44 replies to this topic

[dodge]

Telly has the rare distinction of leaving me not giving a damn how Fleming envisioned Blofeld.

My fave things have all been covered. I can only add: his terrific combination of sophisticated menace and schoolboy gauchness when sitting with the Countess. Have another look at the akward way he crosses his legs, as if fanning an erection like some errant schoolboy.

[plankattack]

Telly has the rare distinction of leaving me not giving a damn how Fleming envisioned Blofeld.

My fave things have all been covered. I can only add: his terrific combination of sophisticated menace and schoolboy gauchness when sitting with the Countess. Have another look at the akward way he crosses his legs, as if fanning an erection like some errant schoolboy.

I'll take your word for it.

[David_M]

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.

Yes, but don't forget that in the very same book, Benson praises NSNA gushingly, and says, "Fleming would have been proud."

Benson's a nice guy, and the "Companion" an indispensable reference, but that line alone proves that no Bond fan is immune from having their personal preferences cloud their objectivity. NSNA is no more faithful to Fleming than "Spy Kids 2" is.

[Loomis]

NSNA is no more faithful to Fleming than "Spy Kids 2" is.

I disagree.

In fact, I'm having trouble thinking of a more faithful-to-Fleming Bond film made between OHMSS and CASINO ROYALE.

However, I'm certainly not with Benson in his dismissal of my favourite 007 movie, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.

[Jim]

My fave things have all been covered. I can only add: his terrific combination of sophisticated menace and schoolboy gauchness when sitting with the Countess. Have another look at the akward way he crosses his legs, as if fanning an erection like some errant schoolboy.

Yes, fake nobility squirming in the presence of real nobility.

(Although, oddly, as Blofeld may really be what he claims, and Tracy only married into it, the performance is perhaps even more subtle).

[Mr. Blofeld]

Herbert Lom might have made a good Blofeld, too.

True, although I can only imagine his eye twitching wheneven his villainous plans went wrong!

[dogmanstar]

Yeah, I never got the New York Gangster thing--maybe the accent and the fact that Blofeld really should be from Europe--but Savalas, by not overacting and by his owning the world strut, really gives Blofeld the kind of insanity we see in say, Fleming's YOLT. In other words, he sells the role very well.

[Chad Cooper]

One man and only one IS Ernst Stavro Blofeld : Max Von Sydow.

[Turn]

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!"

Along those lines, a scene I like is when Blofeld gets the call that Bond has escaped and slams the phone down and tosses the cat aside.

And about the first point of loyalty from his people, one of the only small disappointments I have with OHMSS the film is there is no scene of a SPECTRE operative being executed as in the book where a henchmen is sent down the bobsled run without a sled.

I imagine how that could have played as Sir Hilary/Bond arrives at Piz Gloria or when he and the girls are doing the curling game. You just hear a scream and maybe a quick glimpse of the guy and the reaction from those who see/hear it.

[Mr. Blofeld]

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!"

Along those lines, a scene I like is when Blofeld gets the call that Bond has escaped and slams the phone down and tosses the cat aside.

Indeed; OHMSS seems to be an actual response to the un-Fleming-esque excesses of YOLT, like FYEO was to Moonraker and Casino Royale to DAD.

[Double-Oh Agent]

Many good points have already been raised so I'll add one of my favorites that hasn't been mentioned.

After Bond is captured and shown the frozen body of Shaun Campbell, Bond attempts to escape from his guards and attack Blofeld but Blofeld's guards stop him just before he is able to reach the SPECTRE leader who doesn't even flinch at the near brush with violence. Instead he chastises 007 and I love the way he says it like a teacher to a misbehaving student.

"Now, now, now, now Mr. Bond...."

[Eddie Burns]

Love the scene when Bond and Tracy get caught in the avalanche...what he says when looking out of his binoculars at the aftermath was the stuff of legend. I can't remember word for word. I wish I saw it in cinemas because he does have a tremendous voice and delivery. Its a shame that after the big-reveal, him and Lazenby don't have any dialogue scenes together. Shame really, would have been great

[6Joker9]

Edited by 6Joker9, 29 March 2008 - 12:48 AM.

[DaveBond21]

Although I prefer Blofeld to be a sinister voice, and a hand stroking a cat, Savalas is the best of the ones we see.

[Mister E]

Telly Savalas as Blofeld was definetly a character of Eon's invention and not Fleming's version. That isn't really a bad thing because this Blofeld worked for the film but not without flaws. Telly's Blofeld was deightfully rude and arrogant. His intellect and presence was noticable and you were just as convinced he could beat the crap out of you. He was also the perfect antagonist for Lazenby's Bond, both of them were very cocky. In comparsion to Donald Pleasance and Charles Gray, Telly's non-faceless Blofeld was the most effective portryal of the character. However, I am mostly saying because the other two preformances were pretty inept. Telly's Blofeld, despite his arrogance, is not a interesting character unlike Dr.No or Goldfinger. There is nothing in his preformance that truely makes him memorable, more like servicable and efficent and that just isn't enough for a Bond film. His demands were also petty at best. He simply is after immunity of his past crimes and wants to retire into public life as count. That is such a letdown after you saw Blofeld's operations at Piz Gloria. The literary Blofeld in the OHMSS novel was more interesting, a strange yet polite man. There was no alternative to his demands. He was going to unleash his virus upon the world no matter what he was offered. So I am going to have to say overall, Telly's Blofeld is one the better villians of the movie series but pales in comparison to the novel counterpart.