18 replies to this topic

[AMC Hornet]

I was watching scenes from the YOLT DVD on my new laptop - enjoying the immensity of the volcano base in LCD widescreen - when I noticed something odd. When Bond is brought to the control room and Hans steps protectively in front of #1's chair...just showing over the top of the chair is the top of a head of hair! I don't know whether Lewis Gilbert ever filmed any footage of Jan Werich (the actor originally cast as Blofeld), or whether there was a stand-in until Donald Pleasance was cast, but someone with hair occupied that chair seconds before we see Dr. Evil's inspiration for the first time. I must have seen YOLT 20 times, but I never noticed such details before.

I love the remastered DVDs and the widescreen treatment. I'm noticing all kinds of things that you just don't see with fullscreen VHS on a picture tube. F'rinstance, in OHMSS I've only just noticed the other people at Draco's birthday bullfight for the first time. And those clothes the girls at the clinic were wearing never looked so garishly 60s!

Has anyone else noticed things that just don't appear in the worn-out TV prints?

[Agent Leiter]

Fascinating...

Can't say as I've ever noticed this myself before.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert reused footage to save on reshoots...

[Bucky]

you only live twice happened to be the film that my friend and i watched tonight so when the same came up i made sure to keep an eye out and did notice the hair. when i said something she thought i was crazy. i wonder who it was in the chair.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I wonder who it was in the chair.

Jan Werich, most likely; I remember reading somewhere that Connery's reaction shots were lensed with Werich in the role, so the Pleasance segments must have been spliced (and dubbed) in after the fact for that scene.

[dutch_pepper]

I wonder who it was in the chair.

Jan Werich, most likely; I remember reading somewhere that Connery's reaction shots were lensed with Werich in the role, so the Pleasance segments must have been spliced (and dubbed) in after the fact for that scene.

Yes, it is Jan Werich, I believe in the commentary it is mentioned by Lewis Gilbert but i don't sure. I've heard it somewhere from him. Jan Werich shot a few scenes but because he looked like Santa Clause they replaced him with Pleasance.

[O.H.M.S.S.]

I would have liked Jan Werich in the role actually.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I would have liked Jan Werich in the role actually.

Oh? How come, O.H.M.S.S.?

[O.H.M.S.S.]

I would have liked Jan Werich in the role actually.

Oh? How come, O.H.M.S.S.?

Because I think he was a good actor. Jan Werich was a character actor, which I think would have been a very good choice for Bond's nr. 1 nemesis. No "Kill Bond, NAIEUW!" with Werich in the role, I can imagine. Donald Pleasence was not very effective as Blofeld, in my opinion (he was great in Halloween though), I prefer Dawson, Savalas, Gray and von Sydow above Pleasence. In fact, for it's beautiful photography, music and sets YOLT scores top marks in my book, but the casting is pretty mediocre, the girls are weak and Pleasence is not that great of a villain. The allies, Henderson and Tanaka (and M as always), are excellent though.

Edited by O.H.M.S.S., 18 December 2009 - 12:39 PM.

[Mr. Somerset]

Interesting topic. I'll have to check out that scene. This reminds me a bit of the Incerdible Hulk pilot where our buddy Richard Kiel appears as the Hulk in one shot.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I would have liked Jan Werich in the role actually.

Oh? How come, O.H.M.S.S.?

Because I think he was a good actor. Jan Werich was a character actor, which I think would have been a very good choice for Bond's nr. 1 nemesis. No "Kill Bond, NAIEUW!" with Werich in the role, I can imagine.

I figured that, too; I think that, though Werich's English was poor, he would've been dubbed over by Eric Pohlmann (Blofeld's voice in FRWL and Thunderball) in post-production, but his firing and Pleasance's hiring prevented that from occurring.

Donald Pleasence was not very effective as Blofeld, in my opinion (he was great in Halloween though), I prefer Dawson, Savalas, Gray and von Sydow above Pleasence.

From the Wikipedia page for Witchfinder General:

[Michael] Reeves and [Tom] Baker began drafting a screenplay with Donald Pleasence firmly in mind as the film's star. However, once American International Pictures became involved in the production, they insisted that their contract star, Vincent Price, be given the lead, and Pleasence was dropped from the film. With the abrupt change of star, Reeves and Baker had to rethink their original concept of presenting Hopkins as "ineffective and inadequate... a ridiculous authority figure", which they had believed Pleasence could play to perfection. They knew the tall, imposing Price, with his long history of horror roles, would have to be more of a straightforward villain, and they made changes to their script accordingly.

I think director Gilbert misread Pleaseance, and so miscast him as a straightforward villain, whereas Peter Hunt, studying the dailies during his re-cut of the film, was horrified that Pleasance was, in his words, "waddling" all over the control room; YOLT's villain was botched from the moment Gilbert fired Jan Werich.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I hope this video provides an acceptable (however cheap-looking) look at the Blofelds before Pleasence, as well as what Jan Werich's Blofeld may have looked like on the silver screen; enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRhVEl9veNM&fmt=18

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

That is certainly an interesting vid there. I'm not approaching it as someone who is anti Pleasance as Blofeld - I like him and he was a wonderfully cinematic Bond villain who is still remembered today. Not much wrong with that.
That said, Werich dubbed with Pohlmann's voice would have kept continuity (even though the Bond series has rightly never really worried about such things), and Werich didn't look that bad to me judging from the stills that survive. As much of the menace of Blofeld in RUSSIA and TB was the voice I can't help thinking it may have worked.

[Mr. Blofeld]

That said, Werich dubbed with Pohlmann's voice would have kept continuity (even though the Bond series has rightly never really worried about such things), and Werich didn't look that bad to me judging from the stills that survive. As much of the menace of Blofeld in RUSSIA and TB was the voice I can't help thinking it may have worked.

Thanks, sthgilyad; glad you find it as interesting and (possibly) workable as I.

[Guy Haines]

I've just watched the YouTube video posted by Mr Blofeld, and something occured to me - instead of trawling Europe to find Jan Werich, then firing him after all of five days as Blofeld, then casting Donald Pleasance at the last minute, why didn't they just cast Eric Pohlmann instead? I mean not just as the voice but as Blofeld himself. By the look of the photos of Pohlmann, it wouldn't have taken that much to adapt his appearance to be the head of SPECTRE. He'd got the menacing voice already, and spoke very good English (meaning no hiring of another actor to dub him). And it would have provided continuity.

Perhaps Eric Pohlmann wasn't available at the time, but if he had been, well, it would have been one way around the casting dilemma.

[sharpshooter]

Ah, don't be fooled. That's Pleasance's Blofeld trying on a toupe. A sign of things to come for Gray's Blofeld.

Nonsensical I know, but you could view it that way. I guess.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I've just watched the YouTube video posted by Mr Blofeld, and something occured to me - instead of trawling Europe to find Jan Werich, then firing him after all of five days as Blofeld, then casting Donald Pleasance at the last minute, why didn't they just cast Eric Pohlmann instead? I mean not just as the voice but as Blofeld himself. By the look of the photos of Pohlmann, it wouldn't have taken that much to adapt his appearance to be the head of SPECTRE. He'd got the menacing voice already, and spoke very good English (meaning no hiring of another actor to dub him). And it would have provided continuity.

Perhaps Eric Pohlmann wasn't available at the time, but if he had been, well, it would have been one way around the casting dilemma.

Perhaps -- if he'd shaved and worn a hairpiece, he'd fit Fleming's description of Blofeld at the time of Thunderball perfectly; however, Werich certainly seemed menacing to me -- he seemed to be giving a damn effective stare in the shots I used, and even if it didn't really come across, Pohlmann's vocals certainly would have sealed the deal, just as they'd made Anthony Dawson's hands stroking a cat come across as the epitome of evil.

Ah, don't be fooled. That's Pleasance's Blofeld trying on a toupe. A sign of things to come for Gray's Blofeld.

Not quite; it seems Pleasence "experimented for about a week at Pinewood Studios with humps, lame hands, and a beard" -- no "toupe"s, it seems, were played with.

Nonsensical I know, but you could view it that way. I guess.

Heh-heh; you're only viewing one movie from the prism of a later one -- something George Lucas perfected in his various retcons to the Star Wars series...

[DaveBond21]

We also see that Blofeld has hair in Thunderball, through the blinds.

I would have much preferred Werich to have played Blofeld, as he fits my ideal of how the villain should look.

However, the best version of Blofeld is simply the voice of Eric Pohlmann in FRWL.

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[Mr. Blofeld]

We also see that Blofeld has hair in Thunderball, through the blinds.

I mentioned that in the linked video, if you'd cared to watch it...

I would have much preferred Werich to have played Blofeld, as he fits my ideal of how the villain should look.

Same, here.

However, the best version of Blofeld is simply the voice of Eric Pohlmann in FRWL.

Of course, if you'd watched my video, you'd know that Pohlmann also voiced Blofeld in Thunderball (and probably would have voiced Blofeld in YOLT had Werich not been fired)...