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Who IS your Blofeld?


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#1 Trevelyan 006

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Posted 08 November 2013 - 06:22 PM

After being asked the other day, I couldn't for the life of me figure out a straight answer. So I figured, why not turn it over to the CBners? So here I am, and here is the question posed:

 

When mentioned or asked about, who is your Blofeld of choice?

Or in other words, when you picture Blofeld, who is the actor thus far to play him, that immediately comes to mind?

 

Blofelds-300x215.jpg 

(or even an unidentified Blofeld, like in FRWL, TB, etc.) 



#2 AMC Hornet

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Posted 08 November 2013 - 08:58 PM

Although a lot of critics under-rate Telly Savalas for being too 'crude' or 'thuggish' to play Blofeld, at least he wasn't fey, wizened or absent. I think those critics are simply associating Savalas with Kojak or any of his other earlier roles, without actually comparing those portrayals with his turn as SPECTRE #1.

 

Not only was Savalas quite urbane and arrogant as Blofeld, but he was also tough, brilliant, intimidating and clearly someone who could command followers, rather than just dispatching a diametrically hulking Hans - or equally fey Wint & Kidd - to do his bidding.

 

To all those who wonder why Bond and Blofeld didn't recognize each other after they had already met face-to-face in YOLT, I say the same thing as I say to those who claim that the PTS in DAF represented an effort to erase OHMSS from the canon:

 

Perhaps Peter Hunt was attempting to erase YOLT from the canon?



#3 AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän

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Posted 08 November 2013 - 10:39 PM

Well, one could argue that Savalas is the best one since he has greek ancestry like literary Blofeld. The Unseen Blofeld of FRWL and TB is my favourite and closest to what I envision in my head when reading the novels, and Pleasence and Savalas are equally as good albeit very different intepretations. Pleasence is chilling, almost toadlike horror figure while Savalas is charming, ruthless and physically formidable. Charles Gray was a terrible Blofeld, but the blame mainly lies in DAF's script. If he had been written to be more "Mocata-like" character he'd been good.

Within my personal movie timeline DAF follows YOLT followed by OHMSS - and the reason why Blofeld doesn't recognize Bond right away at Piz Gloria (or does he?) requires only slight suspension of disbelief - apparently Sir Hilary Bray was excellent disguise/cover role. :) The bald Wheelchair Villain in FYEO has a neckbrace which clearly refers to OHMSS and not DAF - perhaps EON was trying to forget DAF instead of OHMSS in 1981?

 

I'd still love to see the literary Blofeld brought back during the Craig era, with a different name.


Edited by AgenttiNollaNollaSeitsemän, 08 November 2013 - 10:44 PM.


#4 Dustin

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Posted 08 November 2013 - 11:55 PM

My Blofeld? Depends on what I read. Reading TB for some strange reason I associate Savalas; while reading OHMSS I imagine a slimmer, more aristocratic figure, something like Dirk Bogarde with the white wig in MODESTY BLAISE, though older. And YOLT's Blofeld I cast with a mix of OHMSS and YOLT's film version. Some of Pleasence's madder faces fit the novel's version quite well. Pleasence is also the person that comes to mind when thinking about Blofeld in general, the concept of Blofeld in films and books.

#5 S K Y F A L L

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 01:22 AM

My favorite Blofeld is the Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann combo in FRWL and TB.

Followed by Donald Pleasence (YOLT)

and then Charles Gray (DAF). Charles Gray of course who also played Henderson in YOLT.



#6 Colossus

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 03:04 AM

Pleasence. Just a horror actor knew how to play it best what can one say. 



#7 Guy Haines

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 08:44 AM

Telly Savalas wasn't just my first Blofeld, but my first Bond villain. Of the three Blofelds we actually see in the official series, he's the one closest to a physical match for Bond, and he's an effective villain. The problem is he seems like a very different character from the "scarred asexual monster" played by Donald Pleasance in YOLT. He's definitely not asexual - his appreciation of Tracy is obvious! Then again the urbane and rather camp Blofeld of DAF is definitely different from the one in OHMSS, although he too had an eye for a pretty body as well!

 

And therein lies the problem - one villain, three different actors playing him in three different ways in three successive films. Only the Persian cat remains constant. Having said that, in the novels Fleming himself created Blofeld as something of a changeling - the obese boss of Thunderball replaced by the slimmed down "aristocrat" of OHMSS, then replaced by the deranged armour clad lunatic of You Only Live Twice.

 

My "Blofeld"? In the official series, I "like" all three, but they all seem like different personalities who happen to share the same name. As for Max Von Sydow in NSNA - he is criminally underused in the film, but he seems to play the part like a benign uncle who just happens to have stolen some cruise missiles. Oddly enough, according to the book "The Making of On Her Majesty's Secret Service", he was seriously considered for the part of Blofeld. Maybe then he would have fitted the role better.

 

One last point - I can't help wondering what Jan Werich, the "original" Blofeld of YOLT, would have done with the role.



#8 The Krynoid man

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 11:13 AM

Pleasance is the one I think of when someone mentions Blofeld. My favourite however is Savalas, he's the only one who looks like he could handle himself in a fight with Bond.

#9 Walecs

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 12:17 PM

Telly Savalas.



#10 The Shark

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Posted 09 November 2013 - 12:30 PM

Charlie Gray.



#11 Trevelyan 006

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Posted 12 November 2013 - 01:31 AM

I suppose my mind immediately jumps to Donald Pleasance's portrayal of Blofeld when the name is mentioned, yet I can't say that his turn in the role was my favorite. It is if now, his portrayal has become over-parodied (turning me away from it). I also din't believe Pleasance's Blofeld physically. It came off as if he found himself in need to get in a physical altercation with Bond he'd be in deep trouble. A mentally dominant Blofeld is only one piece of the puzzle and Pleasance's Blofeld came off as physically clumsy, and insufficient (which, I believe, is silly and inaccurate). Was it the way he was written or his portrayal? Maybe a combination of both...

 

My Blofeld of choice would have to be a tie between the unidentified version of the character seen in Thunderball and From Russia With Love and Telly Savalas' in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I really enjoy the undiscovered version because his voice commands demanded respect when spoken and the fear and shock in the faces of those he spoke to suggested that his physical presence may have been just as impressive as his mental presence. As if he wouldn't be afraid to stand from his desk and strangle a person with his bare hands or pull a good punch. As far as the mental sharpness, this version had England in such a state that every '00' Status agent was called in from their respective assignments to deal with the man and his plan! Telly on the other hand, was great as well. I'd dare say that his Blofeld was the most balanced of all versions. Not only was he mentally menacing (which he was in just his even-toned voice) but, it was made obvious that he could tangle with Bond physically as well. He brought a certain legitimacy and feasibly to the character that hadn't been there before.  

 

Plus, when I think of Telly's Blofeld, I easily picture him in the novel version of the character. More specifically in the noevel version of YOLT, riding upon the horse, decked out in full knight regalia while he owns and maintains his castle and garden of death!


Edited by Trevelyan 006, 14 November 2013 - 11:28 PM.


#12 Colossus

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Posted 12 November 2013 - 06:09 AM

The critique of Pleasence being parodied by Dr. Evil is a very monotonous one that's past its life span considering those flicks have disappeared from pop culture while Pleasence's Blofeld still remains.



#13 SecretAgentFan

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Posted 12 November 2013 - 06:13 AM

Telly Savalas, probably, because he got the most devastating final scene.

 

But I do enjoy Charles Gray´s deliciously camp Blofeld in DAF, too.

 

Pleasance was fine but kind of de-pleasanced by the constraints of the role, so he remained only serviceable.

 

And von Sydow, while otherwise acting royalty, did not get any chance to shine in NSNA.



#14 glidrose

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Posted 12 November 2013 - 07:07 PM

Plus, when I think of Telly's Blofeld, I easily picture him in the novelization version of the character. More specifically in the novelization of YOLT <snip>


Novelization? In what alternate universe?

I suspect you mean "novel".

#15 S K Y F A L L

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Posted 12 November 2013 - 07:36 PM

I never liked Telly Savalas myself, probably my least favorite. Anyone know why Donald Pleasence wasn't asked back? 



#16 glidrose

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Posted 12 November 2013 - 07:53 PM

I never liked Telly Savalas myself, probably my least favorite. Anyone know why Donald Pleasence wasn't asked back?


Yeah because Peter Hunt didn't like Pleasance in the role.

#17 freemo

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Posted 13 November 2013 - 06:20 AM

Maybe it's because they're mentioned to have had previous encounters, but Charles Gray's Blofeld feels like Bond's arch nemesis. On two occasions in DIAMOND ARE FOREVER (the mud baths, the "right idea") Bond thinks he's killed Blofeld, and on two occasions (the crematorium, the pipe) Blofeld thinks he has Bond dead and buried, but neither, it seems, can kill off the other. Like Batman and The Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT, they're destined to do this forever.



#18 sharpshooter

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Posted 13 November 2013 - 12:24 PM

I've liked all of the cinematic Blofelds for different reasons. I appreciate Pleasance as well as Telly. I have always enjoyed Charles Gray's smug and superior take. 

 


Maybe it's because they're mentioned to have had previous encounters, but Charles Gray's Blofeld feels like Bond's arch nemesis. On two occasions in DIAMOND ARE FOREVER (the mud baths, the "right idea") Bond thinks he's killed Blofeld, and on two occasions (the crematorium, the pipe) Blofeld thinks he has Bond dead and buried, but neither, it seems, can kill off the other. Like Batman and The Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT, they're destined to do this forever.

Nice post. And with the bathosub incident, it's a push, especially in context of the Conneryverse - which DAF effectively serves as the finale of. Bond has foiled Blofeld's plot and has claimed a moral one-on-one victory. But not in a permanent way. 



#19 elizabeth

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Posted 13 November 2013 - 07:38 PM

I don't know.  I like the idea of Blofeld as an unknown entity, but I do like Pleasance's Blofeld (the rest seemed too "hip" for a Blofeld role)... 



#20 glidrose

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 12:03 AM

I don't know.  I like the idea of Blofeld as an unknown entity, but I do like Pleasance's Blofeld (the rest seemed too "hip" for a Blofeld role)...


I generally agree with you. I prefer the unknown entity Blofeld. I like Pleasance as a villain, though he is miscast as Blofeld. Savalas and Gray are too smug and glib for my liking. I don't believe Savalas would be vain enough to care about heredity. Gray is vain enough but he's not physically convincing to fight Lazenby. sigh

#21 Colossus

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 01:26 AM

The hipness perfectly summed up why i didnt like the post-Pleasence Blofelds. I mean.... the other guys could very well just fit in with the gangsters in Goldfinger's game room or something. Pleasence was like an evil wizard though. I agree he was under utilized though for the role. 



#22 AMC Hornet

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 03:05 AM

You woulda preferred maybe Santa Claus (Jan Werich)?



#23 Colossus

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 03:26 AM

Hmm no. I was thinking more along the lines of the evil wizards of the Conan the Barbarian tales, only a modern day unmagical equivalent.



#24 freemo

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 07:54 AM

 

I don't believe Savalas would be vain enough to care about heredity. Gray is vain enough but he's not physically convincing to fight Lazenby. sigh

 

 

Yes, PleasanceBlofeld I could definitely picture having pretentions of being a Count (I think he'd have played those scenes very well), while for SavalasBlofeld it seems more a sardonic joke on his behalf.

 

Charming and authorative as Savalas is in OHMSS, PleasanceBlofeld in OHMSS I can definitely picture:aside from the scenes showing his desire to be recognised as a count, he seems a more likely scientist working on biological warfare too. The scenes between Blofeld and Tracey would certainly be different, perhaps played in a more grotesque "beauty and the beast" tone way. In the end, SavalasBlofeld was "bad", while PleasanceBlofeld was "evil". Which you prefer is a matter of taste.

 

Though I still think Gray's Blofeld is the nastiest, the one must likely to hack your heart out with a bread knife and then mail it to your widow with a card that reads "with deepest sympathies..."

 

As to the charge that Pleasance and Gray were less "physical" Blofelds, I not sure the (film) Blofeld should be getting into scraps and fisticuffs anyway. Such sordid, trivial stuff is a bit beneath him, quite frankly. Let the lackeys handle the manual labour. His is a higher calling.



#25 Dustin

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 12:18 PM


I don't believe Savalas would be vain enough to care about heredity. Gray is vain enough but he's not physically convincing to fight Lazenby. sigh


Yes, PleasanceBlofeld I could definitely picture having pretentions of being a Count (I think he'd have played those scenes very well), while for SavalasBlofeld it seems more a sardonic joke on his behalf.

This is the first time somebody actually nailed what always felt a little off for me about Savalas. While OHMSS is amongst my favourites something about the thought of Savalas-Blofeld seeking an aristocratic title doesn't quite sit well. That element in the film would work better for me with one of the other actors, maybe even Werich. With Savalas it somehow feels as if Blofeld lures Bond to Piz Gloria on the pretence of the de Bleuchamp fraud. One vital detail: Blofeld makes the title part of his blackmail scheme, so he'd in effect using it with everybody - that counts - knowing it's a phoney title and he a swindler. That again is something I could see Savalas-Blofeld enjoy tremendously, having all and sundry bowing to his every whim and formally addressing him as Comte. But doesn't it sound wrong he'd go to such lengths to get his title acknowledged beforehand?

#26 Revelator

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 09:21 PM

Blofeld has never really been cast properly. Pleasance, Gray and Von Sydow all lacked physical presence. By this I don't mean the ability to personally fight Bond, but rather the ability to evoke menace and intimidation by doing nothing more than sitting in front of the camera. Pleasance is too neurotic and reliant on his scar, Gray belongs in a Noel Coward play, and Von Sydow could pass for a bank manager. Blofeld is supposed to have powers of charisma able to practically suck out the eyes from your head--he is evil on a Shakespearian scale. Savalas does a better job of projecting menace, but he gives the impression of a jumped-up thug. Blofeld is an aristocrat of crime, whereas Savalas is an arriviste.

 

So my favorite movie Blofeld is the unseen Blofeld of Thunderball. I love his metallic-sounding voice, with its occasional hints of cold mockery ("Our expectations were considerably higher"). Had they found a face to match that voice, they would have had the perfect Blofeld.

 

I've often fantasized about what would have happened if Laurence Olivier had been cast as Blofeld in 1969. Who better to play a larger-than-life Shakespearian characater than a larger-than-life Shakespearian actor? As for villainous menace, who better than the screen's definitive Richard III? Olivier's freezing, cold-eyed stare would have been perfect for the role, and devising a mittel-European accent would have been child's play for him. Dye his hair white, give him green contacts, and you would have the ideal version of the Blofeld of OHMSS.


Edited by Revelator, 14 November 2013 - 09:25 PM.


#27 Dustin

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 09:55 PM

I can absolutely see Olivier as Blofeld. Even in 1976 in MARATHON MAN - closing in on 70 then - he exuded an air of menace like an open razor soiled with blood. His 'White Angel' Christian Szell is an enormously gripping villain. Having him in the Blofeld role one would actually hope he survived YOLT, or DAF rather, to come back for another SPECTRE plan.

#28 Trevelyan 006

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Posted 14 November 2013 - 11:26 PM

 

Plus, when I think of Telly's Blofeld, I easily picture him in the novelization version of the character. More specifically in the novelization of YOLT <snip>


Novelization? In what alternate universe?

I suspect you mean "novel".

 

 

Ah, yes. Dind't even realize. I may or may not have been off into my tangent a bit! 



#29 Guy Haines

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 12:01 AM

Blofeld has never really been cast properly. Pleasance, Gray and Von Sydow all lacked physical presence. By this I don't mean the ability to personally fight Bond, but rather the ability to evoke menace and intimidation by doing nothing more than sitting in front of the camera. Pleasance is too neurotic and reliant on his scar, Gray belongs in a Noel Coward play, and Von Sydow could pass for a bank manager. Blofeld is supposed to have powers of charisma able to practically suck out the eyes from your head--he is evil on a Shakespearian scale. Savalas does a better job of projecting menace, but he gives the impression of a jumped-up thug. Blofeld is an aristocrat of crime, whereas Savalas is an arriviste.

 

So my favorite movie Blofeld is the unseen Blofeld of Thunderball. I love his metallic-sounding voice, with its occasional hints of cold mockery ("Our expectations were considerably higher"). Had they found a face to match that voice, they would have had the perfect Blofeld.

 

I've often fantasized about what would have happened if Laurence Olivier had been cast as Blofeld in 1969. Who better to play a larger-than-life Shakespearian characater than a larger-than-life Shakespearian actor? As for villainous menace, who better than the screen's definitive Richard III? Olivier's freezing, cold-eyed stare would have been perfect for the role, and devising a mittel-European accent would have been child's play for him. Dye his hair white, give him green contacts, and you would have the ideal version of the Blofeld of OHMSS.

If only. And why not. I agree with you, Blofeld was one villain who was never properly cast, although the versions we have are all memorable and different.

 

I'd like to see Blofeld return in the Craig era. For me, he's the (so far) missing part of the re-invention of Bond since 2006. And there's no reason now why he couldn't return. And there are plenty of contemporary actors who could do the part justice. An older Blofeld - Sir Ian McKellan?  Kevin Spacey? Bruno Ganz? But how about a younger adversary? Benedict Cumberbatch, for example - Blofeld as the cyber terrorist contemporary of Ben Wishaw's "Q"?, hacking, not into "M"'s computer but into command and control of drone aircraft - a new take on Thunderball, perhaps?



#30 The Shark

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Posted 15 November 2013 - 12:57 AM

Ciarán Hinds or Ian McShane.