Pleasance was given the scar to add menace to his appearance. He was deemed to be lacking intimidation so the scar added a great deal to his presence. I liked Pleasance as Blofeld and also Savalas in OHMSS. I felt it was never clear throughout his three films whether Blofeld was actually a capable fighter himself. Pleasance & Gray certainly didn't portray that side of him. They were more like the megalomaniac pressing buttons. But Savalas had a darker presence, potential physicality to his character. We actually see him fight back with Bond on the bobsleigh chase. He was no pushover in that regard. Some might think Savalas' Blofeld was a touch uncouth but I think that's harsh. He often kept his cool and liked to antagonise Bond with dialogue. Gray returned to the style of Pleasance but with zero menace and ultimately failed in the role. The script was bordering on farcical in DAF with Blofeld seen in drag. I mean this was too much. Gray was simply too polite and seemed to lack depth, which caused problems as he was now a familiar enemy to Bond yet seemed like a run-of-the-mill Moore-type villain in later entries. Except Gray fails even on that count. He just wasn't a convincing villain. He lacked conviction and didn't seem capable of world domination ambition.
Pleasance was given the scar to add menace to his appearance. He was deemed to be lacking intimidation so the scar added a great deal to his presence. I liked Pleasance as Blofeld and also Savalas in OHMSS. I felt it was never clear throughout his three films whether Blofeld was actually a capable fighter himself. Pleasance & Gray certainly didn't portray that side of him. They were more like the megalomaniac pressing buttons. But Savalas had a darker presence, potential physicality to his character. We actually see him fight back with Bond on the bobsleigh chase. He was no pushover in that regard. Some might think Savalas' Blofeld was a touch uncouth but I think that's harsh. He often kept his cool and liked to antagonise Bond with dialogue. Gray returned to the style of Pleasance but with zero menace and ultimately failed in the role. The script was bordering on farcical in DAF with Blofeld seen in drag. I mean this was too much. Gray was simply too polite and seemed to lack depth, which caused problems as he was now a familiar enemy to Bond yet seemed like a run-of-the-mill Moore-type villain in later entries. Except Gray fails even on that count. He just wasn't a convincing villain. He lacked conviction and didn't seem capable of world domination ambition.
In regards to people who think Savalas is uncouth, it is important to remember Blofeld is a thug and a criminal. A refined one, for sure, but one none the less.
I seem to be one of the few who really enjoy Grey as Blofeld. He isn't very threatening but I can't help but love his performance.
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I love his version of Blofeld, too, especially his attempts at intellectual willy-waving to impress Bond: "As La Rochefoucauld observed, 'humility is the worst form of conceit.'" I gather Harry Saltzman wasn't keen on that line, as the audience wouldn't have heard of La Rochefoucauld, which was rather missing the point - it was supposed to be an arcane reference as Blofeld showed off his superior intellect.
Oh yes, as a kid, we used to go to the old Harvard Square cinema where, once a year they would show all of the Bond films over the course of a weekend. Of course at that time, there were only eleven or twelve of them. I distinctly recall being confused seeing Charles Gray (a) on screen playing someone other than Blofeld and (b) being stabbed after about 2 minutes of screen time.
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In regards to people who think Savalas is uncouth, it is important to remember Blofeld is a thug and a criminal. A refined one, for sure, but one none the less.
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I liked how he tried to out-suave Bond. I liked his dialogue as well.
"You press L, Mr Bond! The word 'lobby' begins with L!"
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
I love his version of Blofeld, too, especially his attempts at intellectual willy-waving to impress Bond: "As La Rochefoucauld observed, 'humility is the worst form of conceit.'" I gather Harry Saltzman wasn't keen on that line, as the audience wouldn't have heard of La Rochefoucauld, which was rather missing the point - it was supposed to be an arcane reference as Blofeld showed off his superior intellect.
For once, Harry doesn't get the blame- it was Cubby!