Compare & Contrast Essay

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
THE DESIGN SCHOOL
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILD ENVIRONMENT
NAME: SIONG JIA YII
STUDENT ID NO: 0318239
FILMS SELECTED: James Bond Films – Goldfinger (1964) and Skyfall (2012)
WORD COUNT: 960 words
ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSIONDATE: 5TH
DECEMBER2014

2. James Bond, a name which is very well known between old generation and younger
generation that also recalled as an agent 007 of M16 in his film series. James Bond film
series is originally directed from the series of books by Ian Fleming and became one of the
longest continuously-running film series in history. It is also being considered as a classical
film series among the world. Although every of his films have their own main actors and
directors, James Bond film series is still everyone’s favourite all the time. What makes this
film series unique? What makes people loved it so much? Is there any differences or
similarity that attracted audience to watch? So, I have chosen two films from his series which
are Goldfinger (1964) and Skyfall (2012). From these two films, we can clearly see that there
is an evolution between them from traditional to modern from eras by eras.
Goldfinger (1964) is the first Bond film to win an Academy Award and opened to largely
favourable critical reception. It summarizes that Bond investigating gold smuggling by a gold
magnate Auric Goldfinger and eventually uncovering Goldfinger’s plan to attack the United
States Bullion Depository. On the other hand, Skyfall (2012) directed by Sam Mendes has
been honoured as highest-grossing film and won several accolades. The story centres on
Bond investigating an attack on M16 which planned by a former M16 operative Raoul Silva
to humiliate, discredit and kill M as revenge against her for betraying him. In Goldfinger film,
Sean Connery as the main actor while Daniel Craig as the main actor in Skyfall film.
Different actors might have totally own different style and acting skills in each film.
However, these two actors successfully set the settings of James Bond which always look
impossibly cool, kind of swagger killer style with that impeccably tailored-suits and one of a
kind accessories and gadgets. Simply put, James Bond is exactly one of the well-dressed men.
Moreover, it seems that the charming James Bond has romantic encounters with different
gorgeous women in both of the films because girls can always bond over him. James Bond
always done his job that ordered by M16 perfectly by hunting down villains with his good

3. fighting skills. Besides, the only similar thing that often used by James Bond along these
years is that Aston Martin DB5 modified with lots of technology and weapons car and they
are still maintaining some same continuity on the new films. (Lapel, 2012)
In addition, the only gadget that given by A to James Bond in Skyfall is surprisingly
similar to the device given to Bond in Goldfinger to set out to defend Fort Knox which is a
radio device for tracking. Another similarity between two films is the office occupied by M.
It is hard to miss that the ‘new digs’ for M are similar at the end of Skyfall, if not the same, to
the old office seen in many films of this movie series. Did you notice that Craig’s character
was shaving by using straight blade just like the old school films? As in the movies, we can
see that Connery’s Bond shaving with a Gillette Slim Safety Razor and again this showed
that Craig has paid homage to the past. (Jenkinson, 2012)
As we all know, there are always one or more than one Bond girls appeared in each James
Bond film. There is no set rule for these girls so she may be an ally or an enemy of Bond,
pivotal to the mission or just eye candy and they must be love interests of Bond. There is a
similarity between Bond girls of Goldfinger and Skyfall which are Pussy Galore and Severine.
Both of them are acted as enemies of James Bond in the films but James Bond changed them
afterwards. In Goldfinger, Pussy Galore acted by Honor Blackman was a private pilot of
enemy who James Bond first met on a plane when he woke up after being shot by a stun gun.
James Bond managed to convince her to change the nerve gas canisters in the plane about to
attack Fort Knox with dummies, so that there is no effect on soldiers there. However,
Goldfinger escaped successfully by wearing US uniform disguise under his coat and hijacked
a plane heading to Cuba which Bond is using it to meet President. Goldfinger has been
sucked out of plane through the breaking window which broke by him. Galore and Bond
survived by using parachutes. (Bond Girls: Goldfinger) On the opposite side, Séverine in
Skyfall was a representative of villain Raoul Silva. After the previous assassination has been

4. compromised by Bond, she awaits Bond’s arrival at the casino to claim the money that
belonged to Patrice. Bond psychologized her that she has been saved out from Macau sex
trade by Silva and promising her to save her out from being Silva’s captive. Bond asked for
her to join his forces in allowing him to find the man in the shadow too. Unfortunately, life of
Séverine was not that lucky as Pussy Galore’s life. She was dead after getting shoots in the
head by Silva when Bond failed to shoot the glass off her head. (Macnab & Geoffrey, 2011)
In conclusion, although there are many differences between Skyfall and Goldfinger on the
technologies, fighting scene and etc. but they still hold some classical similarity that attracted
audience to watch it on the gap of 48 years. Because of that, James Bond film series is always
the best spy films in the heart of all of the audience which makes it the highest grossing film
series too. Last but not least, I hope that James Bond film series will be filming continuously
in the future so that our youngster would recognise him for a longer time.

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