James Bonds Most Popular 60-Year-Old Movie Is The Only One Without Spectre

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Adapted from the seventh James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming, Goldfinger saw 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

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Incredibly, Goldfinger is the only James Bond movie in Sean Connery's era where Spectre was absent and never mentioned. Spectre (or SPECTRE), the Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Revenge, and Extortion, was introduced to filmgoers in Dr. No. The villain of Connery'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's From Russia With Love, and Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) and Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) in 1965's Thunderball.

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Spectre's leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, debuted in From Russia With Love, but Sean Connery's James Bond didn't come face-to-face with Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) until 1967's You Only Live Twice. When Bond and Blofeld tangled in On Her Majesty's Secret Service two 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 in Diamonds Are Forever. Roger Moore's James Bond didn't deal with Spectre at all until Bond finally killed Blofeld at the start of 1981's For Your Eyes Only, a decade since Blofeld's last appearance.

Why Goldfinger Is So Popular Without Spectre

Goldfinger Perfected James Bond's Formula

Goldfinger is one of the all-time most popular James Bond movies. Although many 007 aficionados prefer From Russia With Love as Sean Connery's best Bond, and modern audiences hail Daniel Craig's Casino Royale as arguably the best Bond movie of all, Goldfinger holds a special place in 007's canon. Goldfinger perfected 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 introduced 007's gadget-heavy Aston Martin DBS.

Goldfinger requires no prior James Bond viewing and stands alone.

Perhaps one of the aspects of Goldfinger that 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 the 007 movies repeatedly drew water from the Spectre well until it was dry. Goldfinger requires 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's James Bond movies, and Blofeld was even retconned as James' adoptive brother, yet Goldfinger's eternal charm benefits from being completely Spectre-free.