GOLDFINGER - DVD review

"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die."

The initial part of this review is based on Henry G. Belot's critique of the previously released, non-special edition of "Goldfinger":

Laser scanners in the supermarket and CD players were more than twenty years away, but Auric Goldfinger had one--industrial strength at that. Lo-Jack, the electronic tracing alarm system for your car, hadn't been invented, but James Bond had his own version. Satellite mapping systems for your laptop and car were inconceivable, except to Q at Bond's British headquarters. And the Batmobile was still a dumpy, 1949 Mercury when 007 got his Aston Martin. Yup, it's suave (and young!) Sean Connery as James Bond all right. As for the plot of this cold war spy fantasy...

Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) has hatched a scheme to multiply the value of his hoard of gold bullion by enlisting the aid of the Red Chinese and a dirty "atomic device," and nothing stands in his way but Bond. Bond, however, soon finds himself an unhappy camper at Goldfinger's Kentucky stud farm. He's deprived of his arsenal of weapons one by one until all he has is his wit, considerable charm, and Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman). "I must be dreaming," he says. Indeed.

These Bond capers were the prototypes and set the gold standard for dozens of fantasy thrillers that followed. The hero is witty and nerveless in virtually every calamity. The gadgetry is futuristic and deadly. The villains haven't the slightest trace of conscience but are otherwise as suave and confident as the hero. However, unlike many later action-adventure films, there's very little visible blood and gore, and the hero adheres to a standard of conduct superior to the villains. He doesn't shed blood needlessly and he cares about the victims. He even gets caught because he can't tear himself from the (dead) body of Tilly Masterson.

The gadgetry isn't as far-out as today's, but it has style. The laser, for example, is wrapped in neon tubing like the ray guns of Buck Rogers serials. The atomic device is housed in a rolling aluminum cabinet with grinding machinery that could possibly churn butter or rough polish diamonds on its days off. A friend of mine used to have a smoke screen device just like Bond's in his car--a charmingly simple and very non-ecological trick. Goldfinger's lecture to the assembled hoods is accompanied by "audiovisual" aids that practically satirize a modern board room presentation.

The photography is mostly functional. John Barry's score is a superlative example of sophisticated, jazz-edged film writing. It's no wonder that Bond remarks that drinking a Dom Perignon '53 at more than 38° Fahrenheit is "as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs." Director Guy Hamilton keeps all the actors coolly detached and proficient.

Video:
Those were Henry Belot's words about MGM's first DVD transfer of "Goldfinger," an assessment with which I heartily agree. Now, this is an update about the new "Special 007 Edition" that has replaced the old one. Despite the box's pronouncement that the Special Edition has been newly remastered, there isn't much different in the picture or sound compared to its first rendering. Perhaps MGM meant that the film's initial transfer to DVD was newly mastered and used the same one. In any event, the video continues to look good, the Technicolor hues showing up brightly and sharply. There is some small grain evident in darker passages and a few age markings, minute scratches and spots from time to time, but it's all barely visible.

Audio:
The mono sound is clean, considering its age, with little or no background noise. However, as expected, the audio is limited in dynamic range and impact when judged by more-recent recording standards.

Extras:
Interestingly, the new package of bonus items contains the welcome added attractions but actually loses some old ones. For instance, the new disc no longer sports a pan-and-scan version of the feature film, something a lot of people will hardly miss, only the 1.80:1 ratio widescreen version. Nor is there a tour of Bond's Aston Martin DB5. Plenty of other information about the amazing automobile is provided in the two documentaries, however. It was, after all, every guy's dream after watching "Goldfinger" in 1964 to run out and buy a sports car with four-on-the-floor, and a button on the top of the gearshift knob for the passenger-side ejector seat. The disc's fancy navigation system is new, too, and consistent with the menus on other Bond Special Editions, easy to look at and easy to use.

The major bonuses are two separate audio commentaries and the aforementioned documentaries. The first commentary track is with director Guy Hamilton; the second is with cast and crew members, starting with stunt man George Leach and special effects man Cliff Culley. The two documentaries are useful but much alike, repeating some material. Documentary one, "The Making of Goldfinger," is twenty-six minutes long and documentary two, "The Goldfinger Phenomenon," is twenty-nine minutes. Both were made in 1995, both are narrated by actor Patrick Macnee, and both feature a multitude of recent interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and vintage advertising. Did you know, for instance, that Theodore Bikel, in blond hair, tested for the part of Auric Goldfinger before Gert Frobe got the part? Then there is an extensive stills gallery, so large it has to be divided up into sections with chapter headings. There's an original publicity featurette, very brief; some original radio interviews with star Sean Connery; MGM's usual informational booklet insert, eight pages long; and thirty-two scene selections; plus three TV spots, twenty-two radio spots, and a theatrical trailer. The spoken language choices, as well as subtitle options, are English and French.

Parting Thoughts:
After almost four decades Bond is still alive, kicking, and talking. I suspect a future reviewer will be saying the same thing about him in another forty years. Let us hope some things never change.

"Goldfinger" may be purchased separately or in a box set that includes "Dr. No," "The Man With the Golden Gun," "The Spy Who Loved Me," "Licence to Kill," "GoldenEye," and "Tomorrow Never Dies."