Goldfinger, the 3rd Bond film, redefined the franchise in 1964 with Sean Connery’s iconic portrayal, legendary villains, gadgets, and unforgettable moments.

If the James Bond franchise has succeeded in establishing itself as one of the world’s greatest sagas, accumulating billions of dollars in revenue, it is thanks in no small part to Goldfinger. Released on September 17, 1964, and premiered in London, the third James Bond film adaptation was an instant hit in Europe and across the Atlantic. While the first two films, Dr. No and From Russia with Love had been successful, Goldfinger created an unprecedented craze that changed the franchise – and cinema – forever.

First and foremost, this third film welcomes back what had worked so well in its first two, and primarily its actor. Hesitant to reprise the role for fear of being typecast, Sean Connery nonetheless returned to Goldfinger, once again bringing a charm to the character that only the man could provide. His interpretation of Bond, however, is a far cry from what author Ian Fleming had written in his books. In the literary works, Bond is a rather cold character, often grumpy if he’s not busy with his passions – cars, gambling, alcohol and women. Richard Maibaum’s screenplay and Connery’s performance temper this seriousness to add a sense of fun that’s apparent right from the opening scene, when Bond camouflages himself underwater with a duck on his head. Moments later, when our agent emerges from the industrial complex he’s about to blow up, he removes his diving gear to reveal a magnificent white suit. In this opening sequence lies everything that would come to define the character later on, as he executes his operation to perfection, but not without a dose of levity and even ridiculousness. Connery knows that this is all a film, and that there’s an element of surrealism and fantasy in this story and this character. That said, the actor knows how to capture our attention and bring down the tone of the film with a simple change of facial expression. When Bond finds Tilly Materson, dead and covered in gold paint, Connery slows down his speech cadence to give it gravity as he phones his associate Felix Leiter to warn him of the girl’s death.

If the previous two films had already introduced Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Goldfinger made his presence clear by giving him a whole division in which to prepare the gadgets and inventions that now define the character. Once again, the gadgets introduced by Q set the tone for Bond’s adventures, with wacky objects like a parking meter that emits gas once a coin is put in it. But the launch of this new division is also an opportunity for Q to introduce the new car, the Aston Martin DB5. Initially shy about partnering on this film, the British car brand quickly changed its attitude once sales of their model increased by 300%. Magnified in the film by Guy Hamilton’s shots in the Swiss Alps, and by its extravagant gadgets (machine guns, smoke, ejector seat), the DB5 remains Bond’s iconic car to this day, and an iconic example of partnership between a brand and a film.

But honors don’t just go to Bond and his team in this film, they also go to Gert Fröbe and Harold Sakata as Auric Goldfinger and his right-hand man Oddjob. With his imposing physique and piercing gaze, Fröbe nevertheless manages to give a sympathetic performance, which makes him all the more menacing in what he’s up to. The character will be dubbed by Michael Collins in English, as Fröbe is unable to speak English. On the other hand, Sakata delivers a terrific performance as Oddjob, defining the archetypal main villain for the rest of the franchise. The character never utters a word, is strong as a rock, and is equipped with his hat capable of cutting through anything, which he demonstrates on the golf course on a stone statue. Faced with Goldfinger’s plan to break into Fort Knox and pollute the entire U.S. gold reserve, Bond finds himself constantly in a position of difficulty or disadvantage. When Bond gains a point in the game, Goldfinger quickly closes the gap. This example can be seen when our spy wins the Golf game and places his tracker under Goldfinger’s car to inspect his activities. But once there, he is confronted by the factory’s soldiers and finds himself captured and tied up in Goldfinger’s base. This scene can also be counted among the most iconic and memorable for both the Bond franchise and cinema. Faced with Goldfinger’s laser, Bond is powerless: no gadgets, no tricks, just words. Here again, Connery’s look of distress makes us realize that Agent 007 has nothing left in his bag, and is becoming desperate. Yet again, Fröbe establishes his emblematic character in his delivery and cruelty: “Do you expect me to talk? – No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!

Finally, how can we talk about James Bond without mentioning the Bond Girls? While many actresses have claimed that their characters are different from the other Bond Girls, they are never very different from Pussy Galore. Much has been written about her character and the infamous barn scene. Although the scene is rightly the film’s biggest black spot, her character shouldn’t be reduced to that. Played by Honor Blackman, her character stands out from the first two Bond Girls in Dr. No and From Russia with Love. Where the first two were largely secondary and passive when it came to Bond’s story and adventures, Pussy Galore is practically the story’s main stake and the one who turns the tide of events. She first stands up to Bond (psychologically and physically) and allies herself with Goldfinger as No. 2, and is a character who doesn’t wait for 007’s actions and words to make up her mind. Bond may claim to have played a part in Galore’s decision to turn against Goldfinger, but she does so behind his back and on her own arbitrary terms. While previous Bond Girls were defined by Bond’s actions, Galore defines herself and controls her own destiny.

The cinematic success of Goldfinger took the franchise and Sean Connery’s popularity into another realm. For a budget of $3 million, the film took in over $43 million worldwide, making it a major blockbuster. While the spy genre found in Goldfinger a perfect illustration that it would continue to reproduce, Sean Connery signed on for three new James Bond films (Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and joined the cast of Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie. For many, Goldfinger remains the ultimate James Bond of the franchise, the one that helped define the codes, tone and narrative structure still imitated in recent works. And for all these reasons, it remains the saga’s most important work.