007 Music Part 3 – Goldfinger
Unfortunately, my Bond series has been on hold for the past few weeks. I started Goldfinger a while ago and didn’t post it, but since I don’t know when I’ll get back to it, here is the UNCUT, UNEDITED, UNCENSORED VERSION of GOLDFINGER (don’t you love that positive spin?)!!!
Goldfinger (1964) Music by John Barry The traditional opening with the Bond theme.
Beginning again inspired by bond theme, sometimes explicitly. Tons of gadgets here. 5 goldfinger theme in opening credits. While the From Russia with love theme sounded like a 50s jazz standard, this one sounds like bond. There are quotes of the bond theme in the backs. Heavy jazz brass. 7- music 9- First glance at Goldfinger cues his theme music Goldfinger theme plays as he takes the girl to bed. hmm… what does it mean? I guess she was Goldfinger’s girl… but why not the Bond theme? 15- music? lots tingy brass when we see the golden woman’s body 22- resembles the scene in From Russia with Love where the bad guys are training. Except here, the good guys are testing new equipment. Here’s another way where Bond is becoming more Bond. And a sweet new car. 25- triangle hit when we see Korean man. Very stereotypical and slightly offensive. But not more so than the rest of the early Bond movies… 30- pizzicato strings on goldfinger theme 31- korean magic theme 33- goldfinger’s leaving for Geneva, and so is Bond, so cue the goldfinger theme. Note once again the quote from the Bond Theme at the end of it. 38- after the typical absence of music for car sequences, ominous music plays when Bond looks at Auric Enterprises Suddenly, it’s nighttime, and the mood of the music shifts. It’s very sparse as Bond sneaks around. 41- When he is safely back in the forest, the music suddenly becomes more Bondsy. It’s chill. As per-usual, there is no music in the car chase. Car engines/tires, gunfire, and gadgets is plenty going on without it. Ends with an epic, exaggerated explosion, and we begin our explosion counter here at 1. 45- is this more Korean music? Another car scene with no music, but then music enters. The focus in this moment is not on cars. It’s on the fact that Bond will die in five seconds if he doesn’t do something. 49- what theme is this? Goldfinger theme comes over the top of it 57- epic Goldfinger. same key as Goldfinger. 59- korean magic! literally every time we’ve seen him. Goldfinger flying theme. 1:00 country music/banjo at the track. then full Goldfinger with Interlude underneath. first film where something besides the Bond theme defined the soundscape. Now obviously Bond’s theme influenced the Goldfinger one, but we literally haven’t heard the Bond theme since it opened the film. That answers my earlier question of why the Goldfinger song was used instead of Bond’s in a scene. Barry made the stylistic choice that we’ve heard enough Bond theme in the first two films. Everyone knows it and probably doesn’t even notice that it hasn’t been used yet. So in order to actually add something to the sound world of the series instead of rehashing, he is defining the score by what’s different in this film, Goldfinger, rather than by what stays the same, Bond. 1:06 Bond busts out music 1:11 the Goldfinger chords 1:13 Goldfinger. then BOND. Just for a second. And it’s ironic because it’s not really Bond they’re tracking anymore. Then back to Goldfinger and Interlude. The Bond and G themes overlay so nicely. 1:21 Gold chords 1:23 some goofy mickey-mousing. then she gives in Goldfinger variation during the Fort Knox raid 1:27 military sounding. snare. march-like. More intense as the bank is in sight. Explosion #2, the fence. Goldfinger has succeeded in breaking into the bank, so it goes into the Goldfinger theme. So this is the militarized variation of Goldfinger. 1:30 music changes as they use the laser. Sounds like something from a previous Bond movie. 1:32 really distorted Goldfinger when the real Goldfinger actually shows up. He’s a messed up guy. 1:35 no music in this fight, either. Not even any Korean magic. It’s all combat. And a buzz/humming, a gentle reminder to us and them that they’re about to die. 1:38 There’s the magic! 1:41 light music. This is a Bond movie, but it ends with him getting on a plane with an American flag to see the president so he can thank him personally. And the American military shows/wakes up to save the day. Intense music as the plane’s about to crash. Plane explosion. Goldfinger is a very metal heavy song. Barry received a Grammy nomination. Won an Oscar for sound editing.
Tags: 007, Goldfinger, John Barry