That remark from Guy Hamilton about Jack Lord (at 9:11) having gone onto better things in Hawaii is not only untrue, it's premature at the time of making Goldfinger. Hawaii Five-O began in 1968, four years after Goldfinger. In fact, Jack Lord was offered the role of Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek to replace Jeffrey Hunter in 1966, whose wife was making too many demands. Lord asked for 50 percent ownership of the show, so Roddenberry offered the role to Shatner. Same thing happened with Bond. Jack Lord asked for his name to be alongside Sean Connery's in the movie titles and for more money, hence why he was replaced.
I remember when ABC first aired the movie, forgot what year it was but they actually dropped the entire opening sequence and just went straight to the credits.
In my experience Barry's score for this film is massively underrated in Bond fandom and critically in general. It is his masterpiece, in the traditional sense of the term. In this film he graduates from student to master of film composition. Although it is known for the bombastic brass it is percussively brilliant. Not just the percussion section but the percussive use of other instruments. Goldfinger (the film) became so iconic in culture and film that we (fans) almost forget the quality sometimes and take it for granted. Regardless as to whether it is 'the best' or 'your favorite' Bond film, there is not and will never be a Bond film more iconic. The titles song/sequence, the villain, the henchman, the car, the Bond girl name, the hotel death scene.. etc. The only other elements in the series that even get close to Goldfinger's level of mainstream fame are Blofeld's cat and the ski stunt and submarine Lotus featured in The Spy Who Loved Me. The combination of Guy Hamilton, Richard Maibaum, Ken Adam, John Barry and Sean at his peak makes Goldfinger the absolute classic of the series.
@@martinidry6300 Ridiculous? Says the man who calls himself 'martinidry'? If anything was open to ridicule I'd suggest it was your chosen username. I was talking about Barry's orchestral score for the film specifically not the titles song (if you had bothered to read what i said). I also said 'in my experience' among fans of the series. Most fans I know who aren't musicians don't go heavily into the scores or even understand them at the appropriate level to critique them because they aren't formally trained. Yeah, fans can prefer one to another and have their favorites of course, but how can anyone who doesn't understand even the basics of composing and arranging for film have a valid opinion on whether Goldfinger is technically a step up from the previous film? That was my point when i said it was his graduation to master. I'm not talking about people's opinions and taste, I'm talking about understanding and observing measurable improvements in skill. I know people who compose for film, I've studied it myself. Most film directors don't even understand how music works let alone the vast majority of the audience. The audience intuitively understand the language of film music because they've watched films all their lives not because they understand composing for orchestra. 99.9% of the audience consider it iconic because of its association with the film, because the film was a hit and because it makes them feel a certain way emotionally and because of the iconic moments in the film.. Not because they actually understand technically what it is they are listening to and why it is Barry's step up to serious film composer compared with his previous work.
@@nicknewman7848With 20/20 hindsight everyone considers themselves an expert. If you'd actually took notice of the theme of the movie, obviously being Gold and if it inspired the audience to buy the stuff, instead of daydreaming of cars, women and song, then perhaps the astute audience would have benefited from being smart investors, considering the high price of gold today. As for the comment about the music being underrated at the time of release, well that sentiment can be applied to anything Bond related product that has gained associated success and fame. Only through the passage of time can we truly appreciate nostalgia. It's also a case of the chicken or the egg. Without the Bond films, perhaps Barry wouldn't have been as famous as he later became. Same applies for the Aston Martin. Would car enthusiasts drop $5m on a vintage DB5 had it not been featured in a Bond film? or would the martini be so overrated? or would watch collectors bid $250k for a vintage Rolex Submariner as seen on Connery's wrist? We could go on for days on the products, fashion, wine, and music made a pop culture icon through the films.
@@oysterman962 Only idiots would consider themselves experts in something like musical composition with the benefit of 'hindsight'. I'm not sure I understand your point? I did not say the music was underrated at the time of release. Read what I said. I fully understand how the concept of nostalgia works which is why I explained the reasons for the film being iconic, but it has nothing to do with my comment about the music or my experience of 99% of Bond fans i speak to lacking formal musical training and therefore not being able to hold conversations about complex music scores and have opinions that have any real authority. There's nothing wrong with that.. it's just the way it is. Only if someone has knowledge of a particular topic can they speak about it with any authority or meaning. That applies to everything. I don't know anything about engines but I still enjoy a nice drive in a fancy car. Like I said.. the audience understand the language of film music and why comedy music would sound off if you played it over a scene that was supposed to be scary or why 'chase' music would sound weird over a love scene but the vast majority don't understand in this case what the orchestra are actually doing, what time they are in, what key they are in, when the key changes, what instruments are playing which notes, what's going on rhythmically and the level of complexity of a film score and the choices made by the composer when he's actually writing it for the images he's been given. In all my 40 years of being in music.. teaching, studying film music, writing my own stuff and being around writers and composers, the topic of Goldfinger and its importance and quality rarely comes up. John Williams 70's and 80's stuff, Morricone, Hermanns work with Hitchcock, Hans Zimmer's work and even John Carpenter get talked about to death. John Barry gets mentioned obviously but no composer or musician or lecturer has ever brought up to me the clear step up Barry made when he scored Goldfinger and how influential it is in respect to scoring techniques. Even hardcore Bond fans I speak to rarely mention it among their favorite soundtracks. That is why I said it is underrated because that is my personal experience, I have evidence for it and I believe it to be the case.
@nicknewman7848 Was never a fan of bombastic brass. Too much air. Makes me feel giddy. I guess most audiences prefer more contemporary and uplifting sounds of the electric guitar, as in Barry's most famous, original piece from the opening score of Dr No which became the signature Bond theme score for good reason. My preferred choice for brass instruments would be Barry's score in From Russia with Love, the gypsy camp fight scene. This score in it's entirety sounds like a typical golden years of Hollywood block buster motion picture score. This is my underrated musical score pick but you have to listen to it on its own and not in the mood of the film. As for underrated theme songs, I could listen to The Living Daylights by A-ha all day long. But Goldfinger would give me constipation and a headache.
Wow.. what a great documentary. Thx for posting this. This movie was during the golden age of the Bond series. Goldfinger is still my favorite, though a number of others are not far behind. Where can one find the commentaries on Dr. No and From Russia with Love?
All that time later, it is nice to hear how basic and hobbled together this was. The most successful franchise was always some talented people barely hacking it together.
Thanks for uploading this, I'm grateful. But you can't say, 'she conquered her Cockney accent' like it was some kind of disability :D Although it is kind of true... especially in those times
That remark from Guy Hamilton about Jack Lord (at 9:11) having gone onto better things in Hawaii is not only untrue, it's premature at the time of making Goldfinger. Hawaii Five-O began in 1968, four years after Goldfinger. In fact, Jack Lord was offered the role of Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek to replace Jeffrey Hunter in 1966, whose wife was making too many demands. Lord asked for 50 percent ownership of the show, so Roddenberry offered the role to Shatner. Same thing happened with Bond. Jack Lord asked for his name to be alongside Sean Connery's in the movie titles and for more money, hence why he was replaced.
I remember when ABC first aired the movie, forgot what year it was but they actually dropped the entire opening sequence and just went straight to the credits.
In my experience Barry's score for this film is massively underrated in Bond fandom and critically in general. It is his masterpiece, in the traditional sense of the term. In this film he graduates from student to master of film composition. Although it is known for the bombastic brass it is percussively brilliant. Not just the percussion section but the percussive use of other instruments.
Goldfinger (the film) became so iconic in culture and film that we (fans) almost forget the quality sometimes and take it for granted. Regardless as to whether it is 'the best' or 'your favorite' Bond film, there is not and will never be a Bond film more iconic. The titles song/sequence, the villain, the henchman, the car, the Bond girl name, the hotel death scene.. etc. The only other elements in the series that even get close to Goldfinger's level of mainstream fame are Blofeld's cat and the ski stunt and submarine Lotus featured in The Spy Who Loved Me.
The combination of Guy Hamilton, Richard Maibaum, Ken Adam, John Barry and Sean at his peak makes Goldfinger the absolute classic of the series.
Ridiculous. The soundtrack was & is acknowledged as iconic. Bassey is known for the song - to put it mildly.
@@martinidry6300 Ridiculous? Says the man who calls himself 'martinidry'? If anything was open to ridicule I'd suggest it was your chosen username. I was talking about Barry's orchestral score for the film specifically not the titles song (if you had bothered to read what i said). I also said 'in my experience' among fans of the series. Most fans I know who aren't musicians don't go heavily into the scores or even understand them at the appropriate level to critique them because they aren't formally trained.
Yeah, fans can prefer one to another and have their favorites of course, but how can anyone who doesn't understand even the basics of composing and arranging for film have a valid opinion on whether Goldfinger is technically a step up from the previous film? That was my point when i said it was his graduation to master. I'm not talking about people's opinions and taste, I'm talking about understanding and observing measurable improvements in skill. I know people who compose for film, I've studied it myself. Most film directors don't even understand how music works let alone the vast majority of the audience. The audience intuitively understand the language of film music because they've watched films all their lives not because they understand composing for orchestra.
99.9% of the audience consider it iconic because of its association with the film, because the film was a hit and because it makes them feel a certain way emotionally and because of the iconic moments in the film.. Not because they actually understand technically what it is they are listening to and why it is Barry's step up to serious film composer compared with his previous work.
@@nicknewman7848With 20/20 hindsight everyone considers themselves an expert. If you'd actually took notice of the theme of the movie, obviously being Gold and if it inspired the audience to buy the stuff, instead of daydreaming of cars, women and song, then perhaps the astute audience would have benefited from being smart investors, considering the high price of gold today.
As for the comment about the music being underrated at the time of release, well that sentiment can be applied to anything Bond related product that has gained associated success and fame. Only through the passage of time can we truly appreciate nostalgia. It's also a case of the chicken or the egg. Without the Bond films, perhaps Barry wouldn't have been as famous as he later became. Same applies for the Aston Martin. Would car enthusiasts drop $5m on a vintage DB5 had it not been featured in a Bond film? or would the martini be so overrated? or would watch collectors bid $250k for a vintage Rolex Submariner as seen on Connery's wrist? We could go on for days on the products, fashion, wine, and music made a pop culture icon through the films.
@@oysterman962 Only idiots would consider themselves experts in something like musical composition with the benefit of 'hindsight'. I'm not sure I understand your point?
I did not say the music was underrated at the time of release. Read what I said.
I fully understand how the concept of nostalgia works which is why I explained the reasons for the film being iconic, but it has nothing to do with my comment about the music or my experience of 99% of Bond fans i speak to lacking formal musical training and therefore not being able to hold conversations about complex music scores and have opinions that have any real authority. There's nothing wrong with that.. it's just the way it is. Only if someone has knowledge of a particular topic can they speak about it with any authority or meaning. That applies to everything. I don't know anything about engines but I still enjoy a nice drive in a fancy car.
Like I said.. the audience understand the language of film music and why comedy music would sound off if you played it over a scene that was supposed to be scary or why 'chase' music would sound weird over a love scene but the vast majority don't understand in this case what the orchestra are actually doing, what time they are in, what key they are in, when the key changes, what instruments are playing which notes, what's going on rhythmically and the level of complexity of a film score and the choices made by the composer when he's actually writing it for the images he's been given.
In all my 40 years of being in music.. teaching, studying film music, writing my own stuff and being around writers and composers, the topic of Goldfinger and its importance and quality rarely comes up. John Williams 70's and 80's stuff, Morricone, Hermanns work with Hitchcock, Hans Zimmer's work and even John Carpenter get talked about to death. John Barry gets mentioned obviously but no composer or musician or lecturer has ever brought up to me the clear step up Barry made when he scored Goldfinger and how influential it is in respect to scoring techniques. Even hardcore Bond fans I speak to rarely mention it among their favorite soundtracks. That is why I said it is underrated because that is my personal experience, I have evidence for it and I believe it to be the case.
@nicknewman7848 Was never a fan of bombastic brass. Too much air. Makes me feel giddy. I guess most audiences prefer more contemporary and uplifting sounds of the electric guitar, as in Barry's most famous, original piece from the opening score of Dr No which became the signature Bond theme score for good reason.
My preferred choice for brass instruments would be Barry's score in From Russia with Love, the gypsy camp fight scene. This score in it's entirety sounds like a typical golden years of Hollywood block buster motion picture score. This is my underrated musical score pick but you have to listen to it on its own and not in the mood of the film. As for underrated theme songs, I could listen to The Living Daylights by A-ha all day long. But Goldfinger would give me constipation and a headache.
Thank you Bruce Eder🙂🙏🏼
Very delightful, thanks a lot.
The well written commentary with bits and pieces of the old masters is pure gold.
Wow.. what a great documentary. Thx for posting this. This movie was during the golden age of the Bond series. Goldfinger is still my favorite, though a number of others are not far behind. Where can one find the commentaries on Dr. No and From Russia with Love?
Wow Fantastic, always wanted to hear this. THANKS MUCH..
All that time later, it is nice to hear how basic and hobbled together this was. The most successful franchise was always some talented people barely hacking it together.
Please add the commentaries of the Terrance Young movies with James Bond -
They are there on here on TH-cam
Thank you!!!
Thanks for uploading this, I'm grateful. But you can't say, 'she conquered her Cockney accent' like it was some kind of disability :D Although it is kind of true... especially in those times
Any chance you can send me the audio of these...😉
archive.org/details/goldfinger-criterion_laserdisc-commentary_track
it doesnt work with stills
If they ran the movie as normal TH-cam would take it down .