15 replies to this topic

[bryonalston]

Most people say that Telly Savalas was the best Blofeld, because of his haunting, relentless performance. Also because of process of elimination:
Donald Pleasance's Blofeld was too one-dimensional and cartoonish
Charles Gray's Blofeld(s) were too suave, and not threatening enough.

For me, Telly Savales' Blofeld didn't seem like he would be the head of a world-wide organization like SPECTRE. He appealed to be more of a gangster, mafia type. For me, Blofeld at his best, was when he was hidden, like in FRWL or TB. Also, in OHMSS, Blofeld seemed too "hands-on." All of his other incarnations showed their power by pressing buttons, or issuing one of the many SPECTRE assassins to kill 007. He didn't seem that threatening when he involved himself in the Ski-chase, or started to panic when James chased him down the Bob-sled run. What do you think?

[Qwerty]

Hmm, I thought he was a fine Blofeld along with Pleasance, Gray was okay....but I do agree that my favorite Blofeld now is indeed the shrouded one in FRWL and TB.

The power and authority he shows in those two films is very quivering.

[brendan007]

I get the feeling that by this time in the series, SPECTRE has basically broken up, with Blofeld now out on his own. Surely after all those failures, the organisation couldnt really survive. By the time of OHMSS Blofelds looking for retirement, all he basically asks for is a pardon on past crimes.
So given the fact that SPECTRE is just about gone by OHMSS, it makes sense for Blofeld to be more hands on a simpler gangster type etc. And Telly Savalas gives a great perfomance accordingly.

Edited by brendan007, 11 January 2004 - 10:54 PM.

[JackChase007]

I agree with Qwerty - the more mysterious Blofeld presented (or not really...) in From Russia With Love and Thunderball is my favorite (especially in the latter - I thought Joseph Wiseman did a better job with the voice). But of the three Blofelds that we DO see, I would go with Savalas. He just had a very pompous, "I don't even need to try my hardest to out-do you, Mr. Bond" type of attitude that was perfect.

[Johnboy007]

Telly rules!!!

[Qwerty]

I used to not like his more restrained performance, but then I realized that it helps the character.

[freemo]

For me, Telly Savales' Blofeld didn't seem like he would be the head of a world-wide organization like SPECTRE. He appealed to be more of a gangster, mafia type. For me, Blofeld at his best, was when he was hidden, like in FRWL or TB. Also, in OHMSS, Blofeld seemed too "hands-on."

I agree. I like the sinister, mysterious Blofeld, who gives the orders from the shadows, and doesn't tolerate failure. Pleasance was a good image for Blofeld, if a little cartoonish and a tad too short (watching Connery tower over him doesn't really make Blofeld look a formidable foe). Not sure what has happened to SPECTRE come OHMSS, as I recall they're not mentioned by name in the film, but I didn't really go for Savalas as Blofeld either. Too dull, nothing special really.

[Johnson Galore]

Best Blofeld is Max Von Sydow in NSNA. Somehow they managed to get it right there. He reflects those "unseen" Blofelds from the early films and Fleming's Blofeld at the same time. Excellent, understated performance in a flawed film. (I'd take Telly after that, though!)

[Triton]

I believe that Telly Savalas is miscast as Ernst Stavro Blofeld because he is obviously an American and a native New Yorker, not that he seems like a mafia-type gangster. After all, SpECTRE is a mafia-like organization that has a world-wide reach.

The distinctive voice of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in From Russia with Love and Thunderball was provided by Austrian born actor named Eric Pohlmann. The body of the character was played by Anthony Dawson who played Professor Dent in Dr. No.

The character also doesn't seem English when he was portrayed by Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice. He seemed more European to me.

The literary Ernst Stavro Blofeld character was born in Gdynia, Poland on May 28th, 1908. His father is Polish, his mother, Greek.

Even though Fleming gave the character Polish/Greek ancestry, his name seems German.

I would have less of an issue with Telly Savalas as Blofeld if the James Bond movie series hadn't already established that the character was a continental European in previous films.

[007luvchild2]

Best Blofeld is Max Von Sydow in NSNA. Somehow they managed to get it right there. He reflects those "unseen" Blofelds from the early films and Fleming's Blofeld at the same time. Excellent, understated performance in a flawed film. (I'd take Telly after that, though!)

It's so good to read someone who shares that sentiment. That was one of the highlights of NSNA.

With Savalas, I think he was a good match for Lazenby in a physical sense as Blofeld. Sure, I often couldn't put out of mind that the man was Kojak. He was a decent Blofeld. Now it would have been a different story, if Vincent Price was cast as Blofeld in OHMSS. It would have been perfect, not to imply that Savalas did an awful performance. It's just with Price menacing knack for playing villains would probably make Blofeld a very sinister villain.

[_JW_]

Does anyone think it's possible that Telly being cast as Blofeld was Cubby and Harry's way of changing not only Bond, but his main nemesis? They knew there was going to be a 'different' Bond, so they cast a 'different' kind of villian that would work well with George. I think it was a conscious way of saying 'look, the Connery era is over'. Obviously that didn't happen, but I started thinking this when we see Blofeld pick up the phone when Bond escapes, he just kind of chucks his beloved cat down.

I think Blofeld HAS to be hands-on at this point. Bond has weeded his way through most of the SPECTRE organization, so there is no death squad to send after 007 when he is making an escape down the mountain, so Blofeld has to go himself. The only naff thing about Telly as Blofeld is, as Triton said, he is an American and Blofeld was already established as a 'Europey' kind of guy.

[Qwerty]

Does anyone think it's possible that Telly being cast as Blofeld was Cubby and Harry's way of changing not only Bond, but his main nemesis? They knew there was going to be a 'different' Bond, so they cast a 'different' kind of villian that would work well with George. I think it was a conscious way of saying 'look, the Connery era is over'. Obviously that didn't happen, but I started thinking this when we see Blofeld pick up the phone when Bond escapes, he just kind of chucks his beloved cat down.

I think Blofeld HAS to be hands-on at this point. Bond has weeded his way through most of the SPECTRE organization, so there is no death squad to send after 007 when he is making an escape down the mountain, so Blofeld has to go himself. The only naff thing about Telly as Blofeld is, as Triton said, he is an American and Blofeld was already established as a 'Europey' kind of guy.

It is a very interesting take on that, but I don't know if they simply got a new Blofeld because there was a new Bond. I've never read much about the real reason that Savalas got the part.

I too am glad that Blofeld was more hands on in this one, but I still slightly prefer the FRWL & TB incarnations.

[bryonalston]

Best Blofeld is Max Von Sydow in NSNA.  Somehow they managed to get it right there.  He reflects those "unseen" Blofelds from the early films and Fleming's Blofeld at the same time.  Excellent, understated performance in a flawed film.  (I'd take Telly after that, though!)

It's so good to read someone who shares that sentiment. That was one of the highlights of NSNA.

With Savalas, I think he was a good match for Lazenby in a physical sense as Blofeld. Sure, I often couldn't put out of mind that the man was Kojak. He was a decent Blofeld. Now it would have been a different story, if Vincent Price was cast as Blofeld in OHMSS. It would have been perfect, not to imply that Savalas did an awful performance. It's just with Price menacing knack for playing villains would probably make Blofeld a very sinister villain.

I too think that Vincent Price would have made a formidable Blofeld. A classic villain. I also agree with the comment about making Blofeld more hands-on because SPECTRE was pretty much disbanded. This makes since, but the quality that made SPECTRE so threatening was the whole "octopus" theory:
-Blofeld was the enormous head of the octopus, and he had tentacles spread all around the world, ready to crush and suffocate his prey when necessary. I understand that SPECTRE was like a mafia, bit the thing that appealed about them was that it's members weren't gangsters, they were businessmen, royalty even. It had a certain level of class, which just wasn't seen in OHMSS. The lack of SPECTRE made Blofeld dull, and rather pointless.

Also, the villains plan wasn't really that formidable either. It was just to spread biological agents throughout the world unless he's paid a sum of money. Compared to some of the Blofeld plots in YOLT and DAF, this seemed pretty bleak.

[Jaelle]

The best Blofeld, for me, will always be the one whose face does not appear in FRWL and TB. There's just no contest.

Telly was good in his own way, I like his character and his scenes with Bond. But I don't see him as Blofeld (maybe a wanna-be Blofeld). Telly comes across more as a mafioso--and does a great job of that.

Forget Pleasance and Gray. I love Charles Gray as an actor, and his brief scene in YOLT has far more impact than his work in DAF.

[Genrewriter]

I always liked Blofeld in YOLT. While the Fleming Blofeld was a tall, utterly imposing man there is also a bit of Fleming in having him be a rather samll, bald lunatic. More specifically, from the novel Goldfinger where Bond reflects that all the world's madmen were short, or words to that effect.

[Harmsway]

I'm one of them that loved Pleasance. He's a fine actor for the job, and even if he's not that menacing and may be a little cartoonish, gets some golden dialogue and spews it out with all the hatred I expect from a villain.

Salvalas just never hit it right for me. He seemed to have the look okay, but was just a mafioso in the end. Not much dangerous power there.

Sure, it's the unseen Blofelds that got the award. However, if YOLT had a allowed Pleasance to remain unseen, he would've been the golden Blofeld for me.