ICF’s Greatest Film (2024) -> Goldfinger (1964)

[coffee_rules]

1 hour ago, zen said:

@ravishingravi @coffee_rules

 

If you two fail to reach an agreement, there is always “Teesri Manzil”, an opportunity to feel proud by going with the great Shammi Kapoorji  

 

 

 

 

Good one. It is one of my favorites , but can’t say the greatest. Quality is mainstream popular movies is very subjective or for that matter in any movie even critics’ picks.

[zen]

4 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

Good one. It is one of my favorites , but can’t say the greatest. Quality is mainstream popular movies is very subjective or for that matter in any movie even critics’ picks.

 
It’s a film that captures Bollywood’s essence of filmmaking perfectly - great story, execution (acting, cinematography, score, songs, editing, & direction), originality (relatively speaking) and timelessness (including repeat value). More importantly is focused on entertainment without trying to give social messages. In its category, it shines. 

Bollywood is an important cultural center. Anyone who loves Bollywood style of filmmaking can go ahead and pick it without reservations 

 

[coffee_rules]

4 minutes ago, zen said:

 
It’s a film that captures Bollywood’s essence of filmmaking perfectly - great story, execution (acting, cinematography, score, songs, editing, & direction), originality (relatively speaking) and timelessness (including repeat value). More importantly is focused on entertainment without trying to give social messages. In its category, it shines. 

Bollywood is an important cultural center. Anyone who loves Bollywood style of filmmaking can go ahead and pick it without reservations 

 

How do you compare it with Jewel Thief? It has the same Bollyway of film-making, and also introduced a suave villain - Bond style . Personally, I like JT over TM.

[zen]

1 hour ago, coffee_rules said:

How do you compare it with Jewel Thief? It has the same Bollyway of film-making, and also introduced a suave villain - Bond style . Personally, I like JT over TM.

Jewel Thief has its moments but it does not hold up as well as Teesri Manzil does relatively speaking.

I am not sure if it has a Bond style villain in it as Ashok Kumar plays a family man for most parts of the film. The focus early is to not make him appear like a villain. 
 

The Gangtok segment, which is more than an hour long, nearly falls apart with characters like Anju Mahendru’s (Some of the other characters appear to be thrown in too). The segment is saved by the song “Hoton pe aise baat”.

 

I would probably rate Kala Bazar (1960) as a better “Dev Anand acted and Vijay Anand directed” film than this one. But Jewel Thief remains one of the enjoyable films (esp. when in a mood to watch such a film) in its segment. You can pick it, if you think it is right up there with the best!

 

Edited July 11, 2024 by zen

[ravishingravi]

5 hours ago, coffee_rules said:

@ravishingravi change your order and put Seven Samurai at #1!

 

1) Seven Samurai ( 1954, Japanese ) 

2) Citizen Kane ( 1941, English )

3) 2001 A Space Odyssey ( 1968, English )

 

[zen]

On 7/11/2024 at 11:50 PM, ravishingravi said:

 

1) Seven Samurai ( 1954, Japanese ) 

2) Citizen Kane ( 1941, English )

3) 2001 A Space Odyssey ( 1968, English )

 

To avoid double counting, you need to delete (write del or updated in another post) one of your posts  

 

Edited July 14, 2024 by zen

[zen]

To avoid double counting, make any updates in your original post (if making a new post for some specific reason, write “del” in your original post to have only 1 entry)!

[zen]

ATTENTION, S’il Vous Plait  

 

There has been no activity on this thread for a week, signalling that most of those who wanted to get their entries in have done so. Therefore, I might as well go ahead and fast track the announcement of the winner. The poll has generated no clear winner so the responsibility to pick the greatest film now falls on my shoulders. 

 

To pick the winner, I made a few rules for myself:

 

a) The film should NOT have been listed by anyone. Therefore, it will be a brand new film. 

b) The film should appeal to a wide range of audiences. That is the film should be relatively more “mainstream” than arty. Therefore, the relatively arty Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), which is one of the strongest contenders (Ranked #1 & #2 on S&S Critics Poll in 2012 and 2022 respectively) misses out on this occasion (Anyways, Vertigo has won many accolades). 

c) It should be a classic that has stood the test of time, should have memorable characters, be genre defining, sport iconic moments, ideally have a good aural and visual appeal, and so on.

d) The film should have been restored.  

e) etc. 

 

 

Based on the above, I shortlisted the following films (listed in the order of release):

 

City Lights (1931): It has the evergreen Charlie Chaplin’s “tramp” character. Among the first notable romcom films with a touching end. A B&W film that is considered among the best silent films. It probably taught Hollywood how to make good romcoms. It is highly popular with a wide range of audiences. It was ranked #36 on the 2022 S&S Critics Poll. 

 

 

Psycho (1960): The film that is said to have started the slasher genre. Has famous characters such as Norman Bates and Marion Crane (Janet Leigh in the unforgettable shower scene). Rated as one of Hitchcock’s best films, which is not an easy achievement considering that Hitchcock has made many superb films. On the 2022 S&S Critics Poll, it came in at #31.

 

 

 

Goldfinger (1964): The iconic “James Bond” film that set the formula for Bond films. It introduced the famous Aston Martin and the Q-branch (In the earlier two films, Bond received his equipment in M’s office). Set the formula for a song with the titles after the pre-title sequence (the previous two films had either a score/song play at the beginning of the film with the titles or a score play during the titles after the pre-title sequence). It has an iconic villain (Goldfinger) with an equally iconic sidekick (Oddjob). The film is full of iconic moments/images such as the lady in gold, Oddjob’s weaponized hat, the title song by Shirley Bassey, the golf game, and dialogues such as “… I expect you to die”. It improves the Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel.  No need to say that Goldfinger is among the most popular films. 

 

 

 

With this the poll closes. This is a close race so I am going to ponder on which one to pick. Any guesses? 

 

Edited July 20, 2024 by zen

[zen]

Heartily thanks to all those who participated:

 

@randomGuy @Tillu  @BacktoCricaddict  @Lord  @ravishingravi @Lone Wolf @Vickydev @maniac @Gollum @singhvivek141 @rkt.india @speed_thrills @coffee_rules

 

Based on my previous post, I have picked Goldfinger (1964) as the ICF’s Greatest Film 2024!!

 

No need to say that this was not an easy pick. Both City Lights and Psycho have a strong case too and one of those could have been the winner on a different day.
 

What Goldfinger brings to the table is fun (at times silly fun), memorable characters, iconic scenes, a strong score, and importantly it is a representative of a franchise that has entertained us massively since 1962 with 25 films (more than any other franchise).

As Goldfinger remarked that man has achieved greatness in the field of science (split atom), climbed Mt. Everest, etc., but is yet to achieve greatness in the field of crime. Well, he can proudly hold his head high for this heist!

 

Let’s all congratulate Goldfinger and through it the 007 franchise! 
 

 

Edited July 20, 2024 by zen

[coffee_rules]

1 hour ago, zen said:

Heartily thanks to all those who participated:

 

@randomGuy @Tillu  @BacktoCricaddict  @Lord  @ravishingravi @Lone Wolf @Vickydev @maniac @Gollum @singhvivek141 @rkt.india @speed_thrills @coffee_rules

 

Based on my previous post, I have picked Goldfinger (1964) as the ICF’s Greatest Film 2024!!

 

No need to say that this was not an easy pick. Both City Lights and Psycho have a strong case too and one of those could have been the winner on a different day.
 

What Goldfinger brings to the table is fun (at times silly fun), memorable characters, iconic scenes, a strong score, and importantly it is a representative of a franchise that has entertained us massively since 1962 with 25 films (more than any other franchise).

As Goldfinger remarked that man has achieved greatness in the field of science (split atom), climbed Mt. Everest, etc., but is yet to achieve greatness in the field of crime. Well, he can proudly hold his head high for this heist!

 

Let’s all congratulate Goldfinger and through it the 007 franchise! 
 

 

[zen]

20 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

[Lord]

[rkt.india]

   

[zen]

Btw, Goldfinger was released on September 17, 1964 in UK and on December 22, 1964 in the US. 
 

This is 2024. We are celebrating 60 years of Goldfinger!!

 

 

 

[zen]

Goldfinger’s soundtrack is brilliant, as we know. I like how one of the cues in the “golden girl” (at 1.05) was used in the song 6 Underground from The Saint.

 

 

 

 

[zen]

Taking about GF’s score, I like the score in the clip below (Appears to have some sort of Asian influence in it). It creates a sense of danger. You can feel that Bond is now in trouble. Watch from 2.40 to 4.20:

 

PS At 2.40, the camera angle is brilliant. It is from the ground PoV with Bond on his knees and looking down and with Oddjob towering over him. If you pause it, it is like a picture is worth a 1,000 words.

Edited July 22, 2024 by zen

[coffee_rules]

I like “From Russia with love” better than GF. 

 

[zen]

4 hours ago, coffee_rules said:

I like “From Russia with love” better than GF. 

From Russia with Love  is excellent. It is relatively Hitchcockian and feels like a period film, capturing the spirit of Fleming novels’ era nicely. Also one of the best train films. 

[zen]

Talking about Bond films in general, the first 3 Bond films are gold, absolute classics. Bond is relatively serious and to the point in the first two - Dr. No and From Russia with Love. In Goldfinger, you see elements of lightheartedness introduced (which is taken to the next level in Diamonds Are Forever and in most Roger Moore 007 films that Goldfinger appears relatively serious). 
 

Goldfinger also sets the general template for Bond films. It is probably the most iconic Bond film as when you think of 007 films, the name Goldfinger usually automatically pops up. It has tons of iconic Bond moments including Bond looking at his Rolex in the pre-title sequence, the golden girl, the tricky Aston Martin, Bond facing the laser, Goldfinger as the villain, rated among the series’ best, and Oddjob with his weaponized hat.

Other top Bond films include On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, & Casino Royale. 

There are also other timeless Bond films such as Thunderball (beaches, fashion, style), You Only Live Twice (a cultural tour of Japan), Live & Let Die (Silly fun), Octopussy (Hitchcockian and Indiana Jonesque), Licence to Kill (Bond goes rogue for the first time but that became a relatively standard affair in Craig’s era), and The World is Not Enough (for Brosnan’s best performance as Bond).

 

At the moment, I have no particular favorite Bond film as top Bond films are more or less similar in quality. When I have one, it tends to change with time. 

Edited July 22, 2024 by zen

[Gollum]

Thanks guys, shall check out some of these movies in coming days. 

 

Please keep this thread alive with more recommendations @zen