#Paul Maibaum

[scenesandscreens]

The Timekeepers Of Eternity (2021)

Director - Aristotelis Maragkos, Cinematography - Paul Maibaum

"We know what happens to today when it becomes yesterday. It waits for them. It waits for them, the timekeepers of eternity. Always following them behind, cleaning up the mess in the most efficient way possible: by eating it!"

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL: 5.5 / 10

Título Original: Stephen King's The Langoliers

Año:  1995

Duración: 180 min

País:  Estados Unidos  

Dirección: Tom Holland

Guion: Tom Holland. Novela: Stephen King

Música: Vladimir Horunzhy

Fotografía: Paul Maibaum

Reparto: Patricia Wettig, Dean Stockwell, Kate Maberly, David Morse, Bronson Pinchot, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Frankie Faison, Christopher Collet, Baxter Harris, Kimber Riddle, Stephen King, John Griesemer, Tom Holland, Michael Louden, Kimberly Dakin, David Forrester, Christopher Cooke

Productora: Spelling Films, Worldvision, Laurel Entertainment Inc

Género: Horror; Mistery; Sci-Fi

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112040/

TRAILER:

[buzzdixonwriter]

GOLDFINGER: Novel vs. Movie

The quintessential James Bond story.  Not the first, not the best, but the one that got the mixture right and set the stage for all that followed.

The seventh novel in the series, it marks a significant milestone in Ian Fleming’s growth as a writer, being the first time he ever gave real attention to Bond’s inner life and how he reacts to his career and missions.

Fleming was a good writer but not a great one.  He typically wrote a first draft of his novels in two months time, revising over another month before submitting them.

This is not a schedule conducive to tight plotting or attention detail and it shows in Goldfinger.

Give the book credit for being a fun, fast paced adventure, it still could have been better.

While Goldfinger was Fleming’s longest book to date, his publisher still felt it ran too short and asked for another 5,000 words.

Fleming added a lengthy detailed dinner with a minor character and a lengthy golf game (based on one he actually played once).

He should have spent more time on the logistics of Goldfinger’s scheme to rob Ft. Knox.  When the big plan is presented, there’s almost no description of the enormous effort it would take to get the men and vehicles to the gold depository to pull off the heist.  Fleming dismisses this with a bit of handwaveum by saying Bond, posing as a freelance crook, was coordinating the efforts via phone for Goldfinger!

On the other hand, the opening chapter, with Bond musing over the death of a Mexican drug cartel assassin sent to kill him, is expertly written and, as mentioned, gives us the first real glimpse into Bond’s psyche in the series.

One gets the feeling Fleming started Goldfinger with good intent but grew impatient towards the end and just wrapped it up as quickly as he could with slam-bang action to be done with it.

He did something similar with The Spy Who Loved Me, starting out writing what he intended to be a literary novel about a young woman’s coming of age told from a first person POV, either getting bored or writing himself into a corner 2/3 of the way through, saying to hell with it and dragging in some gangsters and James Bond to liven things up.  (Robert E. Howard did the same thing with his story, “A Witch Shall Be Born”; when he got bogged down he remembered he fortunately gave the hopelessly trapped queen an unnamed general who had been captured and crucified by the villain, so with a few strokes of the keyboard Conan tears himself off of the cross and comes back to town looking for revenge.)

Unfortunately, there’s also some really ugly bits throughout ///Goldfinger/// as well and it’s a toss up as to who Fleming smears worse:  Koreans or lesbians.  The Korean stuff is really horribly racist and as for the lesbian material, well, lesbians don’t work that way, Ian.

Bond also thinks too often in terms more suited for a Boy’s own Adventure story, undercutting his previous melancholy.

Fleming could be a far better writer than he appeared on average, and his short stories show that probably was a better format for him than novels (but who can make a living writing short stories, right?).

Goldfinger isn’t his finest work, but it’s the must read entry of the series.

By contrast, Richard Maibaum and Paul Dehn’s movie adaptation does an excellent job adapting Fleming’s book to the screen, although oddly adding plot holes of his own.

Book and movie overlap by 90%, a pretty good average for this kind of story.

Briefly, here are the holes Maibaum and Dehn filled:

They eliminated a chance encounter with a minor character from Casino Royale, thus eliminating a huge coincidence that drags Bond into the plot of the novel.  Instead, Felix Leiter tips 007 to Goldfinger and sets him to work.

The somewhat sad and melancholy opening of the novel is reworked as a James Bond mini-adventure with exploding oil refineries and naked flamingo dancers.  It’s a great precredits sequence, arguably the best of the series.

Jill Masterson is killed by Oddjob and Bond is framed for it in the movie; in the book we only learn of her fate much later (Goldfinger supposedly killed her by painting her with gold body paint that sealed off her pores, causing her to suffocate, but to paraphrase Rocket J. Squirrel:  “Hokey smokes, Goldfinger!  That trick never works!”).  

When Bond shows up at the golf course, Goldfinger is far more wary of him -- and why not?  This is a guy he tried to frame for capital murder and he doesn’t even bring it up.  Clearly Bond is much more than a freelance crook.

Tilly Masterson’s death occurs sooner and more logically.  As I’ll note, it’s pretty farfetched for Goldfinger to let Bond live after catching him snooping around a third time, but it’s even more farfetched for him to keep both alive as he does in the novel.

Unlike the book where he continues passing himself off as a freelance crook, Bond quickly acknowledges he’s working for the British secret service (and why deny it?  They just pulled him out of the wreckage of that fabulously tricked out Aston-Martin DB5).  That fact doesn’t keep him alive but when he reveals he knows “Operation Grand Slam” is the codename for Goldfinger’s big scheme, that convinces Goldfinger to keep him alive so M won’t send another 00 agent after him.

Pussy Galore’s arrival is separate from the American gangsters, indicating she’s far closer to the heart of the plan than they are.  Using her as Bond’s guard enables the two to build a relationship, which makes her joining the good guys more plausible.  She also now leads a team of stunt pilots, an improvement over the book where they’re just a team of criminal acrobats (from Harlem, no less!).

Goldfinger simply kills the gangsters once he gets from them what he needs, a brutally cold but wholly logical departure from the book.

The biggest departure from the novel is that movie Goldfinger wants to blow up Ft. Knox with an atom bomb, destroying America’s gold reserves to the advantage of Communist China and bolstering his own gold holdings.  That’s one helluva better plan than recruiting rival American mobsters from around the country to help loot the place.  In the novel Goldfinger plans to use a black market nuke to gain entry to the vault, ignoring the intense heat / shockwave / radiation that would result (recovering stolen nuclear weapons would be the plot of Thunderball).

Pussy Galore helps Bond convey a message to Felix Leiter instead of Bond taping a note to the underside of an airliner toilet in the hopes a cleaning crew will find it.

Pussy Galore helps double cross Goldfinger in the movie, in the book she sticks by him.  

Bond kills Oddjob inside the gold vault instead of shooting out an airplane window; it’s Goldfinger who dies the ignominious death of getting sucked out of the jet.

Maibaum and Dehn’s improvements tighten up the film, but they still leave a number of idiot plot points, such as letting Bond drive his own car after being captured despite knowing it’s tricked out with all sorts of spy gadgets and weapons or crushing a defecting gangster in his car but neglecting to first remove the bold bars he was carrying.

It’s also a fair question to ask why Oddjob just doesn’t kill Bond at the same time he kills Jill Masterson, but one could argue that while Goldfinger knew who Jill Masterson was and could kill her with impunity, he might have decided to err on the side of caution by leaving Bond alive – albeit with a gold painted corpse to account for.

Still, a marked improvement over the book, with the movie being only mildly implausible as opposed to the novel being wildly implausible.  It’s the best of the early Bond films (though From Russia With Love runs a tight second).

  © Buzz Dixon

[adamwatchesmovies]

Goldfinger (1964)

Goldfinger is easily one of the best James Bond films. If you know someone that's been turned off of the series by some of the lesser entries, show them this one and they will fall in love with 007.

This time around, James Bond (Sean Connery) is investigating gold bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe). Initially tasked with learning how Goldfinger is smuggling gold internationally, Bond discovers that he plans on attacking and breaking into Fort Knox.

Why is this one of the best Bond films? Because it’s got one of the most clever pre-credit sequences, a villain that's second to none, many memorable characters, and a tight plot that keeps you wondering throughout. The pre-credit sequence is short so I don’t want to dwell too much on it, but what clever use of photography, what thrilling action and clever twists in those 5-or-so minutes! Next, our villain. Whenever you see a movie where the antagonist captures the hero, you always wonder what their problem is. Why don’t they just kill their foil instead of setting them up in elaborate traps? Why reveal their big plan to them? Why drop their gun to get into a hand-to-hand fistfight? How do they justify their criminal actions? All of those issues are addressed here, and in ways that develop and enrich the character of Auric Goldfinger. He loves gold. The color, the shine, the value of it, he loves it more than anything else. All of his actions are aimed towards increasing his fortune. When he isn't, it's because he's losing; and he hates losing. It’s an offense to him to be anything but number one so he will employ whatever means necessary to win at even the pettiest contest. He and Bond are constantly one-upping each other, with the odds always leaning more towards Goldfinger and his operation. The man is constantly finding ways to turn moments of disadvantage to opportunities for advancement. He really is a mastermind and you wonder how Bond is going to defeat him.

That’s just the main villain. We also have another great character introduced in this film, the Korean henchman known only as “Oddjob”. Bond films are often known for their cool gadgets, but how often do we have a villain who’s gadget is as cool, if not cooler than our heroes'? You’ll know what I mean when you see Oddjob’s signature weapon. Goldfinger might be the brains of the operation and the intellectual equal (Though I would argue superior) to Bond, but Oddjob is the muscle. Even Pussy Galore (yes, that’s the name of Honor Blackman's character) is terrific. She makes it clear that, unlike the other floozies appearing in Bond films, she's not there just to get together with 007. Well, maybe she is, but wait! No! That was her taking advantage of his weakness for women! She’s a lot of fun to follow and there are some great dynamics between actress Honor Blackman and Sean Connery.

The plot here, what a masterpiece. The film is constantly toying with Bond escaping and getting the leg-up on Goldfinger, only to fall back into a trap or to be apprehended by our villain’s forces. The film lasts nearly two hours (1hr, 50 minutes) and it is so well crafted that you will be surprised when the ending comes. I gasped out loud numerous at the surprises and twists. Other things you can look forward to? The tricked-out Aston Martin DB5 car that has become a favorite of fans, terrific lines (the best of which come from Goldfinger), several high-powered action sequences, and an acute attention for details. 

There are big laughs, many moments of tension and constant excitement in Goldfinger. It sticks with you long after the movie is over. This is what you want not just in a Bond movie, but in an action movie overall. They don't get much better than this. (On DVD, April 9, 2014)

[maaarine]

Bibliography: books posted on this blog in 2022

Anne APPLEBAUM (2012): Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56

Philip BALL (2022): The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens

Lundy BANCROFT (2002): Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

Moshe BARR (2022): Mindwandering

Ernest BECKER (1962): The Birth and Death of Meaning

Emmanuel CARRÈRE (2020): Yoga

Deepak CHOPRA and Rudolph TANZI (2018): The Healing Self

Elinor CLEGHORN (2021): Unwell Women: A Journey Through Medicine And Myth in a Man-Made World

Antonio DAMASIO (2021): Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious

Frans DE WAAL (2022): Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist

Thomas S. DUVAL and Paul J. SILVIA (2001): Self-Awareness & Causal Attribution: A Dual Systems Theory

Andrea DWORKIN (1981): Pornography: Men Possessing Women

Elena FERRANTE (2014): Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay: Neapolitan Novels, Book Three

Marilyn FRYE (1983): Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory

Masha GESSEN (2020): Surviving Autocracy

Gerd GIGERENZER (2007): Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious

Carol GILLIGAN and Naomi SNIDER (2018): Why Does Patriarchy Persist?

Valerie HARDCASTLE (1999): The Myth of Pain

Walter ISAACSON (2017): Leonardo da Vinci: The Biography

Hans KELSEN (1991): General Theory of Norms

Alan KENDLE (2017): Aphantasia: Experiences, Perceptions, and Insights

Ian KERSHAW (2008): Hitler

Dan KINDLON and Michael THOMPSON (2000): Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys

Gerhard KREUCH (2019): Self-Feeling: Can Self-Consciousness be Understood as a Feeling?

Todd LEKAN (2022): William James and the Moral Life

Jeremy LENT (2022): The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe

Robert Alan LEVINE (1982): Culture, Behavior, and Personality: An Introduction to the Comparative Study of Psychosocial Adaptation

Darcy LOCKMAN (2019): All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership

John LUCKOVICH (2021): The Instinctual Drives and The Enneagram

Heidi MAIBAUM (2020): Empathy

Kate MANNE (2017): Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny

Gabor MATE (2022): The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture

Richard J. MCNALLY (2012): What Is Mental Illness?

C. Thi NGUYEN (2020): Games: Agency As Art

Paula M NIEDENTHAL, François RIC (2017): Psychology of Emotion

Camilla PANG (2020): Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us about Life, Love and Relationships

L.A. PAUL (2014): Transformative Experience

Lucile QUILLET (2021): Le prix à payer: Ce que le couple hétéro coûte aux femmes

William M. REDDY (2001): The Navigation of Feeling: A Framework for the History of Emotions

John RUSCIO, Barry BEYERSTEIN, Steven J. LYNN, Scott LILIENFIELD (2009): 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology

David SHAPIRO (1981): Autonomy and Rigid Character

David SHAPIRO (1999): Dynamics of character: Self-regulation in psychopathology

David SHAPIRO (2017): A psychodynamic view of action and responsibility

Julia SIMNER (2019): Synaesthesia: A Very Short Introduction

Timothy SNYDER (2018): The Road to Unfreedom

Timothy SNYDER (2015): Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning

Timothy SNYDER (2010): Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin

Tim SPECTOR (2012): Identically Different: Why You Can Change Your Genes

Jason STANLEY (2018): How Fascism Works

Seth STEPHENS-DAVIDOWITZ (2022): Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life

Michael TOMASELLO (1999): The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition

Michael TOMASELLO (2014): A Natural History of Human Thinking

Bessel VAN DER KOLK (2014): The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma

Mathilde VIOT (2022): L’homme politique, moi j’en fais du compost

Haider WARRAICH (2022): The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain

Geoffrey WEST (2017): Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies

Drew WESTEN (1985): Self and Society: Narcissism, Collectivism, and the Development of Morals

See also: bibliography of previous years

[bondenargentina]

“Octopussy”: Roger Moore y su “funesta manía de sobrevivir”

Por Lucas Manuel Rodríguez* Ya para 1980 el contrato inicial de Roger Moore había expirado, por lo que comenzó a negociar un convenio por cada película nueva. Con el éxito comercial y la aclamación crítica de Sólo Para Tus Ojos (1981), el primer Bond británico consideró que tenía su excusa perfecta para “salir por la puerta grande”, pero la amenaza de la inminente competidora norteamericana Taliafilm apresuró a la EON para que improvisara volantazos desesperados.

Inglaterra responde con disparos

Kevin McClory, némesis del novelista Ian Fleming por las circunstancias vinculadas a Operación Trueno (1965), se las ingenió para realizar una suerte de remake de la cuarta película de 007: Nunca Digas Nunca Jamás (1983) con Sean Connery en una séptima y no oficial participación como James Bond; Kim Basinger haciendo de chica Bond; Irvin Kershner (El Imperio Contraataca, 1980) en la dirección; y Douglas Slocombe (Los Cazadores del Arca Perdida, 1981) de Director de Fotografía. Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, principal cabeza de EON Productions para entonces, venía de recibir su Oscar honorario –en 1982- por la trayectoria de la saga de Bond, y de contratar al estadounidense James Brolin para la adaptación de Octopussy. Brolin filmó ensayos con casi todo el elenco de la decimotercera aventura cinematográfica de Bond, pero el inesperado contexto competitivo hizo que Broccoli, como había hecho junto a Harry Saltzman en medio de la producción de Los Diamantes Son Eternos (1971), descartara el rostro yanqui de su espía favorito y se pusiera a negociar con la figura que venía ganándose a todos los públicos alrededor del globo. De esta manera, Richard Maibaum y Michael G. Wilson añadieron mucha más acción al primer boceto de George MacDonald Fraser, consiguieron el Jet Bede BD que no pudieron adquirir para Moonraker (1979), lo incorporaron en la secuencia previa a los títulos iniciales, y el piloto terminó por ser nadie más, y nadie menos, que Sir Roger Moore.

Los malos no ganarán

Tras la muerte de un muy herido agente 009 en la residencia del embajador británico de Berlín Occidental, Bond le sigue la pista a una réplica de huevo Fabergé que estaba en manos de su difunto compañero. Su investigación lo lleva a un evento de remates en Londres, donde el exiliado príncipe de Afganistán, Kamal Khan, se desespera por obtener el huevo original a un precio demencialmente costoso. Eventualmente nos enteramos de que Khan mantiene estrechas relaciones con fuerzas militares pertenecientes y disidentes a la propia Unión Soviética en pos de un plan que detallaremos al final de esta nota. Este antagonista principal de Octopussy es encarnado por el francés Louis Jourdan, actor que tuvo una amplia carrera en Hollywood, y por mucho tiempo fue colaborador del productor David O’Selznik. En la película es un personaje un tanto extravagante, tiene tiempo para ser intimidante, divertirse, a veces pecar de ingenuo, pero, sobre todo, es un traidor de principio a fin para y con todos sus afiliados. Dentro de su amplio abanico de indumentarias, se toma la libertad de probarse un saco con cuello mao -tan distintivo de los villanos de Bond desde El Satánico Doctor No (1962)- cuando le expresa su desprecio a 007 al decirle: “usted tiene una funesta manía de sobrevivir”.

Khan tiene a su disposición a Magda, su subordinada interpretada por la actriz y modelo sueca Kristina Wayborn. No sólo una de las más atléticas y hermosas chicas Bond de toda la saga, sino también una de las no muchas con las que mejor se aprovechó su avidez en cambiar de intereses a lo largo de la trama, sin perder su costado entrañable y, obviamente, sin quedarse con las ganas de explotar el momento en el que ella misma usa al agente secreto de juguete sexual.

La mujer que volvió

Maud Adams, la otra sueca en cuestión, ya había muerto en El Hombre Del Revólver De Oro (1974), pero eso no detuvo a los productores al momento de considerarla para un nuevo papel en la franquicia, algo insólito todavía para hoy. Adams protagonizaría a la contrabandista de joyas que le brinda el título a la película. Octopussy, nombrada así por la mascota –peligrosamente venenosa- favorita de su padre, el Mayor Dexter Smythe, vive en su palacio flotante solo habitado por mujeres –Magda, incluida- en Udaipur, India, y todas están afiliadas a su organización de contrabandos: El Culto Octopus. Artísticamente, el diseñador de producción, Peter Lamont, se encargó de expresar en lo visual la apreciación del personaje por estos seres de vida acuática, incluso en el decorado de su dormitorio. El vínculo de ella con Khan es estrictamente comercial, pero con Bond la liga el hecho de que, en su misión de arrestarlo y someterlo a juicio, él le dio permiso al padre de Octopussy para suicidarse, y para esta, más que una motivación de venganza hacia 007, esa fue una alternativa honorable de su parte.

Dobles de (extremado) riesgo

Con tanto pronóstico atlético establecido en el guión, y un Roger Moore a sus 54 años en pleno rodaje, esta película puso en demanda a los dobles de riesgo del protagonista como nunca en la saga. Por un lado, tenemos al muy destacable trabajo de Jake Lombard, quién tuvo que aferrarse al avión de la última secuencia para el plano de un despegue icónico muy recordado por los seguidores de la saga, e igual de influyente para los posters y trailers publicitarios de la excelente Misión Imposible: Nación Secreta (2015), con el mismísimo Tom Cruise en una circunstancia similar. Por el otro, está Martin Grace, que dobló a Moore en los exteriores de los vagones de circo, pero padeció la desafortunada desgracia de ser golpeado por un poste de luz mientras se agarraba de uno de los costados del tren; fue sustituido por Paul Weston, con quien terminaron las tomas de esa y varias escenas más, y no logró recuperarse hasta pasados unos seis meses de internación. Lo que sí pasó es que no volvieron a usarse los trenes -tan amados por Cubby- hasta GoldenEye (1995), pero a partir de ahí, sólo filmaron interiores; mientras que, en un universo cinematográfico paralelo, Cruise –otra vez- atascaría sus palmas en el techo del tren bala de la Misión Imposible (1996) de Brian De Palma.

Hitchcock, después de todo

Asociado a Khan, tenemos de antagonista al General Orlov (Steven Berkoff). Este soviético planea volar una base aérea estadounidense en Alemania Occidental con una bomba nuclear en medio de un espectáculo de circo, para dejar las fronteras europeas en desarme y a la merced de una invasión soviética. Aún cuando se cae en un discursillo que hace quedar mal parada a la Unión Soviética, con un Bond que sermonea Orlov de manera hipócrita por querer hacer algo bastante similar a lo que el protagonista hace en la primera secuencia del film, se hace un excepcional manejo en clave hitchcockiana del dispositivo explosivo y merece mención. No solo genera suspenso al hacernos saber a los espectadores toda la información numérica y geográfica posible sobre cómo, cuándo y dónde estallaría, sino que se lo apropia a modo ‘McGuffin’, es decir, como pretexto que, si bien es irrisorio, pretende y logra darle rumbo a este relato. Y esto, sumado al manejo de la acción, nos permite en buena parte a hacerle vista esquiva a elementos por los que se la suele condenar a esta película: como el grito de Tarzán –cortesía de la MGM- cuando 007 se columpia por unas lianas, y sus disfraces de gorila y de payaso en las escenas previas al desarmado de la bomba. ¿Rozan con la estupidez? Absolutamente, pero no dejan en el olvido mucho de lo verdaderamente bueno de esta aventura.

Octopussy se estrenó en Argentina el 14 de julio de 1983. A fin de cuentas, con su recaudación de 187.5 millones de dólares en el mundo lograron superar los 160 de Nunca Digas Nunca Jamás. Según Roger Moore, esto fue un gran alivio para Cubby Broccoli, quien se mantuvo como productor cabecera hasta 1989, y al par de años contrató a su colega para un último trabajo.

Ficha Técnica: Título original: Octopussy. Año: 1983. Duración: 131 min. País: Reino Unido. Dirección: John Glen. Guión: George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson. Música: John Barry. Fotografía: Alan Hume. Edición: Peter Davis, Henry Richardson. Reparto: Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn,Steven Berkoff, Kabir Bedi, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown. Productora: Eon Productions. Distribución: MGM/UA Entertainment Co.,United International Pictures. Productores: Albert R. Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson. – Datos de producción extraídos del material extra y los audiocomentarios del Blu-ray editado en 2012.  – *Licenciado en Comunicación Social por la Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. E-mail: lucasmanuel9894@gmail.com.

[olivierdemangeon]

    James Bond doit se rendre aux Bahamas afin de récupérer deux bombes nucléaires qui ont été volées par le numéro 2 du S.P.E.C.T.R.E. ayant mis un stratagème d’extorsion de fonds international.

    Origine du film : Royaume-Uni Réalisateur : Terence Young Scénaristes : Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins Acteurs : Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Bernard Lee, Martine Beswick, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Paul Stassino Musique : John Barry Genre : Action, Aventure, Crime, Espionnage, Thriller Durée : 130 minutes Date de sortie : 17 décembre 1965 (France) Année de production : 1965 Sociétés de production : Eon Productions Distribué par : United Artists Titre français : Opération Tonnerre Notre note : ★★★★☆

    “Thunderball”, ou “Opération Tonnerre” pour la distribution française, est un film d’action britannique datant de 1965, dirigé par Terence Young, à qui l’on doit également “Dr. No” (1962). Les acteurs principaux sont Sean Connery, qu’on a pu voir dans “Le Nom de la Rose” (1986), Claudine Auger, qu’on a pu voir dans “Flic Story” (1975), Adolfo Celi, qu’on a pu voir dans “Death Sentence” (1968), Luciana Paluzzi, qu’on a pu voir dans “Three Coins in the Fountain” (1954), Rik Van Nutter, qu’on a pu voir dans “Foxbat” (1977). Bernard Lee, Desmond Llewelyn et Lois Maxwell reprennent leur rôle respectif de “M”, “Q” et “Moneypenny”. Ce métrage est le quatrième film dans la série de métrages produite par Eon Productions dédié à James Bond. Il s’agit d’une adaptation du roman du même nom de Ian Fleming. Ce film aurait dû être le premier de la série James Bond, mais des différends juridiques sur les droits d’auteur en décidèrent autrement.

L’histoire proposée par “Thunderball” nous invite à suivre l’agent 007 qui tente de localiser deux bombes nucléaires de l’OTAN volées par le SPECTRE. Cette organisation mafieuse mondiale en demande une rançon de 100 millions de livres sterling (133 millions d’€) en diamants. S’ils n’obtiennent pas satisfaction, ils détruiront une grande ville du Royaume-Uni ou des États-Unis. Les investigations mènent James Bond (Sean Connery) aux Bahamas où il rencontre Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), le n°2 du SPECTRE. Soutenu par Felix Leiter (Rik Van Nutter) de la CIA, et Domino Derval (Claudine Auger), la maîtresse de Largo, la recherche de 007 aboutit à une bataille sous-marine contre les hommes de main du SPECTRE.

De mon point de vue, après “Dr. No” (1962), “From Russia with Love” (1963), et “Goldfinger” (1964), “Thunderball” pose de manière quasi-définitive les fondations du film de James Bond. L’agent 007, par l’intermédiaire de Sean Connery, est à la fois séducteur, malin, dynamique dans l’action, tout en étant élégant et décontracté. Les belles femmes défilent comme sur un podium d’un grand courrier un soir de gala, les gadgets sont de plus en plus présents, le dépaysement est au rendez-vous, cette fois, les Bahamas, l’action est rondement menée et l’intrigue est solide. C’est le premier des films de la série des James Bond, qui additionne l’ensemble des éléments constitutifs du concept, là où on avait uniquement pu en voir des parcelles dans les métrages précédents.

Le public de l’époque lui-même en a pris conscience, car le film fut un énorme succès rapportant plus de 141 millions de dollars dans le monde, dépassant les recettes des trois précédents films de la série. Les scènes d’action apparaissent bien évidemment comme obsolètes aujourd’hui, mais pour l’époque, c’était incontestablement ce qui se faisait de mieux. Bien que la plupart des effets spéciaux se voient clairement à l’écran, il faut garder en mémoire que le métrage datant d’il y a 53 ans, est, par conséquent,  plus vieux que votre fidèle serviteur.

Le film se déroulant dans les Caraïbes et qu’une bonne partie des scènes d’action se déroulent sous l’eau, les personnages féminins sont particulièrement mis à leurs avantages. Claudine Auger, qui tient le rôle féminin principal, est une actrice française qui fut première dauphine de Miss Monde en 1958. Luciana Paluzzi, actrice américano-italienne, tient le rôle de l’un des principaux antagonistes de l’histoire. Enfin, Martine Beswick, actrice anglaise et ancien top modèle, joue un rôle de soutien, soit un agent d’appui de la CIA. À elle trois, ces jeunes femmes rivalisent de charme dans des tenues habillées et parfois même déshabillées…

Il reste également la performance de Sean Connery, qui comme je le soulignais offre un James Bond plus relax, nettement plus sûr de lui, accompagnant souvent son action d’un bon mot, n’hésitant pas à jouer avec l’incongruité de la situation. Aussi, bien, à l’aise en costume, en smoking qu’en maillot de bain, l’acteur offre un physique relativement sportif du haut de ses 188 cm. Son personnage va mettre à profit les différents gadgets qui lui ont été confiés. Son Aston Martin DB5 (présentée dans le film précédent, “Golfinger”), réapparaît quelque peu modifiée, avec un canon à eau à l’arrière. Mais l’agent 007 va surtout profiter d’un système de respiration miniature, et d’un émetteur miniature se présentant comme un cachet à avaler.

“Thunderball” a fait l’objet d’un remake, produit en 1983 par la société Warner Bros., sous le titre “Never Say Never Again”, réalisé par Irvin Kershner et avec un Sean Connery vieillissant qui reprend le rôle qui aura fait de lui une star internationale.

En conclusion, “Thunderball” est un très bon film d’action disposant d’une histoire originale, d’une intrigue bien construite et d’un développement dépaysant. Le rythme est agréable, le récit est fluide, et la narration est linéaire. La photographie est très plaisante, le directeur de la photographie profitant pleinement des charmes des Caraïbes. La bande originale est sympathique, ayant toujours le thème James Bond en arrière-plan. C’est le premier film de la franchise à dépasser les deux heures avec 130 minutes. La distribution offre de très bonnes prestations avec un Sean Connery toujours plus à l’aise avec le personnage de 007.

    THUNDERBALL (1965) ★★★★☆ James Bond doit se rendre aux Bahamas afin de récupérer deux bombes nucléaires qui ont été volées par le numéro 2 du S.P.E.C.T.R.E.

[one-of-us-blog]

Goldfinger (1964)

Today Drew is forced to watch and recap 1964’s Goldfinger, the third James Bond adventure. Bond is tasked with keeping tabs on a wealthy business man, but when Bond’s latest girlfriend is found dead his mission becomes personal. Can Bond get to the bottom of Goldfinger’s plot in time to stop it? Can he survive this gold-obsessed villain’s machinations? What the hell kind of name is Pussy Galore?

Keep reading to find out…

Eli, you’re killing it with these recaps, buddy! I’m glad you enjoyed “Hey, Look Me Over”, but I’m over the moon that you liked “The Case of the Libertine Belle” so much! I totally agree that the episode and its plot have their flaws, but it’s always been one of my favorites and I’m so glad you had a good time with it. I’m running late getting this up so I’ll keep this brief, but let me say one more time that you’re doing a fantastic job!

Buttocks tight!

Screenplay by Richard Maibaum, Paul Dehn & Berkely Mather, film directed by Guy Hamilton

We follow a cute little waterfowl as it swims across a… Hey, wait a second! That’s no duck, that’s a hat that James Bond is wearing as he scubas toward a dock! Despite having a full air tank, apparently the master spy needed the waterfowl hat because he just likes hanging out near the surface. He climbs onto dry land and shoots a grappling hook to the top of a wall, causing a rope twenty feet away from him to shoot skyward. He scales the wall, knocks out a guard with a kick to the face and sneaks his way into some sort of grain silo. Inside we see that this silo isn’t full of healthy grains, but is in fact full of plants and barrels which Bond makes it his business to blow up. He ditches his scuba suit, revealing a full white tuxedo underneath. He makes sure he’s far enough away when the bomb he set finally detonates, and we learn that Bond has just singlehandedly dismantled a drug lab. As associate warns him to get out of town fast, but he needs to get his dick wet before he goes anywhere. He meets up with a lady and makes out with her, but in her eye sees the reflection of a guy sneaking up behind him (I shit you not). Bond uses the woman as a human shield and then electrocutes his would-be assassin in her bathtub. Shocking.

Cue the title sequence! Shirley Bassey croons a tune about a dangerous man with a Midas touch and an obsession with gold while we see faces of characters and cars driving overlaid on some gold-painted ladies. Work that body paint, gals!

With that out of the way, an Exposition Co. plane flies a banner which lets us know we’re now in Miami Beach. It’s the James Bon/Golden Girls crossover we’ve all been waiting for! Well, not quite, but still! Bond is met by some guy… Oh, no, wait, that’s Felix Leiter (Cec Linder)! I must not have recognized him without those stylish shades. Bond sends his latest conquest, Dink, away with a slap on the ass and dons a powder blue terrycloth playsuit while Leiter lets him know M has tasked 007 with keeping tabs on a businessman named Auric Goldfinger. Cue Goldfinger emerging from the hotel. Bond watches Goldfinger play a game of cards and quickly deduces that the man is a cheat. He forces a maid to let him into Goldfinger’s room, where he spies a woman (Shirley Eaton) spying on the game from above and feeding Goldfinger instructions on which cards to play from the balcony. The woman introduces herself as Jill Masterson, and Goldfinger pays her to be his arm candy.

Bond radios down to Goldfinger and threatens to tell the cops about Goldfinger’s cheating unless the man takes a dive and loses his game (and a lot of money). Bond and Masterson are immediately hot for each other, and bang it out a full minute after meeting each other. Bond is called out of bed by a call from Leiter and the two plan a breakfast date for the next morning. Bond makes a topical crack about the Beatles and is then knocked out by a shadowy man. When Bond wakes up, he finds Masterson dead; very, very specifically dead. Her body has been painted with gold, and we soon learn that this has caused her to die of… well, skin suffocation. Bond jets back to London and lets M know what’s up. Bond knows Goldfinger is behind this, but M tells him there’s no room in this business for personal vendettas. Bond assures M that he can carry out his assignment without making it personal, and M tells him to come back later. Moneypenny lays on her standard coating of flirting before Bond heads out.

Later, Bond meets up with M and a representative from the Bank of London. We learn that Goldfinger is smuggling gold to other countries where it can be sold at a higher cost, and Bond is tasked with finding out how he’s doing it. The next morning, Bond heads to Q Branch to meet with Q (formerly known as the Equipment Manager) and collect some equipment for his mission. He’s given an Aston Martin fitted out with everything from a bullet-proof windshield to a revolving license plate, not to mention a deployable oil slick, smokescreen and machine guns. Most importantly, it’s got a passenger ejector seat. Plus a handy homing device to track cars he’s following to boot! Bond gets a block of Nazi gold and goes to meet Goldfinger at a country club. He catches sight of Goldfinger’s mute manservant, Oddjob (Harold Sakata), and Bond recognizes him as the shadowy man who knocked him out.

Bond and Goldfinger begin a game of golf, and Goldfinger knows Bond is up to something. Bond shows off his Nazi gold to get Goldfinger’s attention, and bets the gold on the game of golf they’re playing. After three hours of riveting golf antics, Bond’s able to win the match and place the homing device on Goldfinger’s car while Oddjob’s distracted. Goldfinger’s a sore loser, and warns Bond to stay out of his business. To drive home his point, he has Oddjob decapitate a statue with his razor-rimmed hat. Oddjob and Goldfinger drive off, but thanks to his homing device Bond’s hot on their trail. The pair board a flight bound for Geneva, and Bond gets a ride on a plane so he won’t be too far behind.

In Switzerland, Bond realizes he’s not the only one following Goldfinger as a beautiful woman (Tania Mallet) blares her horn and zooms past him. Bond catches up with the woman as she prepares to snipe Goldfinger from a distance. She misses her shot because Bond was in the way and drives off, but Bond uses one of the Aston Martin’s many tricks to blow her tire and run her off the road. Bond lays on the charm, but she’s having none of it. She introduces herself with a fake name, but Bond picks up on her deception. He has to catch up with Goldfinger, though, so he leaves her at a garage and heads to Auric Industries. Later that night, Bond breaks into the compound and figures out how Goldfinger is doing his smuggling; he melts gold down and incorporates it into the body of his car, which he takes with him everywhere. Once he gets to his facility he has the gold removed from the car and melted down, making it untraceable.

Bond makes it out of the facility, only to catch the woman preparing to make yet another attempt on Goldfinger’s life. He stops her, and we learn that this is Tilly Masterson, sister of the late Jill Masterson. In the process of stopping Masterson Bond set off an alarm, so now the two of them have to speed off with Goldfinger’s men in hot pursuit. Bond loses some of their pursuers with the help of the Aston Martin’s smokescreen, and dispatches some more with a handy oil slick. Bond hits a dead end and gets into a shootout so Masterson can get away, but then Oddjob arrives and kills her with his deadly hat throwing skills. He doesn’t decapitate her like he did the statue, which presumably means the Masterson siblings have bones harder than marble.

Bond is captured and forced to drive back to Auric Industries at gunpoint. Thanks to the Aston Martin’s ejector seat he gets rid of the guy holding him at gunpoint, but an old lady with a machine gun spooks him before he can escape and he drives through the facility with Goldfinger’s men right behind him. He crashes into a wall and wakes up strapped to a table, just in time to be gloated over by Goldfinger. Goldfinger reveals that he knows Bond is a spy, and he plans to kill him with the help of a fancy industrial laser. Goldfinger makes it clear that he’s not trying to interrogate Bond, he really just wants to kill Bond. Bond heard Goldfinger discussing operation Grand Slam earlier, and uses this to convince Goldfinger he knows more than he actually does. Goldfinger spares him from getting bisected dick first with the laser, but still knocks him out.

Bond wakes up on a plane, and is greeted by a woman named… hoo, boy… Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). Galore is Goldfinger’s pilot, and she’d flying his private jet to Baltimore. Bond is allowed to change on the jet, and manages to activate his second, smaller homing device in his shoe. Leiter picks up on the homing signal, and lets M know Bond is in America. M thinks Bond must have the situation in hand, so he tells Leiter not to interfere. After Galore lands the jet, Bond is picked up by Oddjob and taken to Goldfinger’s stud farm near Fort Knox in Kentucky. Goldfinger meets up with some mafia bigwigs, and explains that he plans to steal the money from Fort Knox. Bond is able to trick the world’s dumbest guard into coming into his cell, and after a brief tussle Bond escapes with the guard’s gun. Bond arrives just in time to overhear Goldfinger laying out Grand Slam to the mafia bosses. Turns out he’s paid the mafiosi into bringing him the components he needs to deploy Delta 9 nerve gas over Fort Knox.

One of the mafiosi isn’t interested in this scheme, and wants the money Goldfinger owes him now. Bond is caught spying by Galore and she recaptures him. Despite the mafiosi being on board with Goldfinger’s plan, he kills them with Delta 9. Galore brings Bond to Goldfinger, and Bond is able to slip his transmitter and a note warning the CIA of Goldfinger’s plot into the surviving mafioso’s coat pocket as he leaves. Leiter pick up on the signal and follow the mafioso as Oddjob drives him off the beaten path and kills him. Leiter and his partner follow Oddjob to a junkyard, where he leaves the car containing the mafioso’s body to be crushed into a small cube. Oddjob then drives off with this cube in tow, but now Leiter and his partner have lost the transmitter’s signal.

Back at the ranch, Goldfinger and Galore discuss her plans for her share of the profits following Grand Slam. Leiter and his partner arrive at the ranch and Goldfinger’s men see them spying. In order to make it look like everything’s copacetic, Goldfinger brings Bond out of his cell to share a drink with him. Bond lays out some facts; Delta 9’s going to kill a lot of people when Goldfinger releases it, but that still won’t give him enough time to load up all of Fort Knox’s gold and get away with it. Luckily, Goldfinger doesn’t want to get away with it. Goldfinger has gotten his hands on a particularly dirty bomb, which he will detonate inside of Fort Knox. The United States’ gold supply will be so radiated that it will be unusable for precisely 58 years, meaning the price of Goldfinger’s own gold will skyrocket. Oddjob arrives and we learn that Goldfinger plans to pick apart the cube containing the dead mafioso to retrieve the gold he left with the man before he died. Hey, Oddjob, maybe you could have picked that up before you had the car crushed? Just an idea for next time.

Bond is left in the hands of Galore, and seeing Bond with a beautiful woman assures Leiter that everything’s cool. Bond gets a little too handsy with Galore in a barn, so Galore puts him on his ass. The two take turns knocking each other down, then Bond forces a kiss on the struggling Galore. A little while into this assault, thanks to the magic of movies made by men, Galore suddenly gets into it and smooches her would-be rapist back. Galore’s squadron of pilots spray Fort Knox with Delta 9, and Goldfinger’s forces move in. They carve their way through the front door from earlier, and Goldfinger and Galore arrive in a helicopter. The dirty bomb is armed and the vault is open, and that gold is positively horny to get radiated to hell and back. Tough titty for Goldfinger, though, it seems the Delta 9 didn’t quite do the trick and all those soldiers outside are very much alive. Goldfinger lowers Bond into the bowels of Fort Knox to be pumped full of radiation, but as Goldfinger heads outside the soldiers spring into action.

Goldfinger quickly reveals that he’s wearing a soldier disguise and manages to trick a few guards out of shooting him, only to shoot them in the back. Inside the vault, one of Goldfinger’s men figures out they’re trapped in here with a dirty bomb and wants to defuse it, but Oddjob’s not havin’ that. He kills the man, but the man’s body falls right next to Bond and thanks to a key on the corpse he’s able to free himself. Bond and Oddjob tussle, and Oddjob absolutely wipes the floor with 007. Even without his razor-rimmed hat, Bond is not match for Oddjob in a fair fight. Luckily our hero doesn’t play fair, and he’s able electrocute Oddjob at the last minute. Two deaths by electrocution in one movie? Positively shocking. Bond tries to disarm the bomb, but he’s not having any luck. The soldiers push Goldfinger’s forces back into Fort Knox, and with only 0:07 left on the clock, a CIA bomb expert manages to pull the plug and save the day. Leiter rushes in and explains that they haven’t got Goldfinger, but that Galore helped fix the gas cannisters in the planes so the soldiers weren’t killed.

Bond is sent off for a meal with the President, only to be faced with Goldfinger, still in disguise, on the plane. He and Bond tussle and Goldfinger’s gun goes off, shooting out a window and sucking the villain out like a popped balloon. He falls to his death, and Galore, who’s flying this plane I guess, struggles to control the aircraft. It’s no use, though; the plane crashes into the ocean and everyone dies.

Just kidding, though. Bond and Galore parachuted out at the last second, and Bond stops Galore for signaling for rescue so they can bone one more time.

The End

~~~~~

What a ride! I liked how many staples of the franchise felt established in this movie; we had our cold open, our musical title sequence, our villain and memorable henchman and some really neat gadgetry in that Aston Martin. Goldfinger’s plot itself was… problematic, but I liked how manically dedicated he was to it. One thing that wasn’t great in this one was the treatment of women. We had Dink, who literally gets patted on the butt and sent on her way like a little girl, then the first Masterson who only exists as a plot device, then the second Masterson who’s entirely interchangeable with the first and never really amounts to anything despite having great potential in her motivation. Then there’s Pussy Galore. She was this badass pilot who was absolutely not interested in Bond or his flirtation, then he forces himself on her and she’s in love with him. The way he kisses her as she’s struggling against him is assault, there’s no other way to look at it. Her suddenly getting into it felt so gross, and I hated that entire moment. On the positive side, Oddjob is a fantastic henchman and he would have destroyed Bond if there hadn’t been that convenient electrical cable nearby. The music in this one was a lot of fun, and I loved hearing Shirley Bassey belt out those notes.

Overall, I give Goldfinger QQQ½ on the Five Q Scale. It gets points for being fun with some cool characters, but I have to detract points for the treatment of women.

We’ll see you again soon as Eli covers the next two episodes of The Golden Girls, “Beauty and the Beast” and “That’s for Me to Know”, and after that I’ll be back with my recap of the next James Bond adventure, Thunderball.

Until then, as always, thank you for reading, thank you for shining and thank you for being One of Us!

[tensileacuity]

Goldfinger (1964) - Guy Hamilton/Richard Maibaum/Paul Dehn/Ian Fleming

[jamuura]

7 DOP's Explain How They Conceive Creative Vision For Projects!

Recently some leading cinematographers from the ASC met a group of students at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology. The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is an industry body of cinematographers in the US, that also runs an amazing, informational site that everyone interested in the art should check out. Now this meeting included Bill Bennett, Patrick Cady,…

7 DOP’s Explain How They Conceive Creative Vision For Projects! was originally published on Jamuura Blog

[olivierdemangeon]

    Alors qu’il enquêtait sur la contrebande d’un magnat de l’or, James Bond découvre un complot visant à contaminer la réserve d’or de Fort Knox.

    Origine du film : Royaume-Uni Réalisateur : Guy Hamilton Scénaristes : Richard Maibaum, Paul Dehn Acteurs : Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe, Shirley Eaton, Harold Sakata, Tania Mallet, Bernard Lee, Cec Linder, Martin Benson, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Austin Willis, Michael Mellinger, Burt Kwouk, Richard Vernon, Margaret Nolan, Gerry Duggan, Nadja Regin Musique : John Barry Genre : Action, Aventure, Crime, Espionnage, Thriller Durée :110 minutes Date de sortie : 19 février 1965 (France) Année de production : 1964 Sociétés de production : Eon Productions Distribué par : United Artists Titre original : Goldfinger Notre note : ★★★★☆

    “Goldfinger” est un film d’espionnage britannique datant de 1964, dirigé par Guy Hamilton, à qui l’on doit également “Force 10 from Navarone” (1978). Les acteurs principaux sont Sean Connery qu’on a pu voir dans “From Russia with Love” (1963), Honor Blackman, qu’on a pu voir dans “Hotel Babylon” (2009), Gert Fröbe, qu’on a pu voir dans “Bloodline” (1979), Shirley Eaton, qu’on a pu voir dans “The Girl from Rio” (1969), Harold Sakata, qu’on a pu voir dans “Record City” (1978), et Tania Malletn qu’on a pu voir dans “The New Avengers” (1976). Le métrage a été produit par Albert R. Broccoli et Harry Saltzman et a été le premier des quatre James Bond réalisé par Guy Hamilton.

“Goldfinger” a été le premier blockbuster de la série de films dédiés à James Bond, avec un budget égal à celui des deux films précédents combinés. Les principales prises de vue ont eu lieu au Royaume-Uni, en Suisse et aux États-Unis. Le tournage ayant eu lieu de janvier à juillet 1964. C’est la première fois qu’on retrouve la fameuse Aston Martin DB5 dans la franchise. C’est également le premier Bond a remporté un Oscar, soit dans la catégorie “Best Effects, Sound effects“, lors de la cérémonie de 1965.

L’histoire proposée par “Goldfinger” nous invite à suivre l’Agent 007 (Sean Connery) du MI6 à Miami Beach afin qu’il espionne Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), un trafiquant d’or. De retour à Londres, James Bond est chargé par “M” (Bernard Lee) d’enquêter sur la contrebande que semble organiser Goldfinger. L’Agent 007 se voit remettre une Aston Martin DB5 modifiée par les services de “Q” (Desmond Llewelyn). James Bond reprend contact avec Goldfinger, mais ce dernier lui fait comprendre, par l’intermédiaire de son garde du corps, Oddjob (Harold Sakata) de ne pas s’immiscer dans ses affaires. James Bond va cependant suivre Goldfinger jusqu’en Suisse, se fait cependant capturer, avant de se retrouver aux États-Unis, dans le Kentucky, pour découvrir que Goldfinger veut s’en prendre à la réserve d’or américaine stockée à Fort Knox…

“Goldfinger” permet de poursuivre la création du mythe James Bond. On retrouve le côté auto-dérision, les bons mots, le flegme britannique, les beaux costumes, et la volonté perpétuelle de séduire, et donc de mettre les femmes dans son lit, afin de pouvoir les mettre dans sa poche. L’idée était probablement de faire comme avant, mais avec du plus. Toutefois, on retrouve encore un souci au niveau du rythme, avec une section du métrage qui s’avère très poussive. De plus, les femmes voluptueuses laissent leurs places à une utilisation plus intense des gadgets, là où, de mon point de vue, le fil suivant, “Thunderball” (1965) va permettre de superbement équilibrer la chose.

La photographie signée Ted Moore est superbe, avec une bonne utilisation de décors impressionnants. Il faut savoir que Sean Connery n’a absolument pas mis les pieds aux États-Unis pour le tournage de ce film. Toutes les scènes où il est censé être en Amérique ont en fait été réalisées aux Pinewood Studios en Angleterre. En outre, la séquence où l’on peut voir Goldfinger tenter de découper James Bond en deux en utilisant un laser, est particulièrement innovante, car les lasers industriels de grande puissance n’existaient pas au moment du tournage, ce qui en faisait une nouveauté. Visuellement, le métrage fait appel à de nombreux motifs dor��s, reflétant l’obsession du principal antagoniste du film. Le point d’orgue étant l’assassinat du personnage Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton), le corps nu entièrement peint avec de l’or, scène iconique du métrage.

Les James Bond girl’s sont moins nombreuses que d’habitude dans cet opus des aventures de l’Agent 007. On retrouve bien une escadrille de jolies filles formant une équipe de pilotes regroupée sous le nom de Flying Circus et dirigée par Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). Le script a d’ailleurs été réécrit pour montrer les compétences de cette dernière en Judo. Gert Fröbe incarne le principal antagoniste de l’histoire, soit un homme riche doublé d’un psychopathe obsédé par l’or. L’acteur ne maîtrisait pas l’anglais et a été doublé par l’acteur Michael Collins au montage.

Harold Sakata incarne Oddjob, qui officie comme serviteur de Goldfinger mais qui s’avère être son homme de main, son assassin personnel. L’acteur coréen fut médaillé olympique avant de se reconvertir en lutteur. Oddjob est finalement un rôle muet, mais s’avère certainement être l’un des grands méchants du cinéma. On retrouve Bernard Lee dans le rôle de “M“, ainsi que Lois Maxwell dans le personnage de Miss Moneypenny. Desmond Llewelyn est également présent dans le rôle de “Q“. C’est ce dernier qui va fournir une Aston Martin DB5 modifiée à l’Agent 007. Guy Hamilton, le réalisateur, a demandé à Desmond Llewelyn d’injecter de l’humour dans le personnage, marquant ainsi le début de l’antagonisme amical en Q et James Bond, qui va devenir une des marques de fabrique de la série de films.

Pour la troisième fois dans le rôle de James Bond, on sent que Sean Connery commence à maîtriser le personnage. L’humour, le flegme britannique, l’élégance, le séducteur et l’homme d’action sont désormais présents dans le même tableau. L’acteur passe de l’un à l’autre en toute fluidité. C’est d’ailleurs à l’occasion du tournage de ce métrage qu’il devint un fan de golf. L’acteur incarne son personnage avec force et détermination, ce qui est plaisant à suivre.

En conclusion, “Goldfinger” est un très bon thriller d’action disposant d’une histoire captivante, d’une intrigue très bien construite et d’un développement enthousiasmant. Le rythme est cohérent, le récit est fluide et la narration est linéaire. La photographie est agréable bien que de nombreux trucages se voient clairement. Les scènes d’action sont bien orchestrées dans l’ensemble. La bande originale est moderne pour l’époque tout en reprenant le thème habituel. La distribution offre de très bonnes prestations, chacun marquant bien la psychologie de son personnage. Un troisième James Bond qui installe un peu plus le personnage dans son style unique.

    GOLDFINGER (1964) ★★★★☆ Alors qu’il enquêtait sur la contrebande d’un magnat de l’or, James Bond découvre un complot visant à contaminer la réserve d’or de Fort Knox.