44 replies to this topic

[doublenoughtspy]

1) That devious cackle he makes when the grenade explodes on Bond during the bobsled run.

2) The way he bellows "Of course!" when Bond says they will figure out a cure for Virus Omega.

3) That cool way he holds his cigarette.

4) His dialog. "So poetic a pleasure", "polite society", "You'll be even more amused", "Exotic ways of keeping it a closed shop" - while I realize he didn't write it - it helps to make his Blofeld a little more sophisticated than his predecessor's "Keeel Bond, NOW!" rantings

5) His first entrance on the screen, coming through the room with a weird glow. Note to audience: this man is EVIL!

[Santa]

What about the earlobes? Please tell me someone else finds that annoying - anyone, just one, tiny person...
(Apart from the earlobes, he's fab)

[plankattack]

It's strange - I've read many a review over the years that don't regard Telly as Blofeld, a main criticism being that he seems a bit too rough-and-ready to play the character, who up until that point on-screen had portrayed as the more cerebral sort.

Me personally - I think he's terrific. He's physical, which sandwiched between Plesance's overrated performance, and Charles Gray's pantomine-act, is a real bonus; he's great in all the exposition scenes - including the big reveal of his plot to Laz, and interplay with Rigg. And he has proper "villain presence" - an undefinable quality but which you know to take him seriously as a villain. Mikkelson had it CR, Louis Jordan in OP didn't. There is some real menace in his characterization - his Blofeld you really believe could inspire/frighten loyalty in his yellow tunic-wearing army.

No, he's not Robert Shaw, but over 21 films, name two other better villains?

[doublenoughtspy]

There is some real menace in his characterization - his Blofeld you really believe could inspire/frighten loyalty in his yellow tunic-wearing army.

I agree. Of the all the men to play Blofeld, Savalas' version is the only one that I can see truly leading a multi-national criminal organization.

Gray's was much too fey, and while Pleasence had a scary take on the character - he seemed a little too cartoony and weak. I'm reminded of the person who once saw the Bond/Blofeld confrontation picture from YOLT and commented that it seemed like Pleasence was holding up the white cat as protection.

"Please kitty, save me from that mean Scottish brute!"

[HH007]

Telly Savalas is my favorite Blofeld, by far.

[00Twelve]

Good thread idea, DNS.

In no particular order:

- His authoritative presence. As stated, he is the only Blofeld (whose face we do see) that really feels like he is a criminal mastermind, and one that hits the right balance of snobbery and cold, calculating genius (With Gray as the former extreme, and Pleasance as the latter). I do wish he'd trained in a non-descript Eastern European dialect (which curiously disappeared from Blofeld when we finally got to see his face). Surely an actor like Savalas could have pulled it off with panache.

- Yes, DNS, the way he holds a cigarette. It's true; it really does add a little snobbish quality to the man.

- His physical ability, which Blofeld was known to have (to a certain degree). Gray was dismal in the combat ability arena, and Pleasance looked like he'd have scampered away like his little cat.

- Though I didn't understand why Blofeld was kept bald for OHMSS, Savalas somehow pulls it off as if Blofeld was always supposed to look that way.

- His smooth voice. Could you really ever imagine Pleasance's Blofeld soothing and hypnotizing those girls as they fell asleep? They'd probably have thought Irma had snuck onto the microphone.

[dogmanstar]

The 'obligatory evil mastermind reveals his plans' speech is perhaps the best in the series, largely due to Savalas. Look at how confident he is that he's caught Bond and how little he really believes Bond can hurt him! That fiddling with the tinsel on the Christmas tree!!!!! It's just those little intangibles--that really prove somebody got Blofeld right (Hunt or Savalas or some combination of the two).

[Jim]

Without wishing to cast aspersions upon the dead, RIP MR Savalas, a bit of a thug playing posh playing a thug playing posh; serendipity in the casting.

His way with the word "chickens".

Heading him off at the precipice. Perhaps the most preposterous thing for the Pleasance Blofeld to have uttered; utterly right here.

The rather splendid expression on his face when Sair Hilhairie bangs on about Augsberg or whatever it is - the first time one doesn't notice it, it's just a pause; the second time, and times thereafter, you just catch that he's sussed Bond. Lovely.

I do like his hat.

[Mr. Blofeld]

- Though I didn't understand why Blofeld was kept bald for OHMSS, Savalas somehow pulls it off as if Blofeld was always supposed to look that way.

I suppose it was done to provide some sort of continuity with YOLT.

Anyhow, just imagine if Savalas was in the two films OHMSS was sandwiched between...

[Tarl_Cabot]

"A brilliant conversationalist...before he left us" = classic.

Telly is my favorite Blofeld to make a on screen 'facial' appearence. My favorite 'hidden' Blofeld is FRWL's.

[dogmanstar]

Anyhow, just imagine if Savalas was in the two films OHMSS was sandwiched between...

Boy, they really would have had to up their game. No way would the Savalas Blofeld dress in drag! Maybe DAF would have improved greatly. . . .

[Mr. Blofeld]

Anyhow, just imagine if Savalas was in the two films OHMSS was sandwiched between...

Boy, they really would have had to up their game. No way would the Savalas Blofeld dress in drag! Maybe DAF would have improved greatly. . . .

As would have YOLT; Blofeld would have actually been terrifying had Savalas played him in that film.

[David_M]

I think the criticism against Savalas has always been that he's too physical, even too thuggish to be a Bond villain. A henchman, maybe, but not the main villain.

Like you, I think those critics are all wet. Telly is aces in OHMSS; a swaggering, testosterone-oozing ubermensch, and thus a perfect foil for Laz's Bond. I really like how hands-on he is, leading his men in the ski chase, facing down Bond on the sleds, etc. If there is a problem with his casting, it's that he doesn't quite jibe with the "let someone else do it while I stroke my cat" mystery man in the early films, or the pudgy-accountant-gone-starkers Donald Pleasance version. But that's not HIS fault! This is how Blofeld should have been from Day One.

That is a cool scene where he emerges from the lab bathed in purple light. No matter how many times I see it, the bald head and white lab coat always make me think the same thing: "Hey, it's Lex Luthor!"

Which of course makes it that much funnier when he later tells Bond he's not fooled by a pair of glasses.

[Mr. Blofeld]

That is a cool scene where he emerges from the lab bathed in purple light. No matter how many times I see it, the bald head and white lab coat always make me think the same thing: "Hey, it's Lex Luthor!"

Which of course makes it that much funnier when he later tells Bond he's not fooled by a pair of glasses.

Ironically, Clancy Brown based his own vocal performance as Lex Luthor on Superman: The Animated Series off of Savalas' Blofeld.

[HildebrandRarity]

It's priceless to witness him place the tinsel on the Christmas tree while arrogantly providing the commentary regarding his Yuletide greeting to the UN.

I love the sequence when he takes Tracy to the Alpine room to watch the dawn...the delivery of both to Barry's Over And Out is sensational.

OHMSS is a top 4 Bond film and each of the principal supporting cast plays a part in lifting a rookie outing by Laz.

[Loomis]

DNS,

While I love OHMSS and enjoy Savalas' Blofeld (count me a Pleasence man, though), you are doubtless fully aware that the Blofeld of OHMSS isn't the Blofeld of Fleming.

I believe you're not best pleased with Craig's blond Bond and other examples of actors playing Fleming characters that onscreen are not exactly what in's Fleming, so you gotta admit that Savalas doesn't really chime 100% with the literary Blofeld either.

That you're generous towards Savalas' Blofeld is great - literature is literature, and cinema is cinema, and all that matters is whether a Bond film is good. I'm with you all the way on the greatness of OHMSS. But perhaps you could give the current Eon era more of a pass for its deviations from Fleming, given that Eon's OHMSS isn't exactly pure Fleming either.

[tdalton]

Anyhow, just imagine if Savalas was in the two films OHMSS was sandwiched between...

Boy, they really would have had to up their game. No way would the Savalas Blofeld dress in drag! Maybe DAF would have improved greatly. . . .

As would have YOLT; Blofeld would have actually been terrifying had Savalas played him in that film.

Agreed.

I think that both YOLT and DAF would have improved drastically had Savalas been cast as Blofeld in both films. The main problems with both of those films is the Blofeld character himself, and Savalas would have brought some menace to the character in both of those films. Blofeld in both YOLT and DAF, as we have them now, aren't very menacing, and Savalas would have made a great deal of difference in making YOLT and DAF a bit more watchable.

[doublenoughtspy]

so you gotta admit that Savalas doesn't really chime 100% with the literary Blofeld either.

100%? I agree, it isn't 100%.

But Savalas is the right gender, the right ethnicity, and even has the Greek heritage (the Stavro part of Ernst Stavro Blofeld).

Blofeld also has 3 seperate "looks" in the Fleming books, because he is on the run. Going from 20 to 12 stone, plastic surgery - a real moving target.

So to me - it isn't as jarring that Hunt & Co. didn't try to match something that isn't nailed down in the books.

I think Savalas best matches this little bit of Blofeld description from Thunderball:

"they have a quality of relaxation, of inner certainty, and they exude a powerful animal magnetism"

[Loomis]

Fair points. It's still questionable, though, whether Savalas' Blofeld even gets Fleming's Blofeld mostly right. I seem to recall Raymond Benson, in his BEDSIDE COMPANION, complaining that the Blofeld of Eon's OHMSS comes across "like a New York gangster" (or words to that effect), and opining that "the real Blofeld" would have had more dignity than to participate in the ski chase.

(None of this is intended as a swipe at Savalas, who's excellent in an excellent film.... but when certain Bond fans - not you, DNS, since I've always found you well-balanced on the topic - grumble that, for instance, Craig's Bond cannot be accepted as The Real Deal™ because of this or that in the pages of Fleming, the only retort is that Eon never got it exactly right, even at their most faithful to Fleming.)

Perhaps Savalas' Blofeld is, say, 80% Fleming's Blofeld, while Craig's Bond scores, oh, 50%, and Jeffrey Wright's Leiter manages a mere.... shall we be generous and say 30%, but rather than quibble why don't we just celebrate the fact that these Fleming-created characters have had such phenomenal endurance and impact on popular culture, and live and breathe in various incarnations and interpretations right up to the present day (and most likely far beyond the present day)? With that in mind, I can happily overlook, say, Craig's lack of a comma of black hair.

[Loomis]

Anyway, not to take this thread OT into yet another discussion of Daniel Craig's hair, here's my own fave thing about Savalas' Ernst Stavro:

The way he says (this is from memory so may not be entirely correct) "The ways of the great pioneers have always puzzled more conventional minds", apparently not even realising what an awesomely cheeky putdown he's delivering to Bond. He's so arrogant that he completely believes his own hype and doesn't even permit the possibility of his greatness being questioned.... which is exactly how Blofeld should be. It's just something about Savalas' delivery that makes this bit great.

[sharpshooter]

Telly Savalas was the best Blofeld, in my opinion.

I liked his voice, dialogue, athleticism and supreme confidence.

[doublenoughtspy]

The way he says (this is from memory so may not be entirely correct) "The ways of the great pioneers have always puzzled more conventional minds"

Oh, I love that too - he accents puzzled as a real diss at Bond and you see Lazenby get a bit miffed.

Re: your previous post. I agree - I am grateful that Fleming's creation lives on - and concur with your percentages even.

Fidelity to Fleming can be a subjective excercise. I believe it was your passionate defense of YOLT that convinced me and others that there is some Fleming hidden somewhere in that Ken Adam volcano base.

I think whenever you have the written word, it will be subject to interpretation.

For instance, let's say Fleming wrote:

"James Bond, a tear in his eye, crossed over to the right side of the Turkish road and put down the chicken he had been carrying."

If that were filmed, to one person, the most important thing might be that he crossed from left to right.

To another, his emotion might be the most critical part.

To a third, that it be filmed in Turkey.

To a fourth, that it involved a chicken.

To a fifth, that Bond have dark hair.

[Qwerty]

2) The way he bellows "Of course!" when Bond says they will figure out a cure for Virus Omega.

Nailed it on the head for me with this one. It's funny and somewhat hard to believe that a single, relatively run-of-the-mill line can make a difference, but this one does.

[Jim]

I think whenever you have the written word, in will be subject to interpretation.

For instance, let's say Fleming wrote:

"James Bond, a tear in his eye, crossed over to the right side of the Turkish road and put down the chicken he had been carrying."

If that were filmed, to one person, the most important thing might be that he crossed from left to right.

To another, his emotion might be the most critical part.

To a third, that it be filmed in Turkey.

To a fourth, that it involved a chicken.

To a fifth, that Bond have dark hair.

Welcome to CBn.

[hilly]

I love the way he barks instructions and gets irritated at his henchmen. Although I don't find him as unnerving as Donald Pleasance (Pleasance's "allow me to introduce myself" reveal is still one of my favourite Bond moments), this is neverthless a boss that you would not want to get one the wrong side of!

I like the look of delight when he's watching the avalanche through his binoculars.

And also his vain little giggle when Diana Rigg recites the poem at him.

[plankattack]

I think whenever you have the written word, in will be subject to interpretation.

For instance, let's say Fleming wrote:

"James Bond, a tear in his eye, crossed over to the right side of the Turkish road and put down the chicken he had been carrying."

If that were filmed, to one person, the most important thing might be that he crossed from left to right.

To another, his emotion might be the most critical part.

To a third, that it be filmed in Turkey.

To a fourth, that it involved a chicken.

To a fifth, that Bond have dark hair.

Welcome to CBn.

I'm always unable to add the emoticons (I'm not computer-illiterate - I'm just an idea) but I wanted to laugh and applaud right about here!!!!

To add to everyone else who have quoted Telly lines/moments from the film, I tried to remember one more that would stick out. But I couldn't - which says so much about the consistency of his performance. From testing Laz by the curling rink about getting back to work, to the reveal, to the little back and forth outside the cable-car room "You English and your love of outside pursuits" or whatever that line is, Telly is a villain, rather than a charicature of a villain that so many film performances (not just in Bonds) end up being. A shame then, that whenever I watch the PTS of FYEO, I'm reminded of Telly-Blofeld.

Edited by plankattack, 14 March 2008 - 11:50 AM.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I love the way he barks instructions and gets irritated at his henchmen. Although I don't find him as unnerving as Donald Pleasance (Pleasance's "allow me to introduce myself" reveal is still one of my favourite Bond moments), this is neverthless a boss that you would not want to get one the wrong side of!

Did anyone else notice that "Allow me to introduce myself" is dubbed in?

[Loomis]

The way he says (this is from memory so may not be entirely correct) "The ways of the great pioneers have always puzzled more conventional minds"

Oh, I love that too - he accents puzzled as a real diss at Bond and you see Lazenby get a bit miffed.

Re: your previous post. I agree - I am grateful that Fleming's creation lives on - and concur with your percentages even.

Fidelity to Fleming can be a subjective excercise. I believe it was your passionate defense of YOLT that convinced me and others that there is some Fleming hidden somewhere in that Ken Adam volcano base.

I think whenever you have the written word, it will be subject to interpretation.

For instance, let's say Fleming wrote:

"James Bond, a tear in his eye, crossed over to the right side of the Turkish road and put down the chicken he had been carrying."

If that were filmed, to one person, the most important thing might be that he crossed from left to right.

To another, his emotion might be the most critical part.

To a third, that it be filmed in Turkey.

To a fourth, that it involved a chicken.

To a fifth, that Bond have dark hair.

Good points, DNS.

BTW, do you know of anyone else who was considered for Blofeld in OHMSS? Was Pleasence asked back?

[Royal Dalton]

Savalas was great as Blofeld. Although, I do agree with Benson's 'New York gangster' description.

Personally, if I was in charge of casting Blofeld back then, I'd have cast Christopher Lee from the off. Not that he's a facsimile of Fleming's Blofeld, or anything. But at least he's a fair match for the Dawson/Pohlmann Blofeld, and has an air of imposing menace about him. I think he would have fitted into all three films as they are now, as well. Even in drag.

Herbert Lom might have made a good Blofeld, too.

[doublenoughtspy]

Good points, DNS.

BTW, do you know of anyone else who was considered for Blofeld in OHMSS? Was Pleasence asked back?

Hunt did not want Pleasence and did not ask for him to return.

He had to edit out most of his movement in YOLT (according to Hunt he "waddled" rather than walked) and OHMSS would be too physical a film.