Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Toby Stephens, Ian McKellen, Rosamund Pike, Lisa Dillon, John Standing, Tom Hollander, Tim Pigott-Smith, Hector Elizondo, Alistair McGowan, Henry Goodman, Ian Ogilvy, Lloyd Owen, Jon David Yu, Anna Louise Plowman, Martin Jarvis, Nigel Anthony, Alan Shearman, Kyle Stoller, Tracy Patin.

There are many images that come to mind when you think of James Bond, the cars, the exotic destinations, the acts of heroism, the portrayals of the women to enter the British spy’s life, some of whom have left a lasting impression on the viewer’s mind, not only for their strength of character but for the way they became a symbol of the times, for the way some were murdered at the hands of Bond’s enemies in retribution for the spy getting too close to solving the mystery.

Thankfully we are residing in a more enlightened time, where the women of the series are given a much more leading role than just being seen as glamourous accessories to which Bond acts a conduit for their supposed vulnerability, and for the most part, their dependence on a man to save them from a fate to which he may have unwittingly placed them.

It is though, the image of the marvellous Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson that many will always associate the vengeance of a powerful but ultimately weak, man and that of those who become embroiled in the fight between good and evil. Whilst the film may go into more graphic detail of the secretary’s death at the hands of Auric Goldfinger, the audio dramatization of the novel by Archie Scottney goes some way to proving that all that glitters is not always gold but is akin to being skin deep in the hearts of the emotional and the defenceless.

Unlike other adaptations, there is a sense of cohesion between the book, the film and the audio drama recorded, the pace of the drama is not interrupted, the scenes which make the film stand out and still there and even in the one vital piece of information that was merely hinted at in the film by Honor Blackman’s interpretation of Pussy Galore, that of the sexual preference of the leader of the all-female gang, there is more that connects the story that which divides other offerings due to the improvements and writing advancements that graced the cinema in Bond’s golden age.

This particular audio drama sees Toby Stephens at his best as the popular spy, and with Rosamund Pike renewing her Bond association as Pussy Galore, Alistair McGowan providing a wonderful take on the Caddie at the golf club and Ian McKellen capturing the spirit laid down by the tremendous Gert Frobe, and whilst there is no immortal line to be drawn from when Bond is at Goldfinger’s mercy as the laser starts heading for the nervous spy’s body, there is still a magnificent sense of anticipation of what is to come.

A thrilling adaptation of arguably one of Ian Fleming’s finest moments as a writer, and in turn one of the greatest ever Bond films in its long cinematic history. Goldfinger gives all associated with this adaptation the Midas touch.

Ian D. Hall