Goldfinger Revival Hits the Alps

Andermatt Celebrates 60 Years of Bond

Story and photography courtesy of Andermatt Swiss Alps

Bond. James Bond.

We can think of no greater film icon to include in VIE’s Gentlemen’s Edition than 007 himself, and this travel-meets-film experience was one for the books as a Swiss village gathered to pay tribute to one of the most celebrated Bond flicks of all.

On the final day of the 2024 Genuss Film Alpen festival this April, Andermatt Swiss Alps commemorated the sixtieth anniversary of the James Bond film Goldfinger with Goldfinger Revival, a stunning light show stunt by visionary Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter.

For Goldfinger Revival, Hofstetter recreated the legendary film sequences from Ian Fleming’s world-famous 1964 film with a large-scale projection onto the snow walls and slopes. The movie was shot in the Urseren Valley and surrounding areas, including the winding roads of the Furka Pass in Andermatt. In this spectacular projection art piece, Hofstetter paid tribute to the iconic chase scene featuring Sean Connery, Tania Mallet, and Bond’s famous modified Aston Martin DB5 spy car.

In this spectacular projection art piece, Hofstetter paid tribute to the iconic chase scene featuring Sean Connery, Tania Mallet, and Bond’s famous modified Aston Martin DB5 spy car.

Hofstetter’s reinterpretation of the five-minute, forty-six-second car chase was an endeavor undertaken together with the people of Andermatt. The original production of these legendary scenes took place in July 1964 and lasted eight days. The film team was supported then by people from the region, tourists, the canton of Uri, the Swiss army, and the Swiss press, who were invited to the shoot. In April 2024, these same scenes were filmed over eight days in the same setting and with the same supporting institutions. Hofstetter integrated images of the film’s Aston Martin into his projections.

The “60 Years of Goldfinger” gala marked the final day of the inaugural festival in Andermatt on April 20. It featured a film screening and a behind-the-scenes documentary about making the Goldfinger Revival light show stunt. Guests were also able to view the original Aston Martin DB5 before attending an after-party at The Chedi Andermatt, a nearby luxury hotel.

Numerous attractions will celebrate Goldfinger’s sixtieth anniversary throughout the year, including an exhibition of the original Aston Martin DB5 on the Gütsch Mountain (2,344 meters above sea level), an exhibition at The Chedi Andermatt, and an overnight accommodations special available at the Hotel Bergidyll, where the crew of Goldfinger stayed during production.

Andermatt, now a favorite among affluent travelers seeking luxury in the Alps, offers a wide range of attractions away from the pistes and meadows. It comes as no surprise that the famous German scholar and writer Goethe already knew how diverse the Andermatt holiday region was when he said in 1779, “Of all the regions I know, it is my favorite and the most interesting.”

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Visit Andermatt-SwissAlps.ch/en to learn more about this alpine destination and its sixtieth anniversary of Goldfinger celebrations.