| Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964) |
| 1. what is the relationship between bond and Q? it can be argued that while M is seen as a father figure to the wayward son of 007, while Q is like an eccentric uncle who provides Bond with all the gadgets necessary to complete his mission successfully. However, because Bond is seen to share more screen time with Q than he does with M, it can be agued that perhaps it is Q who takes on this fftherly role, repremanding Bond for not returning the company's equipment in "pristine order". 2. What motivates Bond? There are many threads to this. Vengeance - Bond also sees Jill as a challenge as when he first meets her, essentially she is the property of the villain and so Bond must bring her to the side of right and virtue. In this sense, Bond has reasons for having a personal vendetta against Goldfinger for letting his guard down and allowing Jill to be killed (she is covered in gold paint), as he is both distraught at having lost both a conquest and someone with whom be could've become emotionally involved with. Duty - basically, it's Bond's job to defend Queen and country against the international menaces posed by Goldfinger and his Red Chinese allies (please note i do not wish to express any pro/anti communist sentiments, i am merely expressing the political sentiments eveident in the film, given its context.) Pride - Bond often turns missions into personal vendettas, much to the dislike of his superiors. Bond's pride is also hurt at having lost Jill. 3. what is the relationship between Bond and his superiors? aside from a possibly paternalist relationship, M (played by Bernard Lee) is representative of traditional values and power structures prevalent in England during the early 1960's. there is an air of mutual respect between Bond and M, however their relationship has perhaps been forged out of necessity rather than choice. There is also an air of mutual need between them, although this is largely unspoken; M provides Bond with the need for discipline and to reinforce his sense of duty, while M needs Bond to break down barriers which the Establishment wouldn't otherwise be able to do so. 4. what is the significance of gambling in this film? Bond is essentially a risk taker; not only does he take risks involving cards, golf and his own sexuality, but he also gambles with his life - for example, during the famous laser table scene, Bond uses the words "operation Grandslam" as his wildcard for a chance to escape imminent death. However, it is important to note that while the gambling aspect adds to the rebellious nature of Bond, the risks he takes are always calculated, they are never reckless. Nearly all other charaters gamble with their lives when the encounter Bond. Jill can be seen as the sexual property of Goldfinger therefore takes a risk in her defection to Bond. Her sister Tilly is nonetheless risking her life in avenging the death of her sister; however, she is killed as an indirect result of allowing Bond to protect her. Pussy Galore also gambles when she decides to help Bond defeat the villain; despite the film's coy treatment of her sexuality, she is Bond's only serious love interest to survive the film. The villain himself also takes calculated risks in his encounters with Bond. Goldfinger cheats at every attempt he gets. Bond will also cheat, but only to play the villain at his own game - he will cheat only if the villain is cheating to win, and only if the stakes are high enough. 5. Is Goldfinger a villain or a madman? the villain could be described as an amoral genius, which a touch of the madman about him. his genius lies in his plan, to break into the world's largest bank, but not to steal anything - to plant within and detonate a nuclear bomb, thus rendering it radioactive and simutaneously increasing the value of his own gold supply. Oh, and there's also the little matter of helping Communist china by creating exonomic havoc in the West... The madman aspect comes into play as the villain believes that his plan will succeed, and doesn't care how many lives will be lost in the process. 6. how are oddjob (korean) and the chinese portrayed? "Goldfinger" was made 2 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis when china had recebtly become a world nuclear power, and so western fears of both nuclear war and the spread of communism added to the film's topicality. today's audiences can see how the film is patronising towards the chinese in its depcition of foreigners as the enemy, however audiences at the time would've supported Bond as the savour of the west against the threat of communism. such a representation also added to the propaganda value of the film, as it expressed economic and political fears that were common at the time. 7. who is the better man, goldfinger or Bond? Both men use and abuse women - Jill is used by Bond and Goldfinger, however where Jill can be seen as merely the property of the villain, at least Bond sees her as someone to possibly become emotionally involved with, rather than just another conquest. They both also cheat - again, Bond will only do this if the stakes are high enough and if he stands a strong chance of winning, because as the hero he needs to maintain that sense of balance often established in the films between hero and villain. Because of this, Bond may be seen as the better man since he is fighting on the side of right and virtue and despite the film's anti-communist sympathies, the hero nonetheless saves the world from international menace. 8. what is the significance of technology in this film? the inclusion of gadgets and technology ensures that the Bond films maintain that slightly futuristic edge to them and thus remain exotic to movie going audiences. Gadgetry is extremely important in the film, owing to the numerous items installed within the Aston Martin DB5. Indeed, much of the film's suspense centres around which of the car's gadgets Bond will use next. Another memorable feature is the industrial laser which is used to threaten Bond whilst strapped to a table. It must be remembered that such a device seemed exotic to 1960's audiences as at the time it hadn't become the usefull tool we know it as today. The filmmakers also have a distinctly tongue in cheek approach to gadgetry, demonstrating that even the Bond film's cannot take themselves too seriously. This is perhaps most onviously shown through the seagull snorkel worn by Bond during the precredits sequence. 9. is Bond respectful to women, a misogynist or a chauvinist? chauvinist = prejudiced belief in one's own gender misogynist = a woman hater while Bond's treatment of women during the films could undoubtdly be seen as sexist (ie. his dismissal of Dink when Bond goes to talk to Leiter, "man talk" !!) his behaviour can also be called mysoginist in the way he uses women to further his own position. for example, during the precredits sequence Bond uses the cabaret dancer as defence against the mexican thug's oncoming attack. 10. How are Miss Moneypenny and Ms Galore different from other women in the film? miss moneypenny represents traditional values of monogamy and marriage - she is the domesticated style of woman with whom Bond always flirts, but always rejects. the banter between bond and penny, now an expected staple of the series, suggests that while Bond has numerous flings with various women, penny is perhaps the only woman for Bond! :D Ms Galore lies at the other end of the female spectrum. she is a thinly disguised lesbian, represented as "butch" in terms of her judo expertise and her phrase "i'm immune" which she says as a rebuff to Bond's charms. although, while the film presents her as a fully lliberated female character, it is nonetheless reflective of traditional values as it treats her sexuality rather coyly. |
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