Goldfinger is the James Bond movie that defined the series and cemented Sean Connery as James Bond 007. This Goldfinger video essay explores the making of Goldfinger, and analyses how this movie took James Bond from being a popular British spy series into a global cinematic sensation. Because Goldfinger is more than a James Bond movie – it is THE James Bond movie, and 60 years after it was made it continues to have an impact on cinema and popular culture.
Goldfinger is a 1964 spy film starring Sean Connery as James Bond 007. It is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film’s plot has Bond investigating gold smuggling by Auric Goldfinger and eventually uncovering Goldfinger’s plans to contaminate the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
00:00 – Introduction
03:20 – From Fleming to Film
09:45 – Goldfinger pre-credits scene
12:44 – Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger
14:18 – Felix, Miami, and the golden girl
18:37 – Q and the DB5
21:41 – Gert Frobe’s Goldfinger
26:22 – Switzerland
28:43 – ‘No, Mr Bond I expect you to die!’
30:55 – Kentucky blues
34:37 – The Fort Knox plot
36:20 – Honor Blackman’s ‘Pussy Galore’
40:46 – Operation Grandslam
44:49 – James Bond will return
Most still images were sourced from the Thunderballs Photo Archive – https://www.thunderballs.org/goldfing…
The Making of Goldfinger – Blu-ray special feature
The Goldfinger Phenomenon – Blu-ray special feature
Goldfinger – Blu-ray commentary
Production Notes – Goldfinger – https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/movie…
Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films, by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, 2018.
Scripting 007 – Behind the writing of the James Bond movies, by Clement Feutry, 2024: https://www.commander007.net/2024/scr…
Sean Connery interview 1964/1967 – • Sean Connery interview 1964/1967
Sean Connery 1971 interview with BBC Television – • Sean Connery 1971 interview with BBC …
1967 Interview with Sean Connery on his James Bond films, Historic Films Stock Footage Archive – • 1967 INTERVIEW WITH SEAN CONNERY ON H…
The Sound of 007, Amazon Prime documentary
1965 : James Bond à Paris | Pathé Journal – • 1965 : James Bond à Paris | Pathé Jou…
Michael Collins – The Real Goldfinger (BBC 1965) – • Michael Collins – The Real Goldfinger…
Daniel Craig answers all the James Bond questions fans really want to know | British GQ – • Daniel Craig answers all the James Bo…