25 August 1998: From Goldfinger With Love

Tuesday, 25 August 1998:

From Goldfinger With Love

...or something like that. Maybe, "From Russia With Goldfinger"? Nah.

It's crunch time at work. Happily, my Sunday time spent in the office was well-spent, as I've basically finished my final project, but I need to get hold of two checked-out objects to commit my changes. Of course, the irony of finishing my last project is that I'll spend most of tomorrow doing programmer QA, which is one of my least favorite elements of my job. Sigh.

Well, if I end up being there until 2 am, I can always come in late on Thursday. Things balance out, that's my motto! (Whatever happened to the 40-hour work week, anyway?)

Last night I went to see From Russia With Love, which was far goofier than I'd remembered. The script was quite over-the-top, and although one doesn't exactly expect James Bond films to be bastions of women's lib (especially ones from the early 1960s!), the female lead's docility was a little nauseating at times (I still think she looks like a blonde Diana Rigg, though).

This was the first film in which Bond got some gadgets from Q Division, which is probably why I recall it fondly, since his suitcase is pretty slick. Robert Shaw's faux-British accent as the villain, Red Grant, is completely nutty (although obviously intended to be). Still, it's a fun ride, and the script crackles, as the early Bond films' scripts often do. But although it's clear the series got a big shot-in-the-arm funding-wise between the first film and this one, I think Doctor No actually has aged a little better.

Tonight, then, I saw Goldfinger. Now this one, it's clear, was one of the first shots fired in the "can you top this?" adventure movie plot battle, which still rages to this day. Goldfinger plans to break into Fort Knox! He's not going to steal the gold, but he's going to blow it up! Bond has to defuse an atomic bomb! From now on, movie audiences (as perceived by the studios) didn't just demand different, they demanded bigger. A good move? Not really, though you can't blame Ian Fleming or the creators of this film for that.

Of course, the female lead in Goldfinger is former Avengers star Honor Blackman. ("My name is Pussy Galore." "I must be dreaming.") Blackman's loud, rough voice took me aback; it's hard to see any actresses who (in part) rely on their beauty for their career making it big with that sort of voice these days. Blackman isn't given a whole lot to do, however, although Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger was stealing most of the scenes (and Harold Sakata as OddJob was stealing the rest).

The film is also aided by a powerful musical score, which effectively interlaces Goldfinger's theme with Bond's. I really should get some Bond soundtracks, or maybe the extended one released not long ago with titles from many of the films.

Overall, I must say I find these Bond films more entertaining than your typical big-name, big-budget adventure film of the 1990s. They're good light fun.

It's cooled off some here, and the humidity's dropped some. However, I still wasn't feeling 100% when I woke up this morning, and with all the work I expect for tomorrow I'll probably just drive in. Maybe get the car washed on the way. I can bike Thursday and Friday if the weather holds up.

Michael Rawdon (Contact)