Brought To You By The Letter “G” For Goldfinger
On this, the penultimate month of the year, the Orinda Theatre’s first offering is thought of by many as being the best of its rather niche “Bond film” genre. “Goldfinger” is the third official Bond film and it, more than the two Bond films before it, lays and cements the template whereby all of the other Bond films have followed.
From the Shirley Bassey title song to the fancy gadgets to the car chases to the beautiful women (with cringe-worthy names) to the evil villains – with their equally evil henchmen – to the ever-suave Sean Connery, it’s all there.
In many ways, you get to see the origin of what is, by now, practically expected of any film featuring the legendary Bond, James Bond. It shows on Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Next, we have a film that’s so much more than a simple romantic triangle. “Gilda,” portrayed by the ravishingly beautiful Rita Hayworth, is both the centerpiece and the apex who threatens to rend asunder a friendship which is already on shaky ground.
Neither man in this triangle has much in the way of a code of ethics, and that is put to the test when one of them returns with a new wife. The problem is that Gilda has an already established history with both men.
It doesn’t help that she is practically irresistible … and she knows it. Glenn Ford and George Macready make up the other two parts of this tangled bit of geometry, but it’s Hayworth who lights (and heats) up the screen. As this is a part of the Orinda’s matinee program, it screens on Nov. 26 at 1 p.m. For additional information on this and other events, remember to check out orindamovies.com.
I’d like to reiterate just how lucky we are to have the Orinda Theatre in our neighborhood. Though I won’t deny how easy it is to stream a movie from the comfort of your own home, nothing compares to the immersion possible only by sitting in a darkened movie palace, the stunning ambiance of this theater, the delicious popcorn and cocktails at your fingertips, gazing at those wonderful images made from light and sound. Take my word for it, for that is where the real magic lies.
