Now pay attention, 007. The latest issue of the popular and glossy UK sci-fi and cult nostalgia magazine Infinity, which has just been published, will be a must-buy for James Bond fans as it celebrates 60 years of the third 007 movie Goldfinger. A bonus movie poster for the film is also included in the centre pages of the magazine.
In a very attractive 8-page article entitled ‘Gilt Complex – Goldfinger at 60’, Roger Crow covers all aspects of the 1964 smash-hit movie, and writes that it is ‘arguably the definitive Connery-era Bond’. Moreover, as far as Crow is concerned, the writing duo of Paul Dehn and series regular Richard Maibaum turned in a script that was 24-carat. In addition, there is a generous helping of full-colour stills and photos to accompany the text.
The film is especially famous, of course, for giving the cinema audience the first glimpse of Q’s workshop and Bond fan’s favourite motor, the Aston Martin. According to Crow, director Guy Hamilton was apparently against having ‘Q’ explain what the car does, and preferred to reveal the assorted gadgets when they were needed, but producer Cubby Broccoli ‘knew the audience wanted a demo, and insisted’. Hamilton begrudgingly agreed, but later realised the Bond producer had been correct. Without Q’s ‘Now pay attention’ scene, we would have been denied one of the best briefings in 007 film history, not least because of Sean Connery’s reaction to the DB5’s most memorable gadget: ‘Ejector seat? You’re joking’. Desmond ‘Q’ Llewelyn’s exasperrated response is pure gold.
The Infinity article also discusses Gert Frobe’s selection as the main villain Auric Goldfinger, and there is also some space devoted to an original interview conducted with the late Honor ‘Pussy Galore’ Blackman, which took place in 2012. In addition, there is some detailed coverage of how the original Ian Fleming book differed compared to the EON screen version, and how what ended up on screen dramatically improved on the novel. Key points include the fact that, in the book, Bond doesn’t get to see Jill’s lifeless body covered from head to toe in gold paint, but in the EON movie Bond’s shock at discovering this makes for a really dramatic and powerful scene. Similarly, whereas in the novel Bond’s manhood is threatened with a circular saw, in the film he is famously pinned to a table with a menacing laser beam about to cut him in half.
All in all, Crow points out that, even six decades later, there’s no denying the influence the movie had on film-makers, ‘or the fact that those unforgettable moments and tight running time make for a compelling watch’. The JBIFC couldn’t agree more.
The magazine Infinity has been very generous to Bond fans in recent years, with some great coverage of the world of 007, and the latest issue reinforces this great bond that the mag has built up with 007 aficionados. The mag also reveals that a future issue will celebrate Guy Hamilton’s The Man With the Golden Gun, which turns 50 this year.
The new issue of Infinity, no.70, is on sale now at all good retailers.
