Blofeld questions.....

Hunter Harry

OK, some things about Ernst Stavro Blofeld have confused me for some time (I must say that I have read none of the books, only seen all the official films) and I was wondering if anyone here had answers to my questions.

Firstly, is the scar from You Only Live Twice real (storyline wise) or fake? If it is fake, what point is the point in having it, it isn't like it will change people knowing who he is, he stays in a volcano and even introduces himself to people. If it is real, he can conceal it in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Diamonds Are Forever, why doesn't he conceal it here?

Secondly, why in From Russia With Love, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, does he seem immobile, yet in On Her Majesty's Secret Service he is capable of the physical activity he does?

Thirdly, why would the producers choose to cast the same person who played Henderson as Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever? Are we supposed to think the the criminal mastermind chose to disguise himself as someone who was dead for around 4 years?

Fourthly, how could Blofeld hollow out a volcano, staff it and place a rocket in it without attracting attention?

Fithly, since Blofed wasn't killed in the Alps, couldn't he have just instructed the Angels Of Death from elsewhere?

Finally, in For Your Eyes Only, are we meant to believe that Bond killed his main nemisis in under ten minutes in an obscure situation when he couldn't do it face to face?

Napoleon Plural

To briefly answer, the scar is not in the books, nor is his baldness. It was added to Donald Pleasance to give him a more sinister look (they also experimented with a hump and a limp).

They dropped it for OHMSS for no particular reason. I suppose Blofeld could have had it fixed anyway. There is a lack of continuity here, thanks to the books being filmed out of order. The Blofeld trilogy was Thunderball, On Her Majesty's, and You Only Live Twice. Blofeld was never in Fleming's novel Diamonds Are Forever.

The continuity errors are more obvious to a new fan, whereas decades ago there were two years in between films, and no DVD or video or anything.

I don't think he was disabled in the early films, just seated. They didn't film him moving much in YOLT because, it is said, the actor would mince about and not look very threatening, so they cut that down a bit!

Charles Gray was cast as Blofeld probably because they just liked the actor and didnt' think anyone would remember him in that very small role.

clum

whenever you notice things like these remember...a wizard did it!

Pierce_Brosnan

clum wrote:

whenever you notice things like these remember...a wizard did it!

Oh, yes, of course. 8-)

taity

As for Charles Grey appearing as Blofeld - as has been said before, no one owned dvds or even saw the movies on tv all that regularly. They probably thought they could get away with it.

Of course, big question...why didnt blofeld recognise Bond first time they meet in OHMSS?

darenhat

There was a unused sequence (I think it was in OHMSS) concerning Blofeld having face-altering surgery, which was later touched on in DAF to a degree...this would explain how Blofeld could go unrecognized, but it never explained Bond's "aura' of mystery.

...But then, he was wearing Sir Hilary Bray's eyeglasses. Kind of like a Superman thing. I bet it he were to kiss Blofeld at the YOLT, Ernst would have no memory of anything that would have happened!

steelydan3

darenhat wrote:

There was a unused sequence (I think it was in OHMSS) concerning Blofeld having face-altering surgery, which was later touched on in DAF to a degree...this would explain how Blofeld could go unrecognized, but it never explained Bond's "aura' of mystery.

...But then, he was wearing Sir Hilary Bray's eyeglasses. Kind of like a Superman thing. I bet it he were to kiss Blofeld at the YOLT, Ernst would have no memory of anything that would have happened!

Perish that thought, darenhat! )

Pierce_Brosnan

darenhat wrote:

There was a unused sequence (I think it was in OHMSS) concerning Blofeld having face-altering surgery, which was later touched on in DAF to a degree...this would explain how Blofeld could go unrecognized, but it never explained Bond's "aura' of mystery.

...But then, he was wearing Sir Hilary Bray's eyeglasses. Kind of like a Superman thing. I bet it he were to kiss Blofeld at the YOLT, Ernst would have no memory of anything that would have happened!

Thanks for sharing your feelings. 8-)

James F E

In OHMSS he was trying to fool everyone into believing that he was a French count. The scar and altered appearance went with plastic surgery.

Agent Wade

Another way to excuse the poor occurence of the second first introduction was that in YOLT, Bond was supposed to be looking a little bit Asian, and in OHMSS, Bond was supposed to be looking a little bit foppish.

I don't really buy it. But I also don't really care.

ohmss1969

Original YOLT title was supposed to be :

"You Only Try To Avoid Japanese Paparazzi Twice"

ROTFLMAO ):))

Tilly Masterson 007

Anyone know why Blofeld is credited as ? at the credits, From Russia With Love?

It seems strange that they haven't cast an actor to play him!

RJJB

It was obviously done to build mystery about the character. He's faceless in his first two appearances so that when we eventually meet him in later movies, he has an established aura of being a villain who can instill loyalty through fear and a commanding presence. Unfortunately, I do not think Donald Pleasance lived up to the intial image we were supposed to have.