60 years ago, Sean Connery’s onlyJames Bondmovie that didn’t involve his secret agent battling Spectre became his most popular 007 outing. Sean Connery starred in 6James Bond moviesfrom 1962’sDr. Noto 1971’sDiamonds Are Forever,and they involvedSpectre as the villainous organization 007 battled, except for 1964’sGoldfinger.The seventhJames Bond novel written by Ian Fleming, “Goldfinger” introduced a new villain who wasn’t involved with Spectre, which gave Connery’s third Bond film adapation a new energy.
Goldfingersaw 007 face the eponymous Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe), a criminal mastermind who sought to control the world’s supply of gold. Goldfinger’s master plan, Operation Grand Slam, involved breaking into Fort Knox and irradiating the United States' gold reserves, thereby increasing Auric’s wealth.Bond battled Goldfinger and his iconic henchman, Odd Job (Harold Sakata), and prevented the madman’s scheme with the help of Goldfinger’s pilot, Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman).
Goldfinger Is The Only James Bond Movie Without Spectre In Sean Connery’s Era
Bond Took His Only Break From Blofeld’s Evil Syndicate
Incredibly,Goldfingeris the only James Bond movie in Sean Connery’s era whereSpectre was absent and never mentioned. Spectre (or SPECTRE), the Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Revenge, and Extortion, was introduced to moviegoers inDr. No. The villain ofConnery’s inaugural Bond movie, Dr. Julian No (Joseph Wiseman), was a Spectre agent. As were Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) and Donald Grant (Robert Shaw) in 1963’sFrom Russia With Love,and Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) and Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) in 1965’sThunderball.
Spectre’s leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, debuted inFrom Russia With Love, but Sean Connery’s James Bond didn’t come face-to-face with Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) until 1967’sYou Only Live Twice. When Bond and Blofeld tangled inOn Her Majesty’s Secret Servicetwo years later, both 007 (George Lazenby) and Blofeld (Telly Savalas), were played by different men. Charles Gray then took over Blofeld’s role opposite Connery inDiamonds Are Forever.Roger Moore’s James Bond didn’t deal with Spectre at alluntilBond finally killed Blofeldat the start of 1981’sFor Your Eyes Only, a decade since Blofeld’s last appearance.
Why Goldfinger Is So Popular Without Spectre
Goldfinger Perfected James Bond’s Formula
Goldfingeris one of the all-time most popular James Bond movies. Although many 007 aficionados preferFrom Russia With Loveas Sean Connery’s best Bond, and modern audiences hail Daniel Craig’sCasino Royaleas arguably the best Bond movie of all,Goldfingerholds a special place in 007’s canon.Goldfingerperfected the James Bond movie formula, locking iconic tropes like 007’s pre-title sequence, memorable theme song, Bond’s vodka martini order (shaken, not stirred), and introduced007’s gadget-heavy Aston Martin DBS.
Goldfinger requires no prior James Bond viewing and stands alone.
Perhaps one of the aspects ofGoldfingerthat remains refreshing is that Spectre and Blofeld aren’t center stage. A diabolical terrorist organization trying to blackmail the world is certainly a worthy foe for James Bond, but the007 movies repeatedly drew water from the Spectre well until it was dry.Goldfingerrequires no prior James Bond viewing and stands alone as an entertaining action-adventure that establishes the most memorable traits of 007. Spectre eventually returned in Daniel Craig’sJames Bondmovies, andBlofeld was even retconnedas James' adoptive brother, yetGoldfinger’s eternal charm benefits from being completely Spectre-free.
