Would it be better if they didn't go to Kentucky till later on?

A lot of people complain about Kentucky not being an exotic location for James Bond, but I do understand the movie has to go there, if you want Fort Knox to be part of the plot.  However, would it have been better if the plot went to Fort Knox after Bond seduced Pussy Galore?  Because if they waited till then, then quite a bit more of the movie could have taken place in Switzerland at perhaps at a few more exotic locations, minus a car junk yard.  What do you think, would that have been better?

Depends on what the individual viewer prioritises. I'm quite happy with seeing Kentucky as I've never been and it seems to provide the perfect window into 60s America. In terms of storytelling it makes perfect sense so I'd prefer not shoehorn extraneous Swiss scenes for the sake of exoticism (see YOLT or OP for where this fails).

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

Depends on what the individual viewer prioritises. I'm quite happy with seeing Kentucky as I've never been and it seems to provide the perfect window into 60s America. In terms of storytelling it makes perfect sense so I'd prefer not shoehorn extraneous Swiss scenes for the sake of exoticism (see YOLT or OP for where this fails).

Agreed. I adore Switzerland, but Kentucky in the mid-60s provides some nice novelty.

Early 60's American South is a very Flemingesque setting.

I mean that without irony!

When I was growing up it made me groan that they had to go into the South which is where I come from and where Bond was my escape from...

However it is really more of GF's stud farm and Fort Knox which is removed from the rest of the populace so it does keep a bit of otherworldly exotic-ness because of this and the fact that outside of the handful of base town shots you see no real people.
If you talk about the shots of Felix and partner at the KFC or following Oddjob those don't exactly count as they're from the Florida shoot anyways.

The more you study this section of the film, the more you realize how brilliant Dehn and Maibaum were to keep Bond from feeling like a moronic prisoner which does somewhat come up in the novel at the same point and especially when you have the"be my prisoner/secretary for the gangster business convention and luncheon". Every scene also drips in underlying tension and Bond trying to ferret out any scrap of information. The most important of these is not the hood's convention as most would think or even the tumble in the hay with Pussy but is in actuality the porch front seemingly civilized conversation/showdown between Goldfinger and Bond complete with mint julep. This is one of the best scenes in the film as you have a game of wits going on and the reveal of Goldfinger's plot-AND the depths of his evil amidst a showy guise of civility. And Bond must put two and two together whilst playing Goldfinger and trying to beat him at his own game without giving his own hand away. I've long felt this along with certain other scenes from DN, FRWL and some others should be in the audition tests for potential Bonds.

Fully agree on the "civilized conversation" between Bond and Auric. Tremendous scene and wonderfully acted.