Goldfinger (film) plot has Bond investigating gold smuggling by gold magnate Auric Goldfinger and eventually uncovering Goldfinger's plans to contaminate the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. "Goldfinger" was the first Bond blockbuster, with a budget equal to that of the two preceding films combined. Principal photography took place from January to July 1964 in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States. The release of the film led to a number of promotional licensed tie-in items, including a toy Aston Martin DB5 car from Corgi Toys which became the biggest selling toy of 1964. The promotion also included an image
Goldfinger (film) though trying to balance action and comedy. "Goldfinger" has been described as perhaps "the most highly and consistently praised Bond picture of them all" and after "Goldfinger", Bond "became a true phenomenon." The success of the film led to the emergence of many other works in the espionage genre and parodies of James Bond, such as The Beatles film "Help!" in 1965 and a spoof of Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, "Casino Royale", in 1967. Indeed, it has been said that "Goldfinger" was the cause of the boom in espionage films in the 1960s, so much so that in "1966,