Current interest in melanin films derived from the autoxidation of dopamine stems from their use as a universal adhesion layer. Here we report chemical and physical characterization of polydopamine films deposited on gold surfaces from stirred basic solutions at times ranging from 2 to 60 min, with a focus on times <= 10 min. Data from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical methods suggest the presence of starting (dopamine) and intermediate (C=N-containing tautomers of quinone and indole) species in the polydopamine films at all deposition times. A uniform overlayer analysis of the XPS data indicates that film thickness increased linearly at short deposition times of <= 10 min. At deposition times >= 10 min, the films appeared largely continuous with surface roughness approximate to <= 2 nm, as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Pinhole-free films, as determined by anionic redox probe measurements, required deposition times of 60 min or greater.