An age old question.
Jamesbondjr
Posts: 462MI6 Agent
There is a question, often asked to and among Bond fans, that has baffled and infuriated people since 1969. Why does Blofeld not recognize Bond when they meet in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service?
Here’s my theory, it's not perfect but hey, what is?
The Blofeld we see in You Only Live Twice isn’t actually Ernst Stavro Blofeld, it is a decoy. The real Blofeld, as we have learned from his appearances up until this point, is extremely secretive. There are very few people, even with the ranks of SPECTRE, that know what he actually looks like and he wants to keep it that way, especially among his enemies. Until now, Blofeld has been aware of James Bond poking around SPECTRE but has had no real cause for concern. But as Bond’s net is closing around SPECTRE in You Only Live Twice Blofeld decides that he needs to feed Bond some disinformation. Fully aware that Bond may escape the volcano and come after him, Blofeld allows Bond to see the decoy so from that point onwards Bond thinks he’s got his man but in reality he is still chasing shadows. It doesn’t matter to Blofeld if Bond is killed but he knows he likely won’t be and sets the trap.
So when they meet in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service it is not Blofeld who doesn't recognise Bond, it is Bond who does not recognise Blofeld. He’s never seen him. Obviously this throws Bond but he can’t break character so keeps up his disguise and digs further. He is pretty sure it is him due to the information given to him but can’t be 100% sure. Eventually, as he wakes from being knocked unconscious by Bunt, he knows he has the real Blofeld and proceeds accordingly.
As we know, Blofeld makes his escape after killing Tracy at the end of OHMSS. When we see him again he has changed his appearance. He and his lookalikes all undergo cosmetic surgery to look like the same man; Dicko Henderson. This is a rather cruel joke on Blofeld’s part, he chooses to look like the man who Bond was working with just at the moment he was about to unravel SPECTRE and find out about it’s head operative. When Bond sees ‘Blofeld’ at the start of Diamonds Are Forever he instantly recognises the cruel gag, as Blofeld knew he would.
It’s not a perfect theory and is probably full of holes when dissected but it’s a theory that at least allows for some explanation to the original question asked above. Whether it’s a satisfactory answer, that’s another matter.
Here’s my theory, it's not perfect but hey, what is?
The Blofeld we see in You Only Live Twice isn’t actually Ernst Stavro Blofeld, it is a decoy. The real Blofeld, as we have learned from his appearances up until this point, is extremely secretive. There are very few people, even with the ranks of SPECTRE, that know what he actually looks like and he wants to keep it that way, especially among his enemies. Until now, Blofeld has been aware of James Bond poking around SPECTRE but has had no real cause for concern. But as Bond’s net is closing around SPECTRE in You Only Live Twice Blofeld decides that he needs to feed Bond some disinformation. Fully aware that Bond may escape the volcano and come after him, Blofeld allows Bond to see the decoy so from that point onwards Bond thinks he’s got his man but in reality he is still chasing shadows. It doesn’t matter to Blofeld if Bond is killed but he knows he likely won’t be and sets the trap.
So when they meet in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service it is not Blofeld who doesn't recognise Bond, it is Bond who does not recognise Blofeld. He’s never seen him. Obviously this throws Bond but he can’t break character so keeps up his disguise and digs further. He is pretty sure it is him due to the information given to him but can’t be 100% sure. Eventually, as he wakes from being knocked unconscious by Bunt, he knows he has the real Blofeld and proceeds accordingly.
As we know, Blofeld makes his escape after killing Tracy at the end of OHMSS. When we see him again he has changed his appearance. He and his lookalikes all undergo cosmetic surgery to look like the same man; Dicko Henderson. This is a rather cruel joke on Blofeld’s part, he chooses to look like the man who Bond was working with just at the moment he was about to unravel SPECTRE and find out about it’s head operative. When Bond sees ‘Blofeld’ at the start of Diamonds Are Forever he instantly recognises the cruel gag, as Blofeld knew he would.
It’s not a perfect theory and is probably full of holes when dissected but it’s a theory that at least allows for some explanation to the original question asked above. Whether it’s a satisfactory answer, that’s another matter.
1- On Her Majesty's Secret Service 2- Casino Royale 3- Licence To Kill 4- Goldeneye 5- From Russia With Love
Comments
I have two theories:
After using the technology for plastic surgery in Thunderball, Blofeld does this to several other men to look like him. One of them doubles with him in YOLT and dies when the volcano lair is blown up. Then, another double is created, and then more doubles, leading into DAF. After Bond has killed all of them, Blofeld can no longer find any volunteers for the project, and shows himself in OHMSS, which takes place after DAF.
My second theory might not hold up due to continuity, but here it goes: OHMSS takes place before DN. Blofeld, who has a broken neck, never wants to show his face, hence the reason for hiding in FRWL and TB.
Contininuity wise the movies seem to make sense if you go from Thunderball to OHMSS. As Bond does say: "how many millions do you want this time?" being aware of the ransom in Thunderball, and it seems reasonable he found out about his name since then.
Going from YOLT to DAF also makes sense (sadly). DAF even starts in Japan, and there seems to be no acknowledgement of Tracy at all in the movie, like they pretend OHMSS was never made.
I like how you came up with a way to make more sense of it all. Because YOLT was shown in the opening credits of OHMSS and he does know the name Blofeld which wasnt given since YOLT. Like mentioned above continiuty wasnt as important and of course in the novels OHMSS was the real moment they met face to face. Fans will always try to come up with theories to put it together
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