AS Film Studies
Macro Essay - Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)

  Together with the other Bond movies of the 1960's, Guy Hamilton's Goldfinger (1964) not only adheres to the Classical or "Hollywood" narrative structure in terms of cause and effect, but also can be applied to the non-linear structure. In Classical narration each scene serves a purpose; either to further the audience's understanding of the plot, or to prepare the audience for what occurs in a later scene. While the principal structuring device is cause and effect, in narrative films this is often reduced to a simpler overall structure which can be described as
* Equilibrium
* Disruption
* Restoration of equilibrium

Within the classical cause and effect narration, Goldfinger also conforms broadly to this three act, non-linear structure.

  This three-part structure has been a hallmark of all Bond movies since Dr No (1962) and is one of the major indicators of the self-styled Bond genre. Normality, or equilibrium, is introduced when we see Bond in the pre-titles sequence destroying a Latin American drug smuggling operation as part of his everyday work. This continues when he is seen holidaying in Miami and until a CIA counterpart, on behalf of M, gives him his mission to investigate the eponymous Goldfinger This then is the disruption, and therefore the main problem is to thwart the film's villain. Incidental enigmas arising from this include foiling the plan to irradiate US gold supplies and narrowly avoiding death by industrial laser. When Bond is victorious we have a return to equilibrium, signified by the defeat of the villain and his henchman and lastly, in the world of the Bond film, the successful seduction of the girl. For Bond as the protagonist and indeed the Bond genre, the final scene in which he is intimate with the major female character is the real indicator of a return to equilibrium; until this happens, audiences do not consider the Bond film to have ended.
This use of the three part structure in Goldfinger is indeed an indicator of genre in that certain structures can be specific to particular genres. In addition to this, narrative resolutions are also often genre-specific; these films have seen Bond defeat the villain and win the girl as his trophy, representing victory.

Aside from the three narrative stages previously described, there also other key scenes which audiences would expect in a Bond film, and which occur in Goldfinger:
* The trademark introduction. In the first film this happened very early on, by way of introducing the protagonist to audiences as well as other characters on screen. Later films kept the line, and today it functions more as a generic feature rather than narrative information. It has become part of the audience's expectations from the Bond genre.
* Bond being given his mission by M, initially through CIA colleague Felix Leiter
* Bond flirting with M's secretary
* Bond being given his gadgets by Q
* Bond in a bizarre, often dangerous situation
* Bond being told of the villain's plans, often as a consequence narrowly avoiding death
* Final confrontation with the villain and/or his henchman and the subsequent foiling of said villain's plans, often including a countdown for dramatic effect.
* In addition to this there are stylish set-pieces and spectacular special effects interspersed throughout the film

  The chosen clip is one in which Bond infiltrates Goldfinger's industrial estate in Geneva. He is duly discovered, resulting in a high-speed car chase, which in turn results in his capture and subsequent attachment to a laser table.
An example of how film time is passed in real time in the clip could be when we see Bond engaged in reconnaissance outside the industrial estate. As Bond waits patiently, day slowly fades into night, moving the film narrative along. 
Another example of how film time is passed as real time could be found at the start of the sequence, after Bond as engaged in a spot of male chauvinist road rage with Tilly Masterson. Bond leaves Tilly to repair her damaged car at a nearby garage. As Bond pulls away, the camera shot dissolves to Bond's Aston Martin pulling up outside the industrial estate, signalling the start of a new sequence. 
An example of how information is revealed thus allowing the narrative to unfold could be the camera shot detailing Bond's POV of the smelting plant. Together with Bond, the audience learns of Goldfinger's plan to smuggle gold through parts of his car. This reveals to us an addition to the problem that Bond must overcome in his role as protagonist and hero.

  An examination of Goldfinger and subsequent Bond movies reveals that this three
part structure is only one structure operating within the film. Genre operates on a  
balance between variation and repetition, with repeated features and motifs having to 
be presented to the audience in familiar, yet different ways. Within Goldfinger there 
are structural features that have been retained in the later Bond films. The film itself is 
structured to the specific Bond "formula"; first by the gun barrel sequence, then the 
self-contained pre-titles sequence conforming to the three-part structure, lastly 
followed by the final pre-end credits sequence. This structure is common to all Bond 
            movies and is one of the indicators of the Bond genre. 
Audience expectation and knowledge of genre occurs in the clip through Bond's use of the Aston Martin's gadgets, most notably the smoke screen and the ejector seat. These are used to great effect enabling Bond to outwit and thus escape from Goldfinger's inept Chinese guards. Many Bond films tend to focus on the technological. Goldfinger is no different, contributing greatly to the suspense of the film as the audience wait to see its special features being used. In demonstrating this, audience expectations of the film are met and knowledge of the gadget-laden Bond genre is not only assumed, but also confirmed. Another example of this might be the now-famous laser table scene. Although sequentially different from the previous car chase, the two are inextricably linked as Bond is captured, allowing the villain to reveal his scheme before attempting to kill the hero. This takes on many forms throughout the series, but is nonetheless a staple of the Bond genre. Bond is placed in an odd, often life threatening predicament, from which he narrowly escapes an overly elaborate and exotic death. Once again, since Dr No audiences have come to expect this sort of scenario in a Bond film and so acknowledgement of genre is confirmed.

  Within the narrative/genre relationship there tends to be the occasional evidence of intertextuality, that is, filmic references. Over the years the Bond "formula" of exotic locales, action, gadgets, humour and pacy editing has been reinforced through variation and repetition, resulting in the use of signifying features as other films in the series. As previously mentioned, the entire Bond series contains those vital elements, from the famous introduction to the explosive special effects and Bond being blissfully isolated with the girl. On its own, Goldfinger would not be a genre film but when examined in conjunction with a number of Bond films, these common elements emerge. While Goldfinger follows the pattern set by Dr No, it is this film that establishes the Bond series as a genre in its own right, including such essential ingredients as the tongue in cheek approach to violence, the double entendres and the emphasis on technology. 
Aside from spawning many popular films in the spy thriller/action-adventure genre, such as Our Man Flint (1965) and more recently the Austin Powers trilogy (1997-2002), the Bond films have come to have their antecedents and influences in older genres. Examples of these include the "cliff-hanger" serial and the mythical adventure. 
The "cliff-hanger" serial is structured around moments of great suspense every 15 minutes; each action sequence in Goldfinger lasts for an average of 10 to 15 minutes. Examples within the film include the death of Jill Masterson covered in gold paint, the golf match, the car chase leading to Bond's brush with the laser and the ultimate attack on Fort Knox. This type of structure based on the need for a set piece or special effects action sequence is not only indicative of the Bond cannon, but also most contemporary thrillers. 
Bond can also be seen as a mythic hero, least of all in his role as defence against a faded superpower. The basic structure found in such mythical stories is the quest. Again, Goldfinger and other Bond films conform to this. The quest structure involves the hero being called into adventure, receiving advice and then setting out to seek the object of his quest, defeating enemies before returning to society. In Goldfinger and indeed the Bond genre, Bond's mission functions as the quest, while M and Q function as the wise old man and adviser respectively. The defeat of Goldfinger is therefore the successful completion of the quest, allowing Bond to get the girl.   




 



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Rebecca Andrews
AS Film Studies