening credit sequence was designed by graphic artist Robert Brownjohn, featuring clips of all the James Bond films thus far projected on Margaret Nolan's body. Its design was inspired by seeing light projecting on people's bodies as they got up and left the cinema.

First appearance of a laser beam in a movie. In the original script, the scene had a spinning buzzsaw (as in the novel) until it was decided that such an image had become commonplace and unoriginal. 

Though he had been considered for, but never appeared in a Bond movie, Sir Michael Caine was the first person to hear the completed score for this movie. After he and roommate Terence Stamp were ejected from their apartment, Caine asked friend John Barry if he could use the spare bedroom at Barry's London residence. As they were good friends, Barry agreed and so for several months, Caine crashed with Barry and was there the sleepless night he completed his iconic score. At breakfast the following morning, Barry played his composition for Caine, the first time he'd performed it for anybody. 

What's Up Next?

After a bit of a rights issue, they finally got to make "Thunderball."

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