Goldfinger Blu-ray

Goldfinger

 (1964)

Action | Adventure | Thriller



From its shocking prologue to an exhilarating mid-air climax, this lightning-paced 007 thriller features Sean Connery battling cunning international smugglers intent on infiltrating Fort Knox.

For more details about Goldfinger on Blu-ray, see the Goldfinger Blu-ray Review

Goldfinger Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Lowry Digital was charged with performing a full digital restoration on Goldfinger; the film had started showing its age after more than 40 years and was in serious need of some repair and clean up. Lowry responded to the task by delivering a pristine new master of Goldfinger that looks completely stunning on Blu-ray. The film’s original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.67:1 has been preserved with this release, and has been delivered in 1080p utilizing the AVC Mpeg-4 compression scheme. It’s fair to say, at this point, that many James Bond fans have probably never seen Goldfinger look anywhere near this perfect. This is a amazingly beautiful transfer.

MGM has avoided any and all digital artifacts with this release; banding, edge enhancement, noise and the over application of digital noise reduction are all conspicuously absent. Goldfinger features a warm, vintage color palette that perfectly accents the film’s sixties setting. Color fidelity is exceptional throughout the film and remains stable from start to finish. Detail is also remarkably rendered; Bond’s intricate Saville Row attire reveals fine fabric details and all the telltale hallmarks of his carefully hand-tailored wardrobe. Black levels can be shallow at times, but remain consistent with the film techniques of the era.

One area where the relative picture quality suffers lies in the use of optical composites in the film’s special effects sequences. Referencing the photograph included below this paragraph, viewers will notice a drop-off in detail and sharpness when effects elements have been combined into the shot. It can occasionally be a bit distracting. Notice how much less crisp this particular image is in reference to the remainder of the screenshots. As this scene plays out, the camera switches between shots containing the offending laser beam and shots where the laser isn’t in the frame. Quality changes dramatically between these cuts, with the laser scenes appearing muddy and soft and those without the effect appearing crisp and perfectly realized. It’s all an unfortunate side effect of the compositing techniques of the day and shouldn’t reflect negatively on the transfer or the presentation on the whole. This is simply a part of Goldfinger that will remain inconsistent, regardless of restoration.

Ultimately, Goldfinger represents the finest of the vintage James Bond restorations and is a stellar example of what can be accomplished when older films are given the care and attention necessary to make the leap to high definition. Goldfinger is highly recommended.

Goldfinger Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Goldfinger was originally presented theatrically with a monaural soundtrack that has been faithfully reproduced on Blu-ray courtesy of a lossy Dolby Digital option. While there are certainly those who will revel in the nostalgia of this original track, most will be more inclined to sample the extensively remixed 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that has been included with this Blu-ray edition. Those responsible for this mix should be commended; the track serves as a wonderful surround update that manages to increase the relative fidelity of the audio elements, while giving the film a much-needed aural boost.

Regardless, there are still source-related limitations present in Goldfinger. The film is now 45 years old and the recording technology of the day was relatively primitive in comparison to the advanced digital techniques used today. As such, one can easily detect hiss and compromised sections of the soundtrack that will probably never sound any better than they do here. What’s left, is a remarkable sonic achievement that manages to maintain the feel of the original mono track, while adding much needed bass and surround elements to the presentation. Goldfinger doesn’t sound like a modern-day action film, by any means, but it does sound remarkably fresh and lively. Highly recommended!

Goldfinger Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - March 24th - March 24, 2009


• Bond Wave Two Detailed - January 20, 2009


• Never Say Never Again Added to Bond Release List - January 20, 2009


• Goldfinger Rounds Out Bond Vol 3 - January 19, 2009

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