DVD/150: GOLDFINGER (Guy Hamilton, 1964)

The only Bond film in my collection is also, for me, the most assured of the canon.

With two Bond films already successful and a character - and actor - fast becoming iconic, Harry Saltzman and 'Cubby' Broccoli provided a much larger budget and sleek production values.

The Bond cliches were locked in with GOLDFINGER: deaths with a quip, hundreds of mown-down extras, a villain bent on world domination, the gadgets and glamorous locations used as mere backdrops, not forgetting the title credit sequence and song.

You have to wonder how these men became criminal masterminds when they give Bond so many chances to escape rather than just killing him when they have the chance.

For those used to the crunching non-stop action of the last 30 years of Bond, they are in for a shock as here first-time Bond director Hamilton focuses on plot over needless set-pieces.

Shelf or charity shop?  Bond is saving the West from my plastic dvd storage box...  I must admit I have usually lost interest by the climax at Fort Knox but by then we have had Honor Blackman fading into view and purring "My name is Pussy Galore", John Barry's exciting score, Shirley Bassey owning the title song (amazingly, neither GOLDFINGER or DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER were nominated for the Best Song Academy Award), Sean Connery has delivered a performance of charisma and charm, and the glorious Shirley Eaton has, in three short scenes, became iconic as the doomed Jill Masterson, found very dead and painted gold.  Shirley - as I type - is the last surviving cast member.  That also includes Nikki Van der Zyl - "who she" I hear you cry?  She provided the dubbed voice of many Bond girls - Ursula Andress in DOCTOR NO and CASINO ROYALE, Eunice Gayson in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, Shirley Eaton in GOLDFINGER, Claudine Auger in THUNDERBALL, Mie Hama in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, Jane Seymour in LIVE AND LET DIE and Corinne Cléry in MOONRAKER!  She was equally busy at Hammer dubbing Raquel Welch in ONE MILLION YEARS BC and Ursula Andress (again!) in SHE.

DVD/150: HELL DRIVERS (Cy Endfield, 1957)

As rough as the gravel driven at breakneck speed down country lanes, HELL DRIVERS was the first film to bear Cy Endfield's name after working in the UK for four years under pseudonyms due to being blacklisted as a Communist in the USA.

Ex-con Tom heads for a job at a haulage firm that isn't too fussy about the men it employs.  He discovers extra money is paid to the fastest driver each week but they must drive at dangerous speeds.

Grudgingly accepted by the others, Tom realizes that the topdog Red will never let anyone beat him.  One night at a dance, the drivers start a brawl but Tom runs before the police arrive.  Accused of cowardice by the drivers - and falling for his pal Gino's girlfriend Lucy - he decides to leave. 

But when Gino is killed by Red while driving Tom's usual lorry, Tom seeks revenge...

Shelf or charity shop?  One of my favourite British thrillers, it's worth keeping for the astonishing cast - the magnificent Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins, Sean Connery, Alfie Bass, Sid James, Gordon Jackson, William Hartnell, Wilfred Lawson, Marjorie Rhodes, Jill Ireland, Robin Bailey and David McCallum - who all make up for the hammy awfulness of Patrick McGoohan as the psychotic Red. 

Dvd/150: AN AGE OF KINGS (Michael Hayes, 1960, tv)

With current Shakespeare productions full of gender-fluid casting, set in abattoirs or Carnaby Street, it's a pleasure to see the BBC's landmark 1960 fifteen-part series of The History Plays, from RICHARD II to RICHARD III, all the more remarkable for being broadcast live.

Yes, the performances are declamatory but at least the verse is spoken correctly.  In those pre-NT / RSC days, the cast were drawn from companies like Birmingham Rep, OUDS and The Old Vic; remarkably they are used as a proper rep company, playing different roles throughout the series - that would never happen now.

Particularly memorable are Sean Connery (Hotspur), Angela Baddeley (Mistress Quickly), Hermione Baddeley (Doll Tearsheet), Robert Hardy (Henry V), Judi Dench (Princess Katherine), Eileen Atkins (Joan d'Arc), Mary Morris (Queen Margaret), Julian Glover (Edward IV) and Paul Daneman (Richard III)... and a shock seeing Violet Carson (pre-CORONATION STREET) as Richard III's mum!

Shelf or charity shop?  I can see myself stepping back in time to experience the nervy, live-action performances again - i'faith.