musitorial n a mashup of music, musings and editorials, music and song that evokes thought and commentary.
Today’s musitorial calls attention to a 1964 film in the early Bond (007) franchise: Goldfinger (Eon Productions, Guy Hamilton, director, United Artists).
The eponymous theme song refers to the villainous Auric[1] Goldfinger, a master criminal whose penchant for gold dominated his very being – at the expense of all else, including morals. The theme song, refers to Goldfinger as “the man with the Midas Touch,” a reference to legendary King Midas.[2]
Based on the 1959 novel of the same title by Ian Fleming, the film's plot has Bond investigating the gold magnate Auric Goldfinger, who plans to contaminate the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.[3]
Goldfinger was defeated, of course (dare I say ‘foiled’), and of course 007 (James Bond, played by Sean Connery) got to bed a voluptuous gold-painted beauty – his reward for a job well done, and the audience’s reward for enduring the predictable plot.
As I write this, a portion of the USA’s opulent but functional national treasure, the White House (a national treasure, not a king’s treasure) is being razed to make way for an opulent golden ballroom.
Let us not forget that King Midas, of “Midas Touch” fame, came to hate the gift of his god-given golden touch and convinced the gods to rid him of it (it gets complicated thereafter but it is relevant to this musitorial). And let’s note how close the word bullion is to the word bully.
THIS JUST IN: While writing this, news broke that the US Republican White House has suddenly terminated trade talks with Canada, following some TV ads that resurrect Ronald Reagan’s (1911-2004) cautionary negative reflections on trade tariffs. So, the White House has taken its ball[room] and gone home.
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Link to Wikipedia article on Goldfinger, the film: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfinger_(film)
Link to Wikipedia article on the song, “Goldfinger” (composed and arranged by John Barry, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, performed by Shirley Bassey) including a link to a recording (EMI, London): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfinger_(Shirley_Bassey_song)
Link to news article about East Wing demolition and ballroom construction: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/white-house-east-wing-demolished-new-ballroom-rcna239399
Link to CBC news article on USA’s withdrawal from trade talks (October 2025): https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-trade-negotiations-tariffs-ontario-ad-9.6951469
[1] According to Google AI, the name Auric means "golden" or "of gold," derived from the Latin word "aurum."
[2] Ancient moral mythology says King Midas was favoured by the gods with the gift of turning everything he touched into gold. Hence the saying, “The Midas Touch.” Link to Wikipedia article on King Midas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas
[3] Link to Wikipedia article on Fort Knox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Knox
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